Modern smartphones Samsung Galaxy equipped with a powerful shell One UIwhich provides the user with complete freedom in organizing the workspace. However, for beginners who have switched from other devices or are simply not familiar with the nuances of touch controls, the customization process may not seem obvious. Often a situation arises when the desired app is installed, but it is impossible to find it on the desktop, or you need to move frequently used tools to the quick access zone.
In this article we will analyze in detail all the ways to interact with application shortcuts. You will learn how to correctly drag and drop icons, create folders for grouping, and also how to return interface elements deleted by mistake. Individual customization your smartphone is not just aesthetics, but also a way to increase the speed of working with the gadget by placing everything you need at your fingertips.
Basic principles of working with shortcuts in One UI
Interface Samsung is built on the logic of direct manipulation of objects. To start moving, you need to enter edit mode. This is done by simply long pressing your finger on any free area of the screen or directly on the application icon itself. Once you hold your finger down for a second, the interface will change: menu buttons will appear at the bottom, and the top of the screen may offer options for uninstallation or information about the application.
It is important to understand the difference between moving within one page and moving to another. If you simply drag the icon, it follows your finger. Touch input It should be smooth, without sudden jerks, for the system to correctly read the coordinates. When you move the shortcut to the edge of the screen (left or right), the system will automatically scroll the desktop, allowing you to place the object on the adjacent page.
⚠️ Attention: If, when dragging, the icon returns to its original location with a bounce animation, then placement in this area is not possible. This may be occupied by another large widget or a system grid limitation.
For more precise positioning, you can use the Screen Grid feature. By going to settings via a long press on an empty space, you can select the density of the elements. The fewer cells you select (for example, 4x5 instead of 5x6), the larger the icons will be and the easier it will be to grab them with your finger when moving.
Step-by-step guide for moving icons
The process of moving an application to the main screen or sorting it is intuitive, but has its own technical features depending on where you get the shortcut from. Let's look at the algorithm of actions for various usage scenarios.
If the application is already installed, but is in the applications menu (swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen), follow these steps. Find the icon you need in the general list. Press it and hold your finger without releasing it. After a moment, the application menu will close and you will find yourself on the home screen, dragging the icon behind you. Release your finger at the desired location.
- 📍 Find the application in the "All applications" menu by swiping up.
- 🖐️ Press and hold the icon until it vibrates or changes the interface.
- 📲 Drag the shortcut to an empty space on the home screen or to the dock panel below.
- ✅ Release your finger to fix the position.
When organizing space, there is often a need to move an icon from one folder to another or create a new group. To do this, drag one shortcut directly on top of the other. The system will automatically create the folder. You can rename it by clicking on the name above the icons. Inside a folder, moving works the same way: long press and drag to a new location.
☑️ Check before moving
It is worth noting that the dock panel (the bottom bar with 4-5 icons, which is visible on all pages) can only accommodate a limited number of applications. This is usually 4 or 5 slots depending on the grid settings. An attempt to drag the sixth icon into this area will result in it being placed on the first free cell of the main screen above the dock.
Managing widgets and their placement
Widgets are dynamic elements that display information without launching the application. A clock, weather, calendar, or news feed can occupy multiple grid cells. The process of adding them differs from working with regular icons, as it requires choosing a size.
To add a widget, press and hold your finger on an empty area of the home screen. In the lower menu, select Widgets. A list of all available items, grouped by application, will open. Find the one you need, for example Google Calendar or Weather. Click on the down arrow next to the name to expand size options.
| Widget type | Space occupied (cells) | Functional |
|---|---|---|
| Clock (digital) | 4 x 2 | Time and date display |
| Weather | 4 x 3 | Forecast for several days |
| Contact labels | 1 x 2 (each) | Quick call to a subscriber |
| Battery | 2 x 2 | Charge of phone and accessories |
Having selected the size, drag the widget onto the screen. Unlike icons, widgets often have strict space requirements. If there are other elements nearby, the widget may not fit into place. In this case, you will have to first move or remove the interfering icons.
Why is the widget not added?
Sometimes the widget is not installed due to incompatibility of the application version or lack of RAM at the time the interface is drawn. Try rebooting your device and trying again.
Some widgets support resizing after placement. To do this, press and hold the widget, then release when a frame with dots around the edges appears. By pulling these dots, you can stretch or shrink the element to fit your design perfectly.
Creating and editing application folders
Grouping applications into folders is the best way to stay organized if you have more than 50 apps installed. This allows you to reduce the number of pages on the main screen and speed up the search for the necessary software. The logic for working with folders in Samsung allows you to nest them inside each other or change the background color.
To create a folder, simply drag one icon onto another, as described earlier. The system will prompt you to enter a name. You can use a suggested name based on categories (for example, “Social Networks”) or enter your own. Inside a folder, you can change the order of elements in the same way as on the main screen.
- 📁 Drag an icon to another to create a group.
- ✏️ Click on the folder name to edit the text.
- 🎨 Click on the circle with the color under the name to change the background folders.
- ➕ Drag and drop new applications inside an open folder.
An interesting feature is the ability to change the style of folders in the global theme settings. If you go to Settings → Home screen, you can choose a folder style: “Grid” or “List”. In list mode, the folder opens in full screen, showing applications in a vertical list, which is convenient for large collections of apps.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting a folder does not delete the applications in it. If you drag a folder to the “Delete” area (usually the top part of the screen with a trash can or a cross), the applications will return to the application menu or to the main screen individually.
Setting the interface grid and scale
The ease of dragging directly depends on how fine or coarse the grid of your screen is. Pixel Density and the number Cells affect how many items will fit on one sheet. The default settings may not be suitable for all users, especially those with large fingers or poor vision.
To change the grid settings, long press on an empty area of the main screen and select Settings (gear icon). Find the item Home screen grid. Here you will see options from 4x5 to 6x6 (number of columns per number of rows). Selecting the 4x5 option will make the icons larger, and 6x6 will make the icons smaller, but more spacious.
Use the One-handed mode in the display settings if you find it difficult to reach the top icons when dragging. This will reduce the usable screen area by moving the interface down.
Also available in this menu is Hide application names. If you enable it, there will be no text under the icons. This visually frees up space and makes dragging cleaner because the system has fewer elements to consider when calculating object collisions.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the setting Add icons of new applications to the home screen. If this switch is active, all new apps will automatically appear on the desktop, which may interfere with your manual sorting. Experienced users often disable this feature in order to independently decide which icons deserve a place on the first screen.
Recovering deleted icons and solving problems
Sometimes it happens that the icon disappears from the screen by accident, or the application is installed, but the shortcut is not created. This does not mean that the app has been removed. It's probably in the general application menu. However, there are situations where the shortcut is hidden by privacy settings or power saving modes.
Check to see if Power Saver or Do Not Disturb mode is turned on, which may hide certain visual elements. Also go to the Home screen settings and make sure that the “Hide apps” mode is not activated. In this section you can see a list of apps that were intentionally removed from public access.
Settings → Applications → [Select an application] → NotificationsIf the problem concerns a specific application that does not want to move or “crashes” back, try clearing the launcher cache. To do this, go to Settings → Applications, find One UI Home (or "Home Screen") in the list, go to Storage and press Clear cache. This will not delete your settings, but will correct possible interface errors.
Resetting the home screen settings will return the icon layout to the factory default mind, so use this option only as a last resort, after remembering your folder structure.
⚠️ Attention: The interface and names of menu items may vary slightly depending on the version of Android and the specific model of your Samsung smartphone. It is recommended to check the relevance of the settings paths in the official user manual for your Galaxy series.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why can’t I drag an icon to the dock panel below?
The dock panel has a fixed number of slots (usually 4 or 5). If all the places are occupied, the system will not allow you to add another icon there. You need to first remove the unnecessary application from the dock to the main screen, freeing up space.
How to remove the inscription under the application icon?
Go to the home screen settings (long press on an empty space → Settings) and find the “Show application names” switch. Disable it to hide the text under the labels.
Is it possible to change the size of an application icon?
You cannot change the size of a specific icon using standard One UI tools; you can only change the overall screen grid, which will affect the size of all elements at once. To resize individually, third-party launchers are required.
What to do if the icon is “stuck” and does not move?
Try to restart your smartphone. If the problem persists, clear the One UI Home app cache in Settings. Also check if there is any transparent widget on top that blocks touches.
How to return the standard layout of icons like on a new phone?
In the home screen settings there is an option to reset the layout. However, it is easier to manually delete unnecessary shortcuts and widgets, since a reset can also delete your created folders without the possibility of recovery.