How to move icons on the Android screen: from basic settings to hidden tricks

Placing icons on the main screen of a smartphone is a seemingly simple task. But even here, Android offers dozens of nuances: from standard drag and drop to hidden gestures in proprietary shells Samsung One UI, MIUI or ColorOS. Poorly positioned icons can be annoying on a daily basis—especially when important apps get lost in the chaos of shortcuts and your desktop turns into a digital warehouse.

In this article, we'll look at all the possible ways to move icons, from basic (which works on 99% of devices) to advanced (like changing the screen grid or using alternative launchers). Let's look separately at typical mistakes - for example, why icons not recorded after moving or how to return an accidentally deleted shortcut. If your smartphone behaves non-standardly, at the end there is a FAQ with solutions for specific brands.

1. Standard icon movement: basic method for all Android

This method works on any device running Android 8.0 and later, regardless of the manufacturer. The algorithm is universal, but may differ slightly depending on the shell (for example, on Xiaomi or Huawei you will have to first unlock the icons).

To move the icon:

• 📱 Press and hold your finger on the application icon for 1-2 seconds. On most devices, the icon will vibrate or slightly enlarge.
• 🖱️ Without releasing your finger, drag the icon to the desired location on the screen. If you need to transfer it to another desktop, move the icon to the edge of the screen and wait for automatic scrolling.
• ✅ Release your finger when the icon is in the desired position. On some smartphones (for example Samsung Galaxy), a prompt “Add to home screen” will appear - confirm the action.

Make sure the screen is not locked|Check if the "Light touch" mode is activated in the accessibility settings|Disable child mode or guest profile|Reboot the device if the launcher is buggy-->

If the “Delete” message appears when you drag the icon disappears or, it means that you accidentally dragged it to the trash bin (usually located at the top or bottom of the screen). Don't worry: this only removes the shortcut, and the app itself remains in the menu.

⚠️ Note: Some devices (for example Oppo Reno or Vivo V-series) have Layout Protection enabled by default. To move icons, you need to disable it in the launcher settings (Settings → Home screen → Layout protection).

2. Changing the screen grid: how to make icons more compact

By default, Android offers a grid of 4-5 columns and rows for placing icons. But if icons a lot, and the screen is small (for example, on Samsung Galaxy S23 or Google Pixel 7a), the standard grid may seem cramped. Fortunately, it can be changed.

Instructions for most shells:

1. Long-press an empty space on the main screen and select Screen settings (or Home screen options).
2. Find the item Main grid screen (in MIUI it may be called Grid size).
3. Select the appropriate option - for example, 5×6 for the maximum number of icons or 4×5 for greater distance between them.
4. Confirm the changes The icons will be automatically redistributed, but their position will not be possible. adjust manually.

Brand/Shell	Max. grid size	Where to change settings
Samsung One UI	5×6	Settings → Home screen → Home screen grid
Xiaomi MIUI	5×7	Settings → Desktop → Grid size
Google Pixel (Stock Android)	5×5	Settings → Style and wallpaper → Home screen grid
Realme UI / ColorOS	6×6	Settings → Personalization → Home screen layout

On smartphones with AMOLED screens (for example, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or OnePlus 12), too dense a grid can increase battery consumption due to the constant backlighting of pixels under the icons. Optimal balance - 5×5 or 4×6.

3. Moving icons between desktops

If there is not enough space on one screen, icons can be distributed across several desktops. This is convenient for sorting by category: for example, instant messengers on the first screen, games on the second, utilities on the third.

How to move an icon to another desktop:

• 📲 Hold the icon and drag it to to the edge of the screen (left or right). After 1-2 seconds, automatic scrolling will occur.
• 🔄 Release your finger when the desired desktop becomes active. If there are not enough screens, the system will offer to create a new one.
• 🗑️ To delete an extra desktop, swipe all the icons from it, and then squeeze two fingers on the screen (pinch gesture).

On some devices (for example, Huawei P60 Pro), you can renameTo do this:

1. Tap an empty space on the screen and select Screen settings.
2. Tap on the desktop thumbnail at the bottom of the screen.
3. Enter a name (for example, “Work” or “Games”) and save.

⚠️ Attention: On smartphones with shell EMUI (Huawei/Honor), when you delete the last icon from the desktop, it is automatically deleted. To save a blank screen, add at least one widget to it.

4. Using folders to group icons

If there are dozens of icons on the screen, it is convenient to combine them into folders. This not only saves space, but also speeds up access to frequently used applications. For example, you can create folders “Social networks”, “Banks”, “Photo editors”, etc.

How to create a folder:

1. Drag one icon onto another. A folder with an automatically generated name (for example, “Applications”) will appear on the screen.
2. Touch the folder name to rename it.
3. To add more icons, simply drag them to the folder.
4. To delete a folder, drag all the icons from it back to the screen.

Customizing the appearance of folders:

• 🎨 In Samsung One UI you can change folder color and the style of the icons inside it (Settings → Home screen → Folders).
• 📂 Folders are supported MIUI folders support gestures: for example, swiping up opens all applications inside, and swiping down opens frequently used ones.
• 🔒 On Google Pixel folders you can lockto avoid accidentally deleting them (press and hold the folder → “Fix”).

5. Alternative launchers: full control over icons

Standard Android capabilities are limited If you need more flexibility - for example, resizing icons, hiding names or automatic sorting —a third-party launcher will help. Popular options:

• 🛠️ Nova Launcher —supports gestures, adaptive icons, layout backup. The free version is limited, but enough for basic tasks.
• 🎨 Apex Launcher — convenient for creating folders with gestures and setting up transitions between screens.
• 🔧 Lawnchair —a lightweight open-source launcher that imitates Pixel Launcher, but with advanced settings.
• 🖼️ Microsoft Launcher — integration with Windows, synchronization of wallpapers and icons between PC and phone.

How to install and configure the launcher:

1. Download the selected launcher from Google Play.
2. After installation, click “Home” and select the new launcher as the main one (a request will appear system).
3. In the launcher settings (Long press on the screen → Settings) find the section Screen Layout or Icons.
4. Customize:
   • Icon size (for example, 80% from standard).
   • Indents between icons.
   • Hide names (No labels).
   • Automatic sorting by color or alphabet.

⚠️ Attention: Some launchers (for example, Nova Launcher) may conflict with proprietary skins Samsung or Xiaomi. installation lags have appeared, try disabling animations in the developer settings (Settings → About phone → Build number (7 taps) → Animations = 0.5x).

How to return the standard launcher?

If an alternative launcher is unstable, return standard:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Default applications → Launcher.

2. Select Standard launcher (name may vary: One UI Home, MIUI Launcher etc.).

3. Reboot the device.

6. Hidden functions: gestures, icon fixing and backup

Android hides several useful features for working with icons, which many do not know about know. Here are the most practical ones:

• 🔒 Fixing icons: in order not to accidentally move the icon, hold it → “Fix” (available in Samsung One UI i ColorOS).
• 📱 Gestures for folders: in MIUI you can open a folder by swiping up on the icon without clicking on it.
• 🔄 Recovery layout: if the icons are lost after the update, return them via Settings → Backup → Restore home screen layout (works on Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme).
• 🎨 Adaptive icons: in Android 12+ you can apply a single style to all icons (Settings → Style and wallpaper → Icon style).

For advanced users, there is another way to manage icons - through ADB (Android Debug Bridge). For example, you can force change the number of rows/columns on the screen, even if the shell does not provide such an option:

adb shell settings put secure home_grid_size 5x6

Where 5x6 is the desired number of columns and rows. This method only works on devices with unlocked developer rights and may cause launcher crashes on some firmware.

7. Typical problems and their solutions

Even in a simple task of moving icons, difficulties can arise. Let's look at the most common ones:

Problem	Possible cause	Solution
Icons do not move	Light Touch or Kids Mode is activated	Disable in Settings → Accessibility → Light Touch
Icon disappears when dragged	Deleting the shortcut is triggered (going to the trash can)	Drag the icon back from the application menu
Cannot change the grid	The shell does not support customization (for example, EMUI on old Huawei)	Install a third-party launcher (for example Nova Launcher)
Icons are reset after reboot	Launcher failure or conflict with the memory optimizer	Clear the launcher cache in Settings → Applications → Launcher → Memory → Clear cache

If none of the methods helped, try reset the launcher settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
2. Find the launcher (for example, One UI Home, MIUI Launcher).
3. Select Storage → Clear data.
4. Confirm the action. All icons will return to the standard location.

FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions

Is it possible to move icons to locked screen?

No, on the locked screen (Lock Screen) you can only interact with widgets (for example, a player or calendar) and notifications. To change the arrangement of icons, unlock the device.

Exception - smartphones with the function Always On Display (for example, Samsung Galaxy S24), but even there only gestures are available for quickly launching the camera or calls.

Why did the icons get lost after updating Android?

This is a typical problem when switching to a new version of the shell (for example, with MIUI 13 to MIUI 14). The manufacturer can change the standard screen layout. To return to the previous layout:

1. Check if there is a restore option in Settings → Backup.
2. If not, use a third-party one. a launcher with a layout import function (for example, Nova Launcher).
3. In extreme cases, you will have to configure the icons again.

How to transfer icons from one Android smartphone to another?

This cannot be done using standard Android tools, but there are workarounds:

• Use a launcher with a backup function (for example, Nova Launcher or Apex LauncherExport the layout on one device and import it on another.
• Take a photo of the screen and manually restore the layout of the icons on the new smartphone.
• For smartphones of the same brand (for example, Samsung), backup via Samsung Cloud or Smart Switch.

Is it possible to change the size of icons without the launcher?

On most smartphones - no Standard Android and proprietary settings. shells allow you to change only screen grid, but not the size of individual icons. Exceptions:

• Samsung One UI: you can slightly change the scale of icons in Settings → Screen → Scale and text, but this will affect the entire interface.
• EMUI (Huawei): supports adjusting the size of icons in Settings → Style and wallpaper → Icon style.

For precise settings, you will still need a third-party launcher.

Why can’t you move icons on my Xiaomi Redmi ?

Most likely, the “Layout Protection” function is activated. To disable it:

1. Press an empty space on the main screen.
2. Select Settings (gear in the upper right corner).
3. Find the item Protection layout and disable it.

If the problem persists, check whether Children's mode or Guest profile.