A Comprehensive Guide to All 120+ Settings URLs Supported by iOS and iPadOS 13.1

A few weeks ago, I came across a post on Reddit claiming that Apple had restored the ability to launch specific sections of the Settings app via Shortcuts in iOS and iPadOS 13.1. I was inspired by that discovery to finish working on a project I had long been putting off: documenting all the URLs supported by the Settings app in iOS and iPadOS.

After some a lot of trial and error, I’ve collected 120+ URLs that can open individual pages and sub-sections of the Settings app. In this post, I’m going to share the complete list of URLs that are supported as of iOS and iPadOS 13.1 (specifically, iOS 13.1.2), as well as a custom shortcut to launch them.

The ability to open specific sections of the Settings app isn’t new in iOS 13.1: for several years now, Apple has offered a prefs:root URL scheme designed to launch the Settings app at a specific path. For instance, prefs:root=Bluetooth can open Settings’ Bluetooth page, while prefs:root=ControlCenter&path=CUSTOMIZE_CONTROLS can navigate directly into Settings ⇾ Control Center ⇾ Customize Controls. You get the idea.

Historically, Settings URLs have been affected by two main problems: Apple’s tendency to either break them in new versions of iOS or reject apps that implemented them citing usage of private APIs, and the inconsistent text format used in the URLs themselves. The prefs:root URL scheme goes back several years in iOS’ history, and we’ve seen apps (such as the popular Launcher) implement support for them by letting users open the Settings app at a specific path. A quick Google search demonstrates how, over the years, others have tried to put together a list of all (or, at the very least, the most popular) URLs supported by Settings.

Following two big launches on MacStories last month, I needed to work on something different and fun1, so I decided to spend a few days documenting all the Settings URLs – for main pages and sub-sections – that I could reliably open in iOS and iPadOS 13.1.

I used pre-existing work as the foundation for my research: I went through old lists of prefs:root URLs (primarily these two) and re-tested each URL for iOS and iPadOS 13.1; some of them were still working, others required an update. Then, I turned my attention to finding the URLs for new Settings pages Apple added over the past couple of years and – the most time-consuming task of all – I tested every single sub-page too.

There is no automated method for discovering Settings URLs or scraping the Settings app: I had to guess each one by starting with the title of each page (in English), trying different encoding and capitalization formats, and attempting to launch it via Shortcuts. It took a while, but it was exactly the kind of boring, repetitive task I needed to take my mind off the iOS 13 review.

Below, you’ll find a list of the 120+ Settings URLs I was able to test in iOS and iPadOS 13.1, grouped by section and listed in the same order they appear in the Settings app.

Some notes on these URLs:

They can be launched using the ‘Open URLs’ action of the Shortcuts app as of iOS and iPadOS 13.1.2. Apple may kill this functionality again in the future; hopefully, they won’t.

You may be able to launch these URLs without the Shortcuts app, but I haven’t tested it.

The URLs are written in English, but they should work for every language you can assign your iOS or iPadOS device. I’ve tested them both in Spanish and Italian and they continued to work.

I may have missed a few URLs supported by Settings. If you know of any other URLs that are working in iOS or iPadOS 13.1, feel free to get in touch (either via email or Twitter) and I’ll add them to the list below.

In addition to the complete list available below, I’ve also put together a shortcut to launch any of these Settings URLs by picking from a list in the Shortcuts app. The shortcut, called ‘Open Settings’, contains the full list of 120+ Settings URLs and can be used both in the Shortcuts app and widget.

My shortcut to open specific pages of the Settings app. You can take any URL and make a separate shortcut for it.

Open Settings

Open a specific page or sub-section of the Settings app. This shortcut contains over 120 Settings URLs, and you can choose which one to open from a list. You can also create standalone shortcuts for each URL.
The shortcut works in the app, widget, and Siri.

Get the shortcut here.

I’ve created a shortcut with every URL for reference purposes but, honestly, the best way to launch these URLs is with dedicated shortcuts. Grab the Settings URL you want, create a new shortcut with two actions (‘URL’ and ‘Open URLs’), paste the URL, and you’ll have a custom one-tap launcher to open any section of Settings from anywhere.

This is all you need to do to open a Settings URL with Shortcuts.

My favorite way to launch specific pages of Settings is via our own MacStories Shortcuts Icons, which I’ve assigned to different shortcuts on my Home screen. In the screenshot below, you can see a few examples of my Settings launchers for Control Center, Camera settings, and Software Update based on MacStories Shortcuts Icons (including one that will be part of the next free update to the pack).

My Home screen is still in flux (mostly because Silvia made too many icons to choose from, which is a good problem to have), but I like where this is going:

Settings shortcuts on the Home screen (right). The “info” icon will be part of the next free update to MacStories Shortcuts Icons.

You can buy MacStories Shortcuts Icons using the button above, or read more details here.

It is my goal to keep this list of Settings URLs up to date over time, and I hope that Apple won’t remove the ability to launch prefs:root URLs via the Shortcuts app in future iOS or iPadOS updates.

You can find the full list below.

Updates

October 1, 2019

Added URLs for Cellular ⇾ Cellular Data Options and Accessibility ⇾ Display & Text Size (thanks, Konstantin)

Fixed Phone URL

Removed unsupported Podcasts URL

As reported by Reddit user ‘PuyoPuyoPrisoner’, it is possible to jump directly to a third-party app’s Settings page by using its Bundle ID. Instructions are available in this Reddit comment. For example, you could access the Adobe Lightroom page in Settings via prefs:root=com.adobe.lrmobilephone (thanks, samesimilar)

Added URL for Passwords & Accounts page (thanks, Darius)

October 5, 2019

Added URLs for Passwords & Accounts ⇾ Fetch New Data and Passwords & Accounts ⇾ Add Account (thanks, Jeremy).

December 20, 2019

Added URLs for Text Replacement, One Handed Keyboard, and TV settings (thanks to Launcher developer Greg Gardner).

April 21, 2020

Added URL for Settings ⇾ General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Hardware Keyboard (thanks, Phil). This is best used as a widget shortcut to quickly adjust the Magic Keyboard’s brightness level. You can find the shortcut here.

Added URL for Safari ⇾ Clear History and Data (thanks, Odenwald).

Added URL for Safari ⇾ Advanced (thanks, Bill).

Updated Open Settings shortcut with latest additions.

September 23, 2020

Revised structure for Mail ⇾ Accounts URLs based on iOS 14

Added URLs for Privacy -> Analytics & Improvements and Privacy -> Apple Advertising (thanks, Ethan)

Added new Passwords URL (thanks, Ricky)

November 3, 2020

Added URL for VPN ⇾ DNS (thanks, Graham)

Settings URLs

iCloud

iCloud: prefs:root=CASTLE

iCloud Backup: prefs:root=CASTLE&path=BACKUP

Wireless Radios

Wi-Fi: prefs:root=WIFI

Bluetooth: prefs:root=Bluetooth

Cellular: prefs:root=MOBILE_DATA_SETTINGS_ID

Personal Hotspot

Personal Hotspot: prefs:root=INTERNET_TETHERING

Personal Hotspot ⇾ Family Sharing: prefs:root=INTERNET_TETHERING&path=Family%20Sharing

Personal Hotspot ⇾ Wi-Fi Password: prefs:root=INTERNET_TETHERING&path=Wi-Fi%20Password

VPN

VPN: prefs:root=General&path=VPN

DNS: prefs:root=General&path=VPN/DNS

Notifications

Notifications: prefs:root=NOTIFICATIONS_ID

Notifications ⇾ Siri Suggestions: prefs:root=NOTIFICATIONS_ID&path=Siri%20Suggestions

Sounds

Sounds: prefs:root=Sounds

Ringtone: prefs:root=Sounds&path=Ringtone

Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb: prefs:root=DO_NOT_DISTURB

Do Not Disturb ⇾ Allow Calls From: prefs:root=DO_NOT_DISTURB&path=Allow%20Calls%20From

Screen Time

Screen Time: prefs:root=SCREEN_TIME

Screen Time ⇾ Downtime: prefs:root=SCREEN_TIME&path=DOWNTIME

Screen Time ⇾ App Limits: prefs:root=SCREEN_TIME&path=APP_LIMITS

Screen Time ⇾ Always Allowed: prefs:root=SCREEN_TIME&path=ALWAYS_ALLOWED

General

General: prefs:root=General

General ⇾ About: prefs:root=General&path=About

General ⇾ Software Update: prefs:root=General&path=SOFTWARE_UPDATE_LINK

General ⇾ CarPlay: prefs:root=General&path=CARPLAY

General ⇾ Background App Refresh: prefs:root=General&path=AUTO_CONTENT_DOWNLOAD

General ⇾ Multitasking (iPad-only): prefs:root=General&path=MULTITASKING

General ⇾ Date & Time: prefs:root=General&path=DATE_AND_TIME

General ⇾ Keyboard: prefs:root=General&path=Keyboard

General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Keyboards: prefs:root=General&path=Keyboard/KEYBOARDS

General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Hardware Keyboard: prefs:root=General&path=Keyboard/Hardware%20Keyboard

General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Text Replacement: prefs:root=General&path=Keyboard/USER_DICTIONARY

General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ One Handed Keyboard: prefs:root=General&path=Keyboard/ReachableKeyboard

General ⇾ Language & Region: prefs:root=General&path=INTERNATIONAL

General ⇾ Dictionary: prefs:root=General&path=DICTIONARY

General ⇾ Profiles: prefs:root=General&path=ManagedConfigurationList

General ⇾ Reset: prefs:root=General&path=Reset

Control Center

Control Center: prefs:root=ControlCenter

Control Center ⇾ Customize Controls: prefs:root=ControlCenter&path=CUSTOMIZE_CONTROLS

Display

Display: prefs:root=DISPLAY

Display ⇾ Auto Lock: prefs:root=DISPLAY&path=AUTOLOCK

Display ⇾ Text Size: prefs:root=DISPLAY&path=TEXT_SIZE

Accessibility

Accessibility: prefs:root=ACCESSIBILITY

Wallpaper

Wallpaper: prefs:root=Wallpaper

Siri

Siri: prefs:root=SIRI

Apple Pencil

Apple Pencil (iPad-only): prefs:root=Pencil

Face ID

Face ID: prefs:root=PASSCODE

Emergency SOS

Emergency SOS: prefs:root=EMERGENCY_SOS

Battery

Battery: prefs:root=BATTERY_USAGE

Battery ⇾ Battery Health (iPhone-only): prefs:root=BATTERY_USAGE&path=BATTERY_HEALTH

Privacy

Privacy: prefs:root=Privacy

Privacy ⇾ Location Services: prefs:root=Privacy&path=LOCATION

Privacy ⇾ Contacts: prefs:root=Privacy&path=CONTACTS

Privacy ⇾ Calendars: prefs:root=Privacy&path=CALENDARS

Privacy ⇾ Reminders: prefs:root=Privacy&path=REMINDERS

Privacy ⇾ Photos: prefs:root=Privacy&path=PHOTOS

Privacy ⇾ Microphone: prefs:root=Privacy&path=MICROPHONE

Privacy ⇾ Speech Recognition: prefs:root=Privacy&path=SPEECH_RECOGNITION

Privacy ⇾ Camera: prefs:root=Privacy&path=CAMERA

Privacy ⇾ Motion: prefs:root=Privacy&path=MOTION

Privacy ⇾ Analytics & Improvements: prefs:root=Privacy&path=PROBLEM_REPORTING

Privacy ⇾ Apple Advertising: prefs:root=Privacy&path=ADVERTISING

App Store

App Store: prefs:root=STORE

App Store ⇾ App Downloads: prefs:root=STORE&path=App%20Downloads

App Store ⇾ Video Autoplay: prefs:root=STORE&path=Video%20Autoplay

Wallet

Wallet: prefs:root=PASSBOOK

Passwords

Passwords: prefs:root=PASSWORDS

Mail

Mail: prefs:root=MAIL

Mail ⇾ Accounts: prefs:root=ACCOUNTS_AND_PASSWORDS&path=ACCOUNTS

Mail ⇾ Accounts ⇾ Fetch New Data: prefs:root=ACCOUNTS_AND_PASSWORDS&path=FETCH_NEW_DATA

Mail ⇾ Accounts ⇾ Add Account: prefs:root=ACCOUNTS_AND_PASSWORDS&path=ADD_ACCOUNT

Mail ⇾ Preview: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Preview

Mail ⇾ Swipe Options: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Swipe%20Options

Mail ⇾ Notifications: prefs:root=MAIL&path=NOTIFICATIONS

Mail ⇾ Blocked: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Blocked

Mail ⇾ Muted Thread Action: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Muted%20Thread%20Action

Mail ⇾ Blocked Sender Options: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Blocked%20Sender%20Options

Mail ⇾ Mark Addresses: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Mark%20Addresses

Mail ⇾ Increase Quote Level: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Increase%20Quote%20Level

Mail ⇾ Include Attachments with Replies: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Include%20Attachments%20with%20Replies

Mail ⇾ Signature: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Signature

Mail ⇾ Default Account: prefs:root=MAIL&path=Default%20Account

Contacts

Contacts: prefs:root=CONTACTS

Calendar

Calendar: prefs:root=CALENDAR

Calendar ⇾ Alternate Calendars: prefs:root=CALENDAR&path=Alternate%20Calendars

Calendar ⇾ Sync: prefs:root=CALENDAR&path=Sync

Calendar ⇾ Default Alert Times: prefs:root=CALENDAR&path=Default%20Alert%20Times

Calendar ⇾ Default Calendar: prefs:root=CALENDAR&path=Default%20Calendar

Notes

Notes: prefs:root=NOTES

Notes ⇾ Default Account: prefs:root=NOTES&path=Default%20Account

Notes ⇾ Password: prefs:root=NOTES&path=Password

Notes ⇾ Sort Notes By: prefs:root=NOTES&path=Sort%20Notes%20By

Notes ⇾ New Notes Start With: prefs:root=NOTES&path=New%20Notes%20Start%20With

Notes ⇾ Sort Checked Items: prefs:root=NOTES&path=Sort%20Checked%20Items

Notes ⇾ Lines & Grids: prefs:root=NOTES&path=Lines%20%26%20Grids

Notes ⇾ Access Notes from Lock Screen: prefs:root=NOTES&path=Access%20Notes%20from%20Lock%20Screen

Reminders

Reminders: prefs:root=REMINDERS

Reminders ⇾ Default List: prefs:root=REMINDERS&path=DEFAULT_LIST

Voice Memos

Voice Memos: prefs:root=VOICE_MEMOS

Phone

Phone: prefs:root=Phone

Messages

Messages: prefs:root=MESSAGES

FaceTime

FaceTime: prefs:root=FACETIME

Maps

Maps: prefs:root=MAPS

Maps ⇾ Driving & Navigation: prefs:root=MAPS&path=Driving%20%26%20Navigation

Maps ⇾ Transit: prefs:root=MAPS&path=Transit

Compass

Compass: prefs:root=COMPASS

Measure

Measure: prefs:root=MEASURE

Safari

Safari: prefs:root=SAFARI

Safari ⇾ Content Blockers: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Content%20Blockers

Safari ⇾ Downloads: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=DOWNLOADS

Safari ⇾ Close Tabs: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Close%20Tabs

Safari ⇾ Clear History and Data: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=CLEAR_HISTORY_AND_DATA

Safari ⇾ Page Zoom: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Page%20Zoom

Safari ⇾ Request Desktop Website: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Request%20Desktop%20Website

Safari ⇾ Reader: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Reader

Safari ⇾ Camera: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Camera

Safari ⇾ Microphone: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Microphone

Safari ⇾ Location: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=Location

Safari ⇾ Advanced: prefs:root=SAFARI&path=ADVANCED

News

News: prefs:root=NEWS

Health

Health: prefs:root=HEALTH

Shortcuts

Shortcuts: prefs:root=SHORTCUTS

Music

Music: prefs:root=MUSIC

Music ⇾ Cellular Data: prefs:root=MUSIC&path=com.apple.Music:CellularData

Music ⇾ Optimize Storage: prefs:root=MUSIC&path=com.apple.Music:OptimizeStorage

Music ⇾ EQ: prefs:root=MUSIC&path=com.apple.Music:EQ

Music ⇾ Volume Limit: prefs:root=MUSIC&path=com.apple.Music:VolumeLimit

TV

Settings ⇾ TV: prefs:root=TVAPP

Photos

Photos: prefs:root=Photos

Camera

Camera: prefs:root=CAMERA

Camera ⇾ Record Video: prefs:root=CAMERA&path=Record%20Video

Camera ⇾ Record Slo-mo: prefs:root=CAMERA&path=Record%20Slo-mo

Books

Books: prefs:root=IBOOKS

Game Center

Game Center: prefs:root=GAMECENTER

My desires are…unconventional. ↩