To see how many apps are on your iPhone, open Settings, tap General, then tap About. Apple lists the number of apps there, alongside the counts of songs, videos and photos. That number may not match the icons on your Home Screen, because apps can live only in the App Library, sit in a Hidden folder, or be built-in apps you never moved.
Find the app count in Settings
These steps work on current versions of iOS and on older ones; the About screen has been in the same place for years. Nothing needs to be installed, and you don’t need a computer.
- Open the Settings app from the Home Screen or App Library.
- Tap General.
- Tap About, the first row on the General screen.
- Read the apps count. It appears in the same block as your song, video and photo counts. On the older screen shown below, the row is labeled Applications.
The images above come from an older iOS version, so your About screen will look different, but the steps are the same. The About screen gives only the number, not a list. To see which apps make up the number, use one of the lists in the next sections.
The same About screen also shows how many songs are stored on the phone; that count is explained in how to see how many songs you have on your iPhone.
Why the count may not match your Home Screen
Apple doesn’t document exactly which apps the About figure includes, so treat it as an approximate total. Counting icons on your Home Screen pages almost never gives the same answer, for several reasons Apple does document:
| Where the app is | Shown on the Home Screen? | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| App Library only | No | Swipe left past your last Home Screen page |
| On a hidden Home Screen page | No | Still listed in the App Library and in Search |
| Hidden folder (hidden apps, iOS 18 and later) | No, and not in the App Library list or Search either | Settings > Apps > Hidden Apps, or the Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library |
| Inside a folder | Only the folder icon | Open the folder |
| Offloaded app | Usually yes, with a small cloud next to the name | Tap it to reinstall the app (the app’s documents and data were kept) |
Built-in apps also add to any count. Apple’s list of built-in apps you can delete includes Calculator, Compass, Measure, Stocks, Tips, Voice Memos and many more, so a phone that seems to have few apps can still hold dozens. Apps such as Camera, Photos, Phone, Messages, Safari, Settings and the App Store are not on that removable list.
See every app in one list
The App Library
The App Library (iOS 14 and later) gathers every app that isn’t hidden.
- On the Home Screen, swipe left until you pass your last page.
- Tap the search field at the top. An alphabetical list of apps appears.
- Scroll the list, or start typing a name to jump to an app.
Apps that have no Home Screen icon still appear in this list, which makes it the best place to spot apps you forgot you had. The App Library shows no total, but scrolling this list is the most direct way to compare against the About number. If you’d like the Home Screen itself in A to Z order, see how to organize apps on iPhone alphabetically.
Settings > Apps (iOS 18 and later)
Since iOS 18, apps’ settings sit in one list: open Settings and tap Apps. Hidden apps have their own entry, Hidden Apps, which asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Apple explains hidden and missing apps on its page about finding apps that are missing from the Home Screen. Apple notes that apps that come installed can’t be hidden, so that list only holds apps you downloaded.
Search
To check for one app quickly, swipe down from the middle of the Home Screen, or on iOS 16 and later tap the Search button above the dock, then type the name. Hidden apps don’t appear in Search results.
Find the biggest and least-used apps
If you’re counting apps because the phone is running out of space, the storage screen is more useful than the count:
- Open Settings and tap General.
- Tap iPhone Storage. After a moment you’ll see recommendations and a list of apps with the storage each one uses.
- Tap an app to see its size and its documents and data, then choose to offload or delete it.
Offloading removes the app but keeps its documents and data, so you can reinstall it later and pick up where you left off. Deleting removes the app and its data. Apple describes both choices in its article on checking iPhone storage. The full breakdown of storage categories is in how to check your iPhone storage. To have the phone offload apps you haven’t used for a while, Apple’s current path is Settings > Apps > App Store > Offload Unused Apps; see automatically offloading unused apps for what that does.
Lower the number
To remove an app, touch and hold its icon, tap Remove App, then choose:
- Remove from Home Screen to take the icon off the page while keeping the app in the App Library (the count stays the same).
- Delete App, then Delete to uninstall it (the count goes down).
Many built-in apps can be deleted this way on iOS 14 and later and reinstalled free from the App Store. For a worked example, see how to delete GarageBand from an iPhone, or the general walkthrough on deleting apps on any iPhone. If you are wondering how much space built-in apps really take, built-in app storage on iPhone covers it.
Counting iPhone apps: reader questions
Is the App Store purchase list the same as my installed apps?
No. In the App Store, tapping your profile picture, then Apps & Purchase History and Your Apps, shows apps you have downloaded with your Apple Account, including ones not on this phone. It is a history, not a count of what is installed. Apps you’d rather not see there can be hidden; see how to hide a purchased app on iPhone.
Why does an app in the App Store show a cloud icon?
A cloud usually means you have downloaded the app before but it is not installed on this phone right now, or it was offloaded. The details are in why there is a cloud next to an app in the App Store.
Can I get a count on an iPhone with an old iOS version?
Yes. On older versions the same Settings > General > About path shows the count (the row is labeled Applications on older versions). Versions before iOS 14 have no App Library, so every app has an icon on a Home Screen page or in a folder, and counting those icons should get you close.
Once you know the number, a good next step is a short cleanup: open iPhone Storage, sort out the largest apps you no longer use, and offload or delete them. On an unrelated note, if you also work in spreadsheets, you may find it handy to lock a row in Google Sheets so headers stay in view.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.