Knowing how to navigate the Photos app quickly and easily may not be obvious. In this article, we'll go through a couple of how-tos so that you don't have to spend a long time searching for the right photos. Continue reading to learn Photos app shortcuts and how to navigate the Photos app using filters and search.

Why You'll Love This Tip

Learn how to navigate Apple's updated Photos app for the iPhone and iPad.
Easily find your photos by using the Search icon and customizing search terms.

How to Navigate the Photos App on Your iPhone & iPad

System Requirements

This tip was performed on an iPhone 16 Pro Max running iOS 18.5. Find out how to update to the latest version of iOS.

Apple changed the Photos app in a big way with iOS 18. The familiar tabs at the bottom of the screen are gone, and photos are now organized in the usual library format, with collections below organized by Recent Days, People & Pets, Pinned Collections, Memories, and more. We'll show you the easiest way to navigate the iOS 18 Photos app on your iPhone and iPad. For more great Photos app tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day. Here's how to navigate the iOS 18 Photos app on your iPhone:

Open the Photos app.
You'll see your camera roll on the top half of the screen; swipe down to see your camera roll in full screen.
Below your camera roll, you'll find Recent Days, Albums, People & Pets, and Pinned Collections.
Keep scrolling to find Shared Albums, Memories, Trips, Featured Photos, Media Types, Utilities, and Wallpaper Suggestions.
Tap Search or the magnifying glass icon in the top-right of your screen to search your camera roll by name, location, caption, or even just a date, or a combination of search terms.
Tap Done in the upper-right corner of the screen when you're finished searching your photos.
Tap on your avatar in the top right corner to get information about the content in the app, options regarding Shared Libraries and Shared Albums, plus other Photos app settings.
Tap the X to exit this menu.
In order to customize the app layout, swipe up to scroll to the very bottom and tap Customize & Reorder.
Here you can select what sections you want showing up, what you want to hide, and you can drag the collections to rearrange them.

If you are interested, we have tips on making this new iOS 18 Photos app layout easier to use and much less anoying!

Now you know how you navigate the new Photos app! Next, learn how to use the Apple Intelligence Clean Up feature that removes people or things from the background of your photo.