How to Edit Your Control Center | Drag, Resize & Add Controls

Editing Control Center on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 18 means opening the panel, tapping the plus (+) icon, then dragging, resizing, and adding controls directly within the interface itself.

The old way of customizing Control Center through Settings died with iOS 17. On the current software, the entire editing process happens inside the Control Center overlay — you don’t leave the panel to rearrange a single button. That shift caught plenty of people off guard, but it also freed the interface from a cramped list. Now you can resize the Music widget, stack your most-used toggles on a dedicated page, and add controls you never had room for before. One wrong assumption about where edit mode lives is the main reason people bounce off this feature, and the fix takes about four seconds once you know where to tap.

Open Control Center and Enter Edit Mode

How you open Control Center depends on which iPhone you use, but the edit mode entry point is the same on every model.

• Face ID iPhones and iPads: Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen.
• Home button iPhones (SE, 8, and earlier): Swipe up from the bottom edge.

Once Control Center is open, look for the + icon at the top-left of the pane. Tap it. You’ll know you’re in edit mode when every control shows a faint border or a – (minus) icon appears at its top-left. If you don’t see those marks, you haven’t entered edit mode yet.

Rearrange, Resize, Remove, and Add Controls

iOS 18 treats every control like an independent tile you can move, shrink, or remove — and the gallery holds dozens of options not shown on the default pages.

Rearrange a Control

In edit mode, press and hold any control, then drag it to a new position. Other controls move aside to make room. You can place controls across different pages by dragging them toward the right edge of the screen.

Resize a Control

Controls with a gray curved handle at the bottom-right corner can be resized. Drag that handle outward to expand the control or inward to shrink it. Not every control supports resizing — simpler toggles like Airplane Mode stay a fixed size.

Remove a Control

Tap the – (minus) icon at the top-left of a control, then confirm the removal by tapping Remove. The control disappears from Control Center but stays available in the Add gallery.

Add a Control From the Gallery

Still in edit mode, tap the + icon at the top-left, then choose Add a Control. A gallery opens with a search field at the top. Browse categories or type the control’s name — try “Timer,” “Screen Recording,” or “Magnifier.” Tap a control to add it, then drag it where you want it on the current page.

Create and Navigate Multiple Pages

Control Center in iOS 18 is no longer a single screen. The default setup shows three pages: core controls, audio and connectivity, and advanced settings. You can add as many extra pages as you need.

• Add a new page: In edit mode, drag a control off the bottom of the screen. The page list on the right edge adds a new dot, and the control lands on the fresh page.
• Navigate between pages: Swipe up or down on the Control Center background, or tap the dot icons along the right edge to jump directly.

Control Center Editing: iOS 18 vs. iOS 17

The biggest change between versions is where editing happens and what you can do. If you haven’t updated to iOS 18, the steps above won’t work — the older method relied on the Settings app.

On iOS 17, you still add and remove controls (via Settings > Control Center), but you cannot resize them or create additional pages. The Apple Support guide for Control Center covers both version paths clearly — pick the iOS version your device is running before following any steps.

Common Mistakes That Break the Edit

A few missteps cause most of the frustration with Control Center editing. Here is what catches people and how to avoid it.

• Looking for edit mode in Settings: On iOS 18, the Settings > Control Center page only toggles global options like “Access Within App.” It does not let you rearrange or resize controls. That work happens inside the Control Center itself.
• Not tapping the + icon first: Dragging a control without entering edit mode does nothing. Tap + at the top-left before attempting any move.
• Missing additional pages: If you add controls and they vanish, they likely landed on a second or third page. Swipe up or down to check.
• Forgetting “Access Within App”: If Control Center won’t open when you’re inside an app, go to Settings > Control Center and toggle Access Within App on.

Can You Edit Control Center on a Mac?

macOS Sonoma and later include a Control Center in the menu bar, but the editing process is different. Open System Settings > Control Center and toggle individual modules on or off. There is no drag-and-drop interface — you choose which icons appear in the menu bar and whether they show in full or collapsed form.

Which Device and OS Versions Support This Editing?

The modular editing described above — drag-and-drop, resizing, unlimited pages — is exclusive to iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Devices that can run those versions include every iPhone X and later, plus all iPad models that support iPadOS 18. On iOS 17 and earlier, you must use the Settings-based method and you cannot resize controls at all.

Your Final Control Center Setup Checklist

The fastest way to a clean, useful Control Center after reading this:

1. Open Control Center with the correct gesture for your device.
2. Tap + at the top-left to enter edit mode.
3. Remove every control you never use by tapping its – icon.
4. Add the controls you actually need from the gallery via + > Add a Control.
5. Resize the Music, Now Playing, or Home widgets by dragging their gray handles.
6. Create a new page by dragging a control off the bottom edge.
7. Navigate between pages using the dots on the right edge.
8. Close Control Center by swiping up from the bottom center (or tapping the empty area on iPad).