The introduction of widgets with iPadOS has been a game-changer for iPad users, offering a more personalized and informative home screen experience. However, there might be times when you want to declutter your space or simply prefer a cleaner look. If you’re looking to remove widgets from your iPad Home Screen, you’re in the right place.
Today, we will guide you through the simple steps to customize your iPad’s Home Screen by removing unwanted widgets, ensuring your device aligns perfectly with your preferences and needs.
Before diving into the process of removing widgets, it’s essential to understand what they are. Widgets are small applications that display information and provide quick access to frequently used apps or services. They can show anything from the weather forecast, calendar events, to your activity rings from the Apple Health app.
Steps to Remove Widgets from iPad Home Screen
Accessing the Widget Area:
Unlock your iPad and navigate to the Home Screen.
Swipe right to view the widgets if they’re not already visible on your main Home Screen.
Entering Edit Mode:
Long-press on an empty area of the Home Screen or on any widget until the apps start jiggling. This is known as the ‘Edit Mode’.
Removing the Widgets:
Once in Edit Mode, you’ll see a small minus sign (-) on the upper left corner of each widget.
Tap the minus sign on the widget you want to remove. A prompt will appear, asking you to confirm the removal.
Select ‘Remove Widget’ to confirm.
Exiting Edit Mode:
Once you’ve removed the desired widgets, tap ‘Done’ in the upper right corner of the screen, or simply tap on an empty space on your iPad’s Home Screen to exit Edit Mode.
Tips for Managing Widgets
Re-adding Widgets: If you change your mind, you can always add widgets back by entering Edit Mode and tapping the plus (+) icon in the upper left corner.
Customizing Widget Stacks: iPadOS allows you to create stacks of widgets, which is a great way to save space while keeping multiple widgets accessible.
Consider Your Usage: Regularly review your widgets and keep only those that you find useful. This not only keeps your Home Screen tidy but also can improve your iPad’s performance.
What Happened to Today View on iPad?
The evolution of iPadOS has brought numerous changes and enhancements, aiming to improve user experience and functionality. One of the features that underwent significant transformation is the “Today View.” This feature, once a staple of iPad user interface, has seen a shift in its presence and functionality in recent updates of iPadOS.
Today View was originally introduced as a convenient way for iPad users to access various widgets. It was found on the left side of the first Home Screen, giving you quick and easy access to various bits of information at a glance.
However, following the addition of widgets with iPadOS 15, this introduced a completely different way of customizing and interacting with your iPad. Since then, Apple has continued to change the way that we use widgets on the iPad.
Arguably the biggest change is that you are no longer confined to the grid layout when placing widgets. Instead, you can pick a widget and put it pretty much anywhere on your Home Screen.
While the dedicated Today View panel might be a thing of the past, its functionality and purpose continue to thrive in the new widget system of iPadOS. This change is a testament to the ever-evolving nature of technology and user interfaces, constantly adapting to provide more efficient, personalized, and aesthetically pleasing experiences.
Conclusion
Removing widgets from your iPad Home Screen is a straightforward process that can significantly impact how you interact with your device. Whether you prefer a minimalist design or need to temporarily declutter your screen, understanding how to manage your widgets is key to personalizing your iPad experience. We hope this guide has been helpful in showing you how to remove widgets from your iPad Home Screen.
Remember, the beauty of iPadOS lies in its flexibility and user-centric design. Whether you’re streamlining for productivity, aesthetics, or functionality, your iPad’s Home Screen is your personal canvas. So, experiment with it, find what works best for you, and don’t hesitate to tweak it as your needs evolve.
We’d love to hear from you! If you have any tips, tricks, or questions about managing widgets on iPadOS, feel free to leave a comment below. Your insights could be incredibly helpful to other readers trying to optimize their iPad’s Home Screen.
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
The latest update n the iPad is incredibly obnoxious. How can I revert back one version and restart the loading of this so I can disable many of its functions?
I am on the most current iOS, and would love to enable Today’s view on my Home screen – but when I click edit in the Widgets, I don’t have the ‘Keep on home screen’ option at all! What gives?
Let’s go to Settings > Display & Brightness or Settings > Home Screen & Dock and toggle on Keep Today View on Home Screen there. Restart and then see if the option shows up in your widgets.
Thanks! I had not seen the setting in the Display/Brightness pane. I had set my icon size to ‘Bigger’ which greyed out the Today View options (for obvious reasons). All fixed and working now.
I cannot remove the today view from my home screen, no mater what. Remove all the widgets? Nope that does not do it, Keep on Home Screen turned off, not that does not do it either. I have just lost a third of my screen, I hate this.
The latest update n the iPad is incredibly obnoxious. How can I revert back one version and restart the loading of this so I can disable many of its functions?
How to remove widget at the bottom of screen
The iPad is rubbish. Little more than a toy. How do I get my money back?
Apple’s privacy policy is a joke–they removed the ability to disable individual cookies .
It is a poor quality product that can only load programs from a single source.
I’m sure children love it but it is not a serious computing machine.
Shame on Apple for misrepresenting the iPad as privacy focused high quality machine
I am on the most current iOS, and would love to enable Today’s view on my Home screen – but when I click edit in the Widgets, I don’t have the ‘Keep on home screen’ option at all! What gives?
Hi MCC,
Let’s go to Settings > Display & Brightness or Settings > Home Screen & Dock and toggle on Keep Today View on Home Screen there. Restart and then see if the option shows up in your widgets.
Thanks! I had not seen the setting in the Display/Brightness pane. I had set my icon size to ‘Bigger’ which greyed out the Today View options (for obvious reasons). All fixed and working now.
Took a while to find this page, but resolved my problem of having Today’s View on main iPad air page. Thank you.
I cannot remove the today view from my home screen, no mater what. Remove all the widgets? Nope that does not do it, Keep on Home Screen turned off, not that does not do it either. I have just lost a third of my screen, I hate this.
Lightly swipe left on the home screen.