To put an app on your Android Home screen, swipe up to open the app drawer, touch and hold the app, then drag it onto the Home screen and release it. On Samsung Galaxy devices using One UI Home, you can also hold the app on the Apps screen and tap Add to Home.
The exact controls depend on your phone’s launcher, which manages the Home screen and app list. Use manual placement for an installed app, or enable your launcher’s automatic placement setting to add future downloads.
The short version
- Most Android phones: Open the app drawer, hold an app, and drag it onto the Home screen.
- Samsung Galaxy: Hold the app on the Apps screen and tap Add to Home.
- Future downloads: Enable automatic icon placement if your launcher offers it.
- Missing apps: Check hidden apps or restore the app through Google Play before adding its icon.
| Method | Where to use it |
|---|---|
| Drag an app from the app drawer | Android launchers with an app drawer |
| Drag an app out of a folder | Motorola Home screen folders |
| Hold an app and tap Add to Home | Samsung One UI Home |
| Hold an app until Home appears, or drag toward the top or bottom | Samsung One UI Home, depending on model and software |
| Turn off Lock Home screen layout | Samsung One UI Home with layout locking enabled |
| Use Add apps to folder | Samsung Home screen folders |
| Copy an Apps screen folder to Home | Samsung One UI Home |
| Drag an app into an empty favorites position | Pixel Launcher favorites row |
| Tap Pin on a suggested app | Pixel Launcher with suggested favorites enabled |
| Enable Add new apps to Home screen | Supported Galaxy foldables using One UI Home |
| Enable Add app icons to Home screen | Motorola launchers with App tray customization |
| Enable Add app icon to home screen | Supported Sony Xperia Home versions |
| Select Home screen only | Samsung One UI Home |
| Select Open | Motorola launchers offering this style |
| Select Classic | Xiaomi system launchers offering this layout |
| Find an app through launcher search | Xiaomi phones with launcher search |
| Unhide the app before adding it | Samsung One UI Home with hidden apps |
| Change Show game apps | Samsung Gaming Hub |
| Enable a system app’s shortcut | Xiaomi software with Manage Home screen shortcuts |
| Install the app before placing its icon | Google Play-supported Android devices |
| Reinstall or enable the app | Apps available to your device and Google Account |
| Drag an app function shortcut onto Home | Apps and launchers supporting shortcuts |
| Add a widget | Apps supplying widgets and launchers supporting them |
| Create a website shortcut | Current Chrome for Android |
Drag an app onto the Home screen
From the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom to open the app drawer. Find the app you want, touch and hold its icon, then drag it to the desired Home screen position and release your finger.
To create another page, keep dragging toward the right until a blank Home screen appears, then release the icon. These steps apply to launchers that support an app drawer; Google says some of its Home screen instructions require Android 14 or later.
On Motorola phones, the icon you want may already be inside a Home screen folder. Open the folder, touch and hold the app, then drag it outside the folder and release it on the Home screen.
Add an app on a Samsung Galaxy
On Galaxy devices using One UI Home, swipe up on the Home screen to open the Apps screen. Touch and hold the app, then tap Add to Home.
For direct placement, hold the app until the Home screen appears, then release it where you want it. You can also hold the icon and drag it toward the top or bottom of the screen before placing it, depending on your model and software.
If layout locking prevents you from adding or moving an icon, open Home screen settings and turn off Lock Home screen layout. Return to the Apps screen and add the app again.
On Galaxy phones, you can add several apps to a Home screen folder together. Open the folder, tap the plus sign for Add apps to folder, select the apps, then tap Done.
To copy an entire folder from the Apps screen to Home, touch and hold that folder and tap Add to Home. Alternatively, drag the folder onto the Home screen and release it.
Put an app in the Pixel favorites row
To add a favorite manually in Pixel Launcher, open the app drawer, touch and hold the app, and drop it into an empty favorites position at the bottom of the Home screen. To control the suggested apps in that row, hold an empty Home screen area, open Home settings > Suggestions, and turn Suggestions on Home screen on or off.
If you keep suggested favorites enabled, you can pin a suggested app permanently instead. Find the suggested icon with a colored shadow, touch and hold it, then tap Pin in the upper-right corner of its menu.
Add newly installed apps automatically
Automatic placement settings generally apply to future installations. For an app already installed, use your launcher’s manual placement controls.
On supported Galaxy foldables using One UI Home, open Settings > Home screen. Turn on Add new apps to Home screen to add icons for new downloads automatically.
On Motorola launchers with App tray customization, hold an empty Home screen area and open Home settings > Home screen style. Open the App tray customization control and turn on Add app icons to Home screen. The arrangement of these controls varies by model.
On Sony Xperia Home versions covered by Sony’s Android 8 or later instructions, hold an empty Home screen area and tap Home Settings. Turn on Add app icon to home screen.
Show all apps on your Home screens
Some launchers offer a layout that puts installed apps on Home screens instead of keeping a separate app drawer. Choose this option when you want all your apps there.
On Samsung Galaxy phones using One UI Home, open Settings > Home screen > Home screen layout. Select Home screen only, then tap Apply.
On Motorola launchers offering the Open and App tray styles, hold an empty Home screen area. Open Home settings > Home screen style, then tap Open.
On Xiaomi 14T and other Xiaomi system-launcher versions offering Classic, open Settings > Home screen > Home screen. Select Classic to use that layout.
Restore missing app icons
On Xiaomi phones with launcher search, search for the installed app first. Once you find it, use the launcher’s placement control to add the result to your Home screen.
To restore a hidden Samsung app, hold an empty Home screen area and tap Settings > Hide apps on Home and Apps screens. Tap the app’s red minus icon, then tap Done. Open the Apps screen, hold the restored app, and tap Add to Home.
For a Samsung game missing from both Home and Apps screens, open Gaming Hub > More options > Settings > Show game apps. Select In Gaming Hub and the Home and Apps screens. In Gaming Hub 7.0 and later, More options is at the top right; earlier versions place it at the bottom right.
On Xiaomi software with system-app shortcut controls, open Settings > Apps > Manage Home screen shortcuts. Enable the corresponding system app’s shortcut. This setting applies to removable system-app shortcuts.
If the app has not been installed and your device supports Google Play, open Google Play Store and find and select the app. Tap Install or its price and complete the displayed instructions. After installation, add the icon using your launcher’s placement method, since installation alone does not guarantee a Home screen icon.
To restore a deleted or disabled app, open Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, and open Manage apps & device > Manage. Select the app; if it is absent, open This device > Not installed and select it there. Tap Install or Enable, then add its icon to Home. The app must be available to your device and Google Account, and you should use the original purchasing account when applicable.
Add a function shortcut or widget instead
A function shortcut opens a particular part of an app. If your app and launcher support shortcuts, touch and hold the app icon, then release to display its shortcuts. Touch and hold the shortcut you want, drag it onto the Home screen, and release it.
For a widget on a launcher with widget support, hold an empty Home screen area and tap Widgets. Select an app that supplies widgets, then hold its widget and drag it into place. Some apps also offer Widgets when you hold their app icon.
To add a website shortcut in current Chrome for Android, open the website and tap More > Install and create shortcut > Create shortcut. Keep or edit the shortcut name, then tap Add. This adds a shortcut to the website without installing the service’s native Android app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing a Home screen icon uninstall the app?
On Samsung One UI Home, holding an icon and tapping Remove deletes only the Home screen shortcut. Choose Remove when you want to tidy the screen, since the app remains on the Apps screen.
Why is an app missing from the other screen on my Galaxy Z Fold?
Your Galaxy Z Fold can have separate cover and main Home screen layouts. When those layouts are independent, open the Apps screen on each display, hold the app, and tap Add to Home separately.
How do you add an app using TalkBack on a Pixel?
With TalkBack enabled, swipe up with two fingers on the Home screen to open the app drawer, then focus the app. Double-tap and hold, then drag it to the destination.
What should you do with a faded archived app icon?
On devices supporting app archiving, tap the faded Home screen icon to reinstall the archived app. The app and its store must remain available, and some archiving instructions require Android 15 or later.
How do you add an app to Niagara Launcher’s Home screen?
Hold an existing favorite, tap Edit favorites, and add the desired app in the editor. If you don’t have any favorites yet, hold the app in Niagara Launcher’s app list and tap Favorite to open that menu.