How to Add Widgets to Your iPhone Home Screen (iOS 17–26)

To add a widget to your iPhone Home Screen, touch and hold an empty area until the apps start to jiggle, open the widget gallery, pick an app and a size, then tap Add Widget and drag it where you want it. The only real difference between iOS versions is how you open the gallery: a + button on iOS 17, and Edit → Add Widget on iOS 18 and later.

This guide walks through each version step by step, then covers sizes, stacks, resizing, the Lock Screen, StandBy, and what to do when a widget refuses to cooperate.

#Adding a widget on iOS 17

1. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen (or any app icon, then choose Edit Home Screen) until the icons jiggle.
2. Tap the + button in the top-left corner.
3. Scroll through the suggested widgets or use the search field to find the app you want.
4. Swipe left and right to preview the available sizes.
5. Tap Add Widget. It lands on the current page.
6. Drag the widget to the spot you want; other icons will move out of the way.
7. Tap Done in the top-right corner.

#Adding a widget on iOS 18 and iOS 26

Apple moved the widget button into a small menu when it introduced Home Screen customization, and that layout carries over to iOS 26.

1. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen until the icons jiggle.
2. Tap Edit in the top-left corner.
3. Choose Add Widget.
4. Search for or scroll to the app, then swipe to choose a size.
5. Tap Add Widget, drag it into position, and tap Done.

The same Edit menu also holds Customize, where you can switch icons and widgets between appearances such as dark and tinted. On iOS 26 there is an additional clear, glass-like look that fits Apple's Liquid Glass design. We cover how widgets behave in each appearance in our guide to Liquid Glass widgets on iOS 26.

#Choosing the right size

Most widgets come in three Home Screen sizes, and each one suits a different job:

A good rule is to start small and size up only when the extra space shows genuinely useful information. A large widget that repeats what a small one already says just pushes your apps onto another page. In WidgyKit, every template has its own layout for Small, Medium and Large, so a larger size adds detail rather than simply stretching the same content.

#Stacks and the Smart Stack

A stack lets several widgets of the same size share one spot. You swipe up or down on it to flip between them.

• Create a stack: while editing the Home Screen, drag one widget directly on top of another widget of the same size and let go.
• Edit a stack: touch and hold the stack, then choose Edit Stack to reorder widgets, remove one, or toggle Smart Rotate, which lets iOS surface the widget it thinks is most relevant at that moment.
• Widget suggestions: in the same menu you can allow iOS to suggest widgets in the stack. Turn it off if you prefer your stack to stay exactly as you built it.

Stacks are the easiest way to keep a tidy Home Screen while still having a calendar, weather and a habit tracker one swipe away.

#Resizing widgets (iOS 18 and later)

Starting with iOS 18 you no longer have to remove a widget and add it again to change its size.

1. Enter editing mode (touch and hold an empty area).
2. Look for the curved handle in the bottom-right corner of the widget.
3. Drag the handle outward or inward. The widget snaps to the next available size.
4. Tap Done.

If a size is missing, the widget simply does not offer it. Some apps only support one or two sizes.

#Lock Screen and StandBy widgets

#Lock Screen

Lock Screen widgets are small, monochrome and designed to be read in a glance.

1. Touch and hold the Lock Screen until the wallpaper gallery appears.
2. Tap Customize, then choose Lock Screen.
3. Tap the widget area below the clock (or the small line above it) to open the widget picker.
4. Add the widgets you want, then tap Done.

Because space is tight, focus on one number or one word per widget: the date, a countdown, or the lunar day.

#StandBy

StandBy turns your iPhone into a bedside or desk display when it is charging and lying on its side. Swipe horizontally to reach the widget view, then touch and hold a widget stack to edit it. StandBy is a great home for a large clock, a world clock or a calendar, since you can read it from across the room.

#Troubleshooting

#The app does not appear in the widget gallery

• Make sure the app is installed and fully updated.
• Open the app at least once. iOS often registers an app's widgets only after its first launch.
• Restart your iPhone if the app still does not show up after opening it.

#The widget is blank or shows placeholder content

A grey or empty widget usually means it has not received any data yet. Open the app once so it can save the information the widget needs, then return to the Home Screen. If the widget needs a choice from you, such as a city for weather, touch and hold it and pick Edit Widget.

#The widget is not updating

iOS decides when widgets refresh in order to save battery, so updates arrive on the system's schedule rather than every second. A few things make refreshes less frequent:

• Low Power Mode delays background activity, including widget updates.
• Background App Refresh turned off for the app can slow updates for data that comes from the internet.
• No network connection means online data such as weather keeps showing its last known value until you are back online.

WidgyKit widgets are offline-first: they draw from data saved on your device, so they keep showing sensible content even without a connection, and refresh online data like weather when the connection returns.

#Tips for a tidy layout

• Pick a rhythm. Combine two small widgets next to a medium one, or a large widget above a row of icons. Repeating the same pattern across pages feels calm.
• Use one visual style. Widgets from many different apps rarely share fonts or colors. Using one app for most of them keeps everything consistent. Read why one widget app can beat many for more on this.
• Stack what you check occasionally. Keep daily essentials visible and tuck the rest into a stack.
• Leave breathing room. An empty row at the bottom of a page makes the whole screen look intentional.

Need inspiration? Our list of aesthetic Home Screen ideas shows complete setups you can copy.

#FAQ

#How many widgets can I add?

There is no fixed limit beyond the space on your Home Screen pages. Stacks let you fit several widgets into one spot.

#Can I add the same widget twice?

Yes. You can add multiple copies of a widget and configure each one differently, for example two world clocks set to different cities.

#Why does my widget look different in dark mode?

Widgets can adapt to light and dark appearance, and on iOS 18 and later you can also choose tinted (and on iOS 26, clear) looks in Edit → Customize.

#Wrapping up

Once you know where the widget gallery lives on your version of iOS, adding, stacking and resizing widgets takes seconds. If you would like your clock, weather, calendar, lunar date and habits to share one matching look, explore the WidgyKit widget collection or see how it works. On Android? Here is the Android version of this guide.