iPad keeps moving a few icons around on shut down and start up.

Question

Level 1

24 points

iPad keeps moving a few icons around on shut down and start up.

iPad keeps moving the same few icons around each time I shut down and restart. My current iOS is 26, but it has been doing this for years and I’ve never been able to find a definitive explanation. I have read that the widgets on your home screen might cause this problem. So here is what worked for me:

The only widget I have is the one for Clock. It was in the first position on the fifth row (next to the last row) of my primary Home Screen when using a vertical layout. I moved this to the upper left corner on the first row and this solved the problem. At least for me.

So there does seem to be some connection, which others have discussed here in this community, with the widgets interfering.

I hope this is helpful to others. By the way, this has been a known issue for years and years. I can’t understand with the 10 or so OS updates that I performed that Apple has not somehow come up with a software way to fix this.

Please leave some feedback at this either did or didn’t work for you.

Thanks.

Posted on Aug 13, 2026 12:07 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

RCB_11-23 Author

Level 1

24 points

Aug 13, 2026 1:40 PM in response to LotusPilot

I read your posts under the locked topic “Randomly rearranged iPad Home Screen icons“ from another community user on February 3, 2026. You did offer all kinds of suggestions. I tried all of them. They just didn’t work. And I did check my icon placement and make sure that it matched between the vertical and the landscape viewing positions. There were a couple I had to move around on horizontal to match the vertical but it didn’t make any difference.

So respectfully, I understand that you might not be aware of the widget placement as being an issue. But that doesn’t explain how all I had to do was move my Clock widget from the first item in the fifth row to the first item in the top row and it totally solved the problem.

Please kindly review and note that I said that this worked for me but it might not work for others.

If people reading this would like to try your suggestions on that thread first they are certainly welcome to. But if that doesn’t work they might want to try my suggestion.

All I know is I’ve tried to figure this out for years and within one short movement of my Clock widget from the bottom of the screen to the top of the screen it worked. First time and I’ve shut down and restarted my iPad about a dozen times. And all of the icons now stay put.

You probably are aware that there have been other posts that indicating that the widget placement towards the bottom of the screen can interfere with icon arrangement. That’s not my singular observation; I did read it on other people’s posts, on various sites/forums, replying to similar complaints along these lines of their icons being moved when they shut down and restart.

Best of luck to all.

Reply

Answer 2

RCB_11-23 Author

Level 1

24 points

Aug 14, 2026 11:10 AM in response to bobseufert

Bob,

Thank you so much for your words. I would like to hear if you run across others and take this suggestion and the give feedback to if it works for them or not.

For years, like you, I have searched for answers to this problem. Nothing that I have read has helped at all. And I’ve read a lot. And this problem has been going on over many new OS updates. I’ve experienced this.

And I know that Apple has been apprised of this. And nothing has happened with their subsequent OS updates. I have sent Apple indication of this bug at least three times and no response, nothing added to the community forums, nada.

FYI, I went and moved my Clock widget back to the next to the last row in the first position. I worried about doing this since I had a solution that was working. But I did in anyway. And guess what?!? The rearrangement of the same three icons happened on shut down and restart again over three times. So I went back and moved the Clock widget to the top upper left as I had done previously and all of the rearranging of icons on shut down and start up stopped again.

Thank you again for your comments. By the way, I am Bob also.

Reply

Answer 3

LotusPilot

Level 10

321,020 points

Aug 13, 2026 12:19 PM in response to RCB_11-23

As a heavy user of iPad/iPadOS over many years (and currently running iPadOS 26.6), I have not encountered any unresolved issues with consistency of Widget placement.

By design, the relative position of widgets are independently set for each of Landscape and Portrait screen orientations.

If you want the widgets to stay in the same position for both orientations (remembering that the number of rows versus columns will switch as you rotate the iPad screen), you must arrange the layout in both orientations.

Reply

Answer 4

LotusPilot

Level 10

321,020 points

Aug 14, 2026 2:02 AM in response to bobseufert

bobseufert wrote:

Thanks for the information. I’ve been waiting years for a possible explanation and solution to this question.

Given that you have also encountered this issue - and as a regular contributor here - you will recognise the need for additional troubleshooting. Perhaps you can constructively add some useful insight into the precise circumstances in which this phenomenon has been (or continues to be) experienced. As you too have evidently experienced the problem over many years - and by your statement also seek explanation - you will no doubt be able to outline a detailed workflow to reliably reproduce the problem...

With benefit of more information, contributors here and/or Apple may be better able to troubleshoot the problem. Having established that the problem can be reliably reproduced, a Bug Report can be submitted by yourself, the OP and others directly to Apple.

For the benefit of all readers, Apple invites submission of comments, Bug Reports and Feature Requests via its Product Feedback portal. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

When submitting a Bug Report, please ensure that you include details of your iPad model and installed version of iOS within the body-text of your report along with specific details of the problem. Do not rely upon the pick-list alone - as this rarely includes the current version of iOS.

Every Bug Report counts. Unless sufficient reports are submitted (with adequate detail), Apple may not assign resources to investigate and correct the issue. While you may not receive an individual reply to your submission, it is out understanding that all reports are logged, analysed and forwarded to the appropriate team(s).

Reply

Answer 5

bobseufert

Level 6

16,232 points

Aug 14, 2026 9:00 AM in response to LotusPilot

Thank you LotusPilot but my only experience with the problem is reading other people posting they had it. Years ago one persons icons were moving multiple pages. RCB’s post was the first time I saw an actual solution and not just possible solutions.

Reply

Answer 6

bobseufert

Level 6

16,232 points

Aug 13, 2026 8:38 PM in response to RCB_11-23

Thanks for the information. I’ve been waiting years for a possible explanation and solution to this question.

Reply

Answer 7

RCB_11-23 Author

Level 1

24 points

Aug 14, 2026 12:42 AM in response to bobseufert

So did moving the widget(s) to the top of your home screen work?

Reply

Answer 8

bobseufert

Level 6

16,232 points

Aug 14, 2026 9:08 AM in response to RCB_11-23

Thank you RCB, I knew of the problem but never experienced it myself. I have seen this problem brought up in the Forum a number of times, thanks to your post I now know of a possible solution.

Reply