How do I add a folder in Android?
Folders are a useful way to organize and group together apps on an Android device.
Folders allow you to categorize apps based on function, topic, or frequency of use. For example, you could create a Social folder for all your social media apps, a Tools folder for utility apps, or a Games folder for game apps. Grouping apps into folders helps reduce clutter and makes your apps easier to find.
Folders also let you hide little-used apps from your home screen while still keeping them accessible in the folder. This declutters your home screen and highlights your most important and frequently used apps.
Overall, adding folders is a great way to create a clean, organized home screen layout on your Android device. The ability to customize and arrange your apps to suit your needs and preferences is one of the advantages of the Android platform.
Locate the App Drawer
The app drawer is where all installed apps are located on an Android device, and it’s also where you’ll find the option to add a new folder. The app drawer can typically be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the home screen, where you’ll usually see docked apps like Phone, Messages, Camera, etc. On some Android devices, you may need to swipe up from the center of the display to open the app drawer.
You can also locate the app drawer by looking for its icon, which is often found on the home screen or search bar. The app drawer icon looks like a simple grid of dots or squares. Tapping this icon will instantly open the app drawer showing all your apps.
According to Alphr, the app drawer provides quick access to search and arrange your apps alphabetically or by recent use. Becoming familiar with how to reliably open your device’s app drawer is the first step to adding a folder.
Long Press on an App Icon
To create a folder on your Android device, start by long pressing on any app icon within the app drawer. This activates folder creation mode and allows you to drag app icons together into folders.
To long press, simply touch and hold your finger down on an app icon for about one second. You’ll know it worked when the icons start to wiggle and you see a checkbox appear on each icon. This indicates you can now drag the icons to arrange your home screen.
The length of time needed for a long press may vary depending on your device settings. You can adjust the touch and hold delay under Accessibility settings if needed. Typically, one second is all that’s required to initiate a long press on modern Android devices.
Just make sure you are long pressing on an app icon specifically within the app drawer. Long pressing on the home screen may bring up different options depending on your launcher. The app drawer is where all your installed apps are located and is usually accessed by swiping up from the home screen.
Once you long press an app icon within the app drawer, you are ready to drag and drop icons into a new folder.
Source: Google Support
Drag App Icon
With your finger still pressed down on the app icon you want to move, start dragging it across the screen to a new location. As you drag, you’ll notice the other app icons moving out of the way to make room for you to drop the icon. You can drag the selected app icon to any area on any of your Android’s home screens.
For example, if you want to move an app icon from the main home screen over to the screen to the right, simply drag the icon toward the right edge of the screen, and it will transition over to the next screen. Keep dragging until you reach the spot where you want to drop the new app icon.
If you want to create a new folder, drag the selected icon on top of another app icon. This will automatically create a new folder containing both apps, which you can then name.
Be sure to keep your finger pressed down on the icon the entire time you are dragging. Once you lift your finger up, the icon will be placed in that spot.
According to WikiHow, dragging and dropping app icons allows you to fully customize and arrange your Android home screens.
Release App Icon
Once you have long pressed and dragged an app icon, the next step is to release the icon. This will create a new folder on your Android home screen containing that app. When you lift your finger after dragging the icon, a folder will appear with the icon inside. The folder will be titled with the app name by default.
For example, if you long press on the Chrome app icon and drag it across the screen, then release it, a new folder titled “Chrome” will be created with the Chrome app icon inside. This folder creation occurs automatically when releasing a dragged app icon.
Releasing the dragged app icon is the trigger to generate a new home screen folder to house that app. Essentially, let go of the icon after dragging it and a folder containing that app will instantly appear.
Name the Folder
After dragging an app icon onto another, a text box will appear prompting you to name the new folder. This text box allows you to provide a descriptive name for the folder.
When naming a new folder, it is recommended to use a short but descriptive name. Avoid using vague or cryptic names. Instead, choose a name that clearly identifies the folder’s purpose or contents (Source). For example, name a folder containing social media apps “Social Media”.
Additionally, follow these best practices when naming a new folder (Source):
- Use camel case or underscores instead of spaces (e.g. MyGames_Folder)
- Avoid special characters like ~,!,@,#,$,%,^,&,
- Keep the name concise yet descriptive
An appropriately named folder makes it easier to identify and access the contained apps. With a descriptive name, you will spend less time searching for apps within folders.
Add More Apps
Once you have created a folder, you can easily add more apps to it. Simply locate the additional apps you want to add in your app drawer or home screen. Then, press and hold on the app icon like before. While holding, drag the app over the folder icon you created earlier. A highlight will appear around the folder icon to indicate you can drop the app there. Release your finger and the app will be added to the existing folder.
You can repeat this process to continue adding as many apps as you want to a single folder. There is no limit on the number of apps a folder can contain. Just drag and drop additional apps onto the folder icon to quickly build up your customized app folder with all the apps you want inside.
According to a Reddit thread, there is no native way in stock Android to multi-select apps and add them to a folder at the same time (Source). You have to add apps to a folder one by one. But dragging and dropping each additional app is fast and easy.
Rearrange Folders
Another useful capability when organizing folders on Android is the ability to rearrange their position on the home screen. After creating multiple folders, they may end up scattered across different home screens. Rearranging the folder order allows you to customize where each folder is located.
To rearrange folders, simply long press on a folder icon until it enlarges and lifts up off the screen. Keep holding and drag the folder icon to the desired new location on any home screen page. Once in the preferred spot, release your finger and the folder will drop into place. Repeat this process with any other folders you want to reposition.
Being able to rearrange the folders provides flexibility in organizing your apps. You may want to group certain folders together on one home screen based on frequency of use or category. Customizing the folder positions allows you to optimize your home screen layout.
According to Android Police, “You can move folders around just like regular app icons. Long-press, then drag to the new location.” (https://www.androidpolice.com/how-to-organize-apps-android/) This demonstrates the simplicity of rearranging folders to enable a personalized folder organization on Android.
Access Folder Apps
Once you have created folders and added apps, accessing the apps within a folder is simple. Just tap on the folder icon on your home screen or app drawer and it will open to display the apps inside. Tapping on any of the app icons inside the folder will then open that app as usual.
For example, if you created a Social folder containing your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp apps, tapping on the Social folder icon would open it to show icons for each of those apps. You could then launch any of the social media apps you added by tapping on its icon.
This allows you to neatly organize apps into folders based on categories or usage, while still being able to easily access them with a single tap. The folder icon acts just like any other app shortcut to open and view the contents.
So remember, anytime you need to open an app located inside a folder, simply tap on the folder icon first and then proceed to launch the desired app.
Source: https://www.lifewire.com/app-folders-on-android-1616144
Conclusion
Organizing your apps into folders on Android can provide many benefits. Making folders helps keep similar apps together, reduces clutter on the home screen, and makes finding and launching apps much faster.
The key steps we covered were locating the app drawer, long pressing on an app icon to activate edit mode, dragging the icon to create a folder, naming the folder, adding more apps, and rearranging folders as needed. Folders are easy to use once created – simply tap on a folder icon to view and launch the apps within.
With your apps neatly organized in folders, your Android home screen will look cleaner and accessing apps will require less searching. Take some time to group your apps into folders and you’ll enjoy a more organized, efficient, and visually appealing home screen.
