How to move the search bar back to the top on iPhone home page?

geraldinefromvista wrote:

This didn’t work for me. I read that it’s not possible to move it. So frustrating when things are randomly changed with no option to customize.

Not sure what you are referring to since you replied to a post about moving the search bar to the top in Safari and this post is about moving the search bar on the Home Screen. Safari is the only app that will let you move the search bar to the top.

You are correct there are many things that you cannot customize and that has always been the case. Emojis are added all the time and you cannot control any of those or choose which ones you want. Adding more Settings for additional changes does not seem to be the answer either as many users also complain that there are already too many Settings and some have made changes and then forgot where it was to change it back. We are constantly navigating users to an exact Setting that they did not mean to change as some end up being nested many screens deep with the number of options currently available.

I guess you cannot make everyone happy, but you can certainly send your Feedback to Apple, since they won't see your post here on a user to user support site.

Product Feedback - Apple

Hey Wbblack

You can’t but if go to google.com click on it’s search bar it will be on the top 🔝

You never search?

Anyway it's a no.

This didn’t work for me. I read that it’s not possible to move it. So frustrating when things are randomly changed with no option to customize.

Hi! Go to Settings > Apps > Safari

then scroll down to Tabs & select Top.

post iOS 15 - I did this to move it & just updated to iOS 26 last night & the option is still there. And still works.

emmyyyy wrote:

How do you change it back in Safari? I updated the tab section in Settings, but it didn’t change anything. The URL bar is still at the bottom.

Not sure if this is what you mean by updated the tab section in Settings, but you want to go to Settings > Apps > Safari, and in the Tabs section, change it to top. Then it will look like this:

babysugar98 wrote:

Hi! Go to Settings > Apps > Safari

then scroll down to Tabs & select Top.

post iOS 15 - I did this to move it & just updated to iOS 26 last night & the option is still there. And still works.

That only works for Safari, not the Home pages, which is what the OP asked about.

duerded wrote:

Understand your point about having too many settings - but if Apple had left the bar where it was, then people wouldn’t be looking for a setting to put it back :)

And others would think it makes more sense to have a search bar next to the keyboard when typing and also consistent with Messages. You wouldn't want to be looking at the top of the screen when typing a Message and that is why they scroll up with the text input bar always next to the keyboard.. Nobody has ever asked for the Message bar to be on the top of the screen.

Are you talking about the Search Bar in Safari on that Home Page?

How do you change it back in Safari? I updated the tab section in Settings, but it didn’t change anything. The URL bar is still at the bottom.

I did that, and for whatever reason, it didn’t update in Safari. Did you have to reset?

Are you able to move the search bar like this throughout the entire phone? I’m used to it being at the top and want to change it being on the bottom for every other app.

ssteph3n wrote:

Are you able to move the search bar like this throughout the entire phone? I’m used to it being at the top and want to change it being on the bottom for every other app.

No

Can you turn the search bar off altogether? I never use it and, since iOS26, I’ve noticed that it’s *really* in the way, especially on my email screens. tx