Android · Personalization

Customize Your Home Screen & Launcher

Home screen settings control which apps, shortcuts, and widgets appear on your Home screens, how many screens you have, and the overall grid layout. If you've installed a third-party launcher, this is also where you switch your default Home app.

How to open Home Screen & Launcher

  1. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home screen.
  2. Tap 'Home settings' to adjust grid size, notification dots, and other layout options.
  3. Tap 'Widgets' or 'App info' from the same menu to add widgets or manage apps.

What you should know

  • Apps, shortcuts, and widgets can be added by long-pressing an empty area of the Home screen or an app icon.
  • Multiple Home screens can be reordered by dragging their thumbnails in the overview view.
  • The grid size (number of rows and columns) can typically be adjusted to fit more or fewer icons per screen.
  • A different launcher app can be installed and set as default from Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app.

Switching to a new default launcher can reset your existing Home screen layout — some launchers offer a backup/restore option, but not all do.

Why it matters

The Home screen is the single most-touched surface on the phone, so its layout has an outsized effect on how quickly you can actually get things done versus hunting through an app drawer. A well-organized grid, sensibly placed widgets, and a favorites tray with only your most-used apps turn dozens of small daily frictions into near-instant actions. For anyone who prefers a different visual style or gesture set entirely, switching launchers is a fully supported way to reshape that experience without changing devices.

Best practices

  • Keep only your most-used four or five apps in the fixed favorites tray for one-tap access from any screen.
  • Use widgets sparingly for information you actually glance at daily, like calendar or weather, rather than filling every screen.
  • Back up your layout (if your launcher supports it) before experimenting with a new grid size or launcher app.
  • Group related apps into folders instead of spreading similar icons across multiple Home screens.

Common problems and fixes

Home screen layout resets or scrambles after a software update.
Check if your launcher has a backup feature to restore the prior layout; otherwise, re-add widgets and shortcuts manually.
A new launcher was installed but the Home button still opens the old one.
Go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app and select the new launcher explicitly.
Widgets keep resizing or moving unexpectedly.
Long-press the widget and drag its resize handles to lock in a size, then avoid dragging near screen edges where auto-repositioning can trigger.
Can't fit as many icons per row as before after a launcher change.
Check Home settings for a grid size option and increase the rows/columns count if your launcher supports it.

Tips and tricks

  • Use the Home screen overview (pinch in on the Home screen) to quickly reorder or delete entire screens at once.
  • Try a folder for rarely used but occasionally needed apps instead of leaving them scattered across extra Home screens.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a completely different launcher app instead of the one that came with my phone?

Yes, install a third-party launcher from the Play Store and set it as default under Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app.

How do I add a widget to my Home screen?

Touch and hold an empty area of the Home screen, tap 'Widgets', then drag your chosen widget onto a screen.

Will switching launchers delete any apps or data?

No, it only changes the Home screen experience — your installed apps and their data remain untouched.

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