If you’ve been swiping down and just tapping whatever toggles Apple gave you by default, you’re missing out. I did this for years, honestly. Then I found out you can edit Control Center right on the screen in iOS 18, no trip through Settings required, and it took about five minutes to make it actually useful.
This guide walks through every step: adding controls, resizing them, spreading them across pages, all of it. By the end you’ll have a Control Center built around how you actually use your phone, not whatever Apple assumed you’d want when Control Center debuted in iOS 7 back in 2013.
What Is Control Center?
Control Center is the panel you pull down (or up, on older iPhones) to flip on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Flashlight, Camera, and dozens of other functions without digging through the Settings app. It’s been around forever, but iOS 18 gave it a real overhaul: a searchable Controls Gallery, resizable tiles, and support for multiple pages. This guide assumes Control Center already opens and works fine for you. We’re focused purely on making it yours. If Control Center won’t open at all, that’s a different problem, and customizing it won’t fix that. You can check out our article on iPhone Control Center Not Working? 10 Fixes to Try for help.
Before You Begin
Make sure you have:
- An iPhone running iOS 18 or later for the on-screen editing steps described here
- A few minutes to experiment; customizing is easy to undo if a layout doesn’t work
- Any third-party apps you want controls from (like a smart home app or music app) already installed
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Device | iPhone (any model that supports iOS 18) |
| OS version | iOS 18 or later, check in Settings > General > About |
| Apple ID | Not required for basic customization |
If you’re on iOS 17 or earlier, skip to the “What If I Don’t See the + Button?” section below; your customization path is different.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open Control Center
On an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge. Either way, the panel of toggles should slide into view.
Step 2: Enter Edit Mode
With Control Center open, tap the + button in the top-left corner, or long-press any empty area of the panel. Avoid tapping directly on a toggle, or you’ll just trigger it instead of entering edit mode. Either action drops you into edit mode, where every control gets a small wiggle animation and shows a red minus icon in its corner.
Tip: This is the same edit mode you’ll use for adding, removing, resizing, and rearranging. You don’t need separate menus for each task.
Step 3: Add a New Control
Tap the + button in the top-left corner to open the Controls Gallery. It’s a searchable, categorized list of every built-in control Apple offers, plus controls from any compatible third-party apps you’ve installed. Scroll through the categories, or tap the search field at the top and type what you’re looking for, for example:
Low Power Mode
Tap any control in the gallery to add it instantly to Control Center. It drops into the current page, and you can reposition it right away by dragging.
Tip: Third-party controls only show up in the gallery if the app supports Control Center integration and is already installed. Update the app first if you don’t see its control.
Step 4: Remove a Control You Don’t Use
Still in edit mode, find any control you never touch. Maybe it’s the Notes toggle you added once and forgot about. Tap the red minus icon in its top-left corner, then tap Remove to confirm. The control disappears immediately, and everything below it shifts up to fill the gap.
Step 5: Resize a Control
Not every control needs to be tiny. In edit mode, look at the bottom-right corner of a control. If it has a small curved resize handle, drag it to change size. Most resizable controls step through three sizes: a small single circle, a wider rectangle (roughly 2×1), and a large square block (2×2) that shows extra information, like Now Playing artwork or a bigger toggle target.
Tip: If you don’t see a resize handle on a control, that one only supports its default size. Not every toggle is resizable.
Step 6: Rearrange Controls on the Page
While still in edit mode, press and drag any control to move it around the current page. Drop it between two other controls to slot it into that spot, or drag it to an empty area to give it more room. Put your most-used toggles, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Focus, up top where your thumb naturally lands.
Step 7: Add and Organize a Second Page
Once a page fills up, Control Center automatically creates a new page for additional controls. Swipe left within Control Center to see it; this works in and out of edit mode. You can drag a control toward the right edge of the screen while in edit mode to push it onto the next page. This is handy for separating everyday toggles (page one) from situational ones like Screen Recording or Magnifier (page two).
Tip: Think of page one as your “grab these constantly” toggles and page two as your “occasional but handy” toggles. It keeps the first swipe-down uncluttered.
Step 8: Group Related Controls Together
Control Center doesn’t have a formal “folder” feature, but you can group related toggles visually by placing them next to each other and using size to create hierarchy. For example, put Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Airplane Mode side by side at small size in one row, then give Focus a larger 2×1 size right below so it stands out as its own connectivity cluster. Home controls (lights, locks, thermostat) work well grouped together on their own page if you use a lot of them.
Step 9: Save and Exit Edit Mode
When you’re happy with the layout, tap Done in the top-right corner (or tap outside Control Center) to exit edit mode. Your changes save automatically. There’s no separate save button to hunt for, which is one less thing to worry about.
What If I Don’t See the + Button? (Older iOS)
If you’re on iOS 17 or earlier, Control Center doesn’t support on-screen editing. You won’t see a + button or minus icons when you open it. Instead, customization happens through a dedicated settings screen.
Go to Settings > Control Center. You’ll see two lists: Included Controls (with red minus buttons to remove them) and More Controls (with green plus buttons to add them). Tap the buttons to move controls between lists, and use the drag handle on the right side of each row to reorder them. There’s no resizing or multi-page support on this older system. Every control is a fixed size on a single page.
If you want the newer editing experience described here, update your iPhone by going to Settings > General > Software Update and installing iOS 18 or later, provided your device is compatible.
Power-User Control Picks Worth Adding
A handful of controls tend to fly under the radar but earn a permanent spot once people discover them:
- Low Power Mode: One tap to stretch your battery through a long day, without navigating to Settings > Battery.
- Screen Recording: Instantly capture your screen for tutorials, bug reports, or sharing an app issue with support.
- Magnifier: Turns your camera into a digital magnifying glass with a flashlight and contrast filters. Genuinely useful for everyday tasks, too.
- Screen Mirroring: Quick AirPlay access to a nearby Apple TV or compatible smart TV without opening the Control Center’s default media panel.
- Voice Memos: A one-tap recorder for quick notes, meetings, or ideas, skipping the app hunt.
- Notes (New Note): Jump straight into a blank note without unlocking into the Home Screen first.
- Distraction-Free / Focus Filters: Combine with a large 2×2 Focus control to switch modes fast when you’re heads-down.
Tips and Hidden Features
- Reset if it gets messy: On iOS 18, there’s no single “reset” button in edit mode, but you can remove controls individually to get back to a clean slate. On iOS 17 and earlier, go to Settings > Control Center and use Reset Control Center to restore Apple’s default layout.
- Third-party controls need app support: Not every app you love will show up in the Controls Gallery. Only apps built with Apple’s Controls API appear there. Check for app updates if one you expect is missing.
- Access Within Apps toggle: On older iOS versions, Settings > Control Center > Access Within Apps determines whether you can swipe open Control Center while inside another app, like a game or full-screen video. Worth checking if swiping down does nothing mid-app.
- Search saves scrolling: The Controls Gallery search field is faster than browsing categories once you know the name of what you’re looking for. For more information on customizing your Control Center, you can visit Apple Support: Use and customize Control Center on iPhone or check out Tom’s Guide for additional tips.
Wrapping Up
You’ve now got a Control Center built around how you actually use your iPhone: the toggles you reach for constantly are big, close together, and on the first page, while the rest are tucked onto a second page or gone entirely. It’s a small thing. But once you’ve resized Low Power Mode into a fat, easy-to-tap tile, going back to the default layout feels clunky.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Open Control Center, enter edit mode | iOS 18+ |
| 3 | Add a control via Controls Gallery | iOS 18+ |
| 4 | Remove a control with the minus icon | iOS 18+ |
| 5 | Resize using the corner handle | iOS 18+ |
| 6-7 | Rearrange and add pages | iOS 18+ |
| 8 | Group related toggles by placement | iOS 18+ |
| N/A | Use Settings > Control Center green/red buttons | iOS 17 and earlier |
Resources
- Apple Support: Use and customize Control Center on iPhone
- For more information on customizing Control Center on iPhone and iPad, visit our website.
- If you’re experiencing issues with your Mac VPN or iPhone VPN, check out our troubleshooting guides.