Use widgets, shortcuts, or folders

Add widgets

Widgets stream information, giving some of an app’s functionality without opening the app. For example, the Calendar widget shows your daily agenda and gives you one-touch access to your full calendar.

Add widget

  1. Touch & hold the home screen.
  2. Tap Widgets.

    Widgets are listed under their related apps.

  3. Touch & hold a widget to add it.

Adjust widget's size

You can make some widgets larger to view more content:

  1. Touch & hold the widget until it's highlighted.
  2. Release it to see an outline.
  3. Drag a corner or side to resize.

Add shortcuts

On your home screen, you can add shortcuts to apps, so you don't have to open the tray and sort through all of your apps, shortcuts to common tasks, and shortcuts to open specific web pages.

Add app shortcuts

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open your app tray.
  2. Touch & hold the app you want.
  3. Drag the app to an empty spot on your home screen. Or, drag it to the edge of the screen and drop it onto a new home screen.

Add task shortcuts

Many apps include shortcuts to common tasks, so you don’t have to open and navigate the app.

  1. Touch & hold an app icon to see available task shortcuts.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To perform the task, tap it.
    • To create a shortcut for that task, drag to an empty space on your homescreen.

Here are examples of task shortcuts for various apps. Not all apps include task shortcuts.

App Task shortcuts
Gmail
  • Compose new email
  • Open to specific account
Maps
YouTube
  • Shorts
  • Search
  • Subscriptions
Chrome
  • New incognito tab
  • New tab
Calendar
  • New reminder
  • New event
  • New task
Messages
  • Open most recent conversation
  • New conversation
Clock
  • Start screen saver
  • Start stopwatch
  • Create new timer
  • Create new alarm
Settings
  • Bluetooth
  • Battery
  • Data usage
  • Wi-Fi

Add web page shortcuts

  1. Open the Chrome app.
  2. Navigate to the web page.
  3. Tap more options icon > Add to Home screen.
  4. Edit the name if desired.
  5. Tap Add.
  6. Do one of the following:

    • Touch & hold the icon to drag it where you want on the home screen.
    • Tap Add to Home screen.

Add folders

Folders organize your shortcuts. You can create folders on your home screen or in your app tray.

Home screen folders

To create a folder on your home screen:

  1. Touch & hold an app shortcut on your home screen.
  2. Drag it onto another to group them together, then release when you see a frame around them.

  3. To name the folder, tap to open it, then tap Edit Name and type a new name.

To add apps to the folder:

  1. Touch & hold the app's icon.
  2. Drag it onto the folder.

To remove apps from the folder:

  1. Open the home screen folder.
  2. Drag the app's icon onto the home screen, or drag it up and drop it on Remove.

App tray folders

To create a folder in your app tray:

  1. Open the app tray.
  2. Tap more options icon > Create folder.
  3. Type the folder's name.
  4. Tap app icons to select what to put in the folder.
  5. Tap Done.

To change apps in the folder:

  1. Touch & hold the folder.
  2. Tap Edit.
  3. Tap app icons to add or remove them.

To add one app to the folder:

  1. Touch & hold the app's icon.
  2. Tap .
  3. Select the folder.

To remove one app from the folder:

  1. Open the folder.
  2. Touch & hold the app's icon.
  3. Tap .

Remove widgets, shortcuts, or folders

To remove items from your home screen:

  1. Touch & hold it until it vibrates.
  2. Drag it to Remove.

    For app tray folders, tap Delete.

App icons on the home screen are shortcuts to installed apps found in the app tray. Removing an app shortcut from the home screen doesn't uninstall the app. Learn how to uninstall apps.

To select a totally new user interface for your home screen, download a different launcher.

Fix an issue

If you’re having issues, try these troubleshooting steps.