iPadOS tip: add and pin widgets to your iPad homescreen

With iPadOS, the home screen of your iPad becomes a lot more functional. The app icons are smaller, but there is now also room for widgets such as your mail, files, the weather or other apps. This is how you add such widgets and put them in the right position.

How to add widgets in iPadOS

A widget is a small overview of an app with the most important information, so that you can quickly check it or have quick access. We have known such widgets for a number of years from the iPhone and iPad, but thanks to iPadOS are finally also making the switch to your home screen.

By default there are already a few widgets, but you can change these and add others to the list. You do this as follows.

1. Swipe your finger up on the widgets until you reach the bottom;
2. Tap ‘Edit’ here;
3. Scroll down and tap a green plus at a widget that you want to put on your home screen;
4. Tap the red icon and tap ‘Delete’ to properly remove a widget from the list;
5. Press ‘Done’ in the top right corner when you’re done.

Pin favorite widgets

Because there is of course only limited screen space, you cannot see all widgets by default. You can therefore pin two of these app previews to your home screen. The rest will show up when you scroll through your widgets. Pinning your favorite widgets is very easy.

1. Tap ‘Edit’ at the bottom of the widgets;
2. Move your finger to the hamburger menu icon on the right to the name of a widget and drag the widget from Favorites to Pinned Favorites;
3. Press ‘Done’ to save the setting.

In this way you can also determine the order of the other widgets in the ‘Favorites’ list, and arrange them according to which one you use the most. Are you not really fond of those widgets? In iPadOS it is also possible to turn this option off completely. To do this, go to the same menu to customize widgets and slide the switch for ‘Keep on home screen’ to gray.

In addition to widgets, more changes with iPadOS on your iPad. For example, updating apps from the App Store is slightly different and there is a new keyboard that lets you type faster. If you have a Mac, you can use your iPad as a second screen thanks to the Sidecar feature. Also check our iPadOS preview for a first impression.

Read more about iPadOS

• Major security updates available for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch (26-3)
• Explained: Pair and control an iPad with a mouse or trackpad (20-2)
• Video of the week: Magic Keyboard review (4-9-2020)
• New features in iPadOS 14: Video of the week (8/7/2020)
• Concept: iPadOS 15 with new home screen, better widgets and more (7/21/2020)