How to Hide Apps from Spotlight in iOS 18

Apple’s iOS 18 introduces a dedicated privacy feature that allows users to lock and hide applications, automatically stripping them from Spotlight search, Siri suggestions, notifications, and the Home Screen. This guide explains how to hide any compatible app so it is completely removed from Spotlight search results, where hidden apps are stored, and how to access or unhide them when needed.

Hide Apps Directly from the Home Screen

The primary method to remove an application and its data from Spotlight search in iOS 18 is using the system-level "Hide and Require Face ID" setting.

  1. Locate the app icon on your Home Screen or in the App Library.
  2. Touch and hold (long-press) the app icon to open the quick actions menu.
  3. Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode depending on your device).
  4. Select Hide and Require Face ID.
  5. Confirm your choice on the prompt.

Once confirmed, the app is instantly removed from your Home Screen. iOS 18 stops indexing the app's contents, meaning its name, documents, and related shortcuts will no longer appear when typing queries into Spotlight search. Additionally, incoming notifications and Siri suggestions for that app are silenced.

Where Hidden Apps Are Stored

After an app is hidden, it is moved to a secure, dedicated directory inside the App Library:

  1. Swipe left across your Home Screen pages until you reach the App Library.
  2. Scroll to the very bottom to locate the locked Hidden folder.
  3. Tap the folder and authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

The contents of this folder remain completely invisible to the rest of the operating system until authenticated, ensuring that search queries in Spotlight yield zero results for any enclosed applications.

How to Unhide an App

If you want an app to appear in Spotlight search results again, you can reverse the process:

  1. Open the App Library and tap the Hidden folder at the bottom.
  2. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
  3. Long-press the icon of the app you want to restore.
  4. Select Don't Require Face ID.
  5. Drag the app back to your preferred Home Screen page.

Alternative: Remove an App from Search Without Hiding It

If you want to keep an app on your Home Screen but strictly exclude it from Spotlight search results:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then select the specific app.
  3. Tap Siri & Search.
  4. Toggle off Show App in Search.
  5. Toggle off Show Content in Search.

This stops Spotlight from displaying the app icon or any associated files and metadata in search results while leaving the app visible on your Home Screen.