To move an app on your Android Home screen, touch and hold its icon, then drag it to a new spot and lift your finger. Drag it to the left or right edge to move it to another Home screen page, or drop it onto another app to create a folder.
These steps work on Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, and most other Android phones, though menu names vary by launcher. This guide also covers adding apps from All Apps, folders, adding and removing Home screen pages, sorting the Samsung Apps screen, and what to do when icons won’t move.
Move apps on the Home screen
- Touch and hold the app icon until you feel a vibration or see a menu. Result: the icon lifts and you see outlines of your Home screens.
- Without lifting your finger, drag the icon. Other icons shift to make room.
- To change pages, hold the icon at the left or right edge of the screen until the next page slides in.
- Lift your finger to drop it. Result: the app stays in its new spot.
Google’s Home screen help page describes the same move for shortcuts, widgets, and folders: touch and drag the item, slide it where you want it, and lift your finger.
Add apps from All Apps
- Swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen to open All Apps (Samsung calls it the Apps screen).
- Touch and hold an app. Result: your Home screens appear behind it.
- Drag it to the spot you want and lift your finger.
On Samsung phones you can also touch and hold the app and tap Add to Home, according to Samsung’s Home screen guide. Adding an app this way creates a shortcut; the app stays in All Apps too.
Make a folder
- Touch and hold an app and drag it on top of another app, then lift your finger. Result: a folder with both apps appears.
- To add more, drag each app onto the folder.
- Tap the folder, then tap its name to rename it. Google’s keyboard may suggest names.
To take an app out, open the folder, touch and hold the app, and drag it out. On Samsung phones you can also pick a folder color with the palette icon.
Move several apps at once (Samsung)
Some Galaxy phones show a Select items option when you touch and hold an app. Tap the other apps you want, then drag any selected app and they move together. Pixel phones move one app at a time.
Add, remove, or reorder Home screen pages
- Add a page (Pixel and most phones): drag an app to the right edge until a blank page appears, then lift your finger, as Google describes.
- Remove a page: move everything off it. Google notes the page disappears when the last item is gone.
- Samsung: touch and hold an empty space on the Home screen to enter edit mode. From there you can add a page, delete one with the trash icon, drag pages into a new order, or tap the house icon to set the main page.
Sort the Apps screen (Samsung)
Open the Apps screen, tap More options (the three dots), tap Sort, and choose Alphabetical order to put every app back in A to Z order. Custom order is the default and lets you drag apps around. The same menu has Clean up pages, which fills empty gaps. Samsung covers both in its guide to organizing apps.
If apps won’t move
- The layout is locked (Samsung): touch and hold an empty spot on the Home screen, tap Settings, and turn off Lock Home screen layout. Samsung notes that a locked layout stops apps and widgets from moving.
- A short tap opens the app: you need to touch and hold, not tap. Close the app and try again.
- The page is full: drag the app to the edge to move it to another page, or put it in a folder.
- The app is missing: see how to get apps back on your Home screen.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove an app from the Home screen without uninstalling it?
Touch and hold the icon and drag it to Remove. Google and Pixel’s help both explain that Remove only takes it off the Home screen, while Uninstall deletes the app from the phone.
Can I move apps in the Pixel app drawer?
Pixel’s Find & move your apps page says All Apps lists your apps in alphabetical order, so arrange them on your Home screens instead.
Can I move apps to an SD card?
Some phones let you move certain apps in Settings > Apps: select the app, then Storage, if the option appears. Many newer phones don’t have an SD card slot.
Where is Settings if I moved it by accident?
See how to find the Settings app on your phone.
More Android guides
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.