How to Create Shortcuts on Android

The built in ways Android gives you

Before installing anything, it helps to know what your phone can already do.

Add an app icon to the home screen

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open the app drawer.
2. Touch and hold the app you want.
3. Drag it up and drop it on the home screen where you want it.

Use app shortcuts from a long press

Many apps offer a short menu when you touch and hold their icon. Chrome shows New tab and Incognito tab. Maps shows Home and Work. You can drag any item in that menu onto the home screen and it becomes its own icon.

Widgets

Some apps include a widget that acts like a shortcut, such as the Contacts widget on some phones. Touch and hold an empty part of the home screen, tap Widgets, and look through the list.

Make any shortcut with a shortcut maker app

A shortcut maker lets you pick the target yourself. TapOpen is a free shortcut maker for Android that supports eight kinds of shortcuts: apps, app activities, files, folders, settings pages, contacts, websites and custom Android intents.

1. Install TapOpen from Google Play and open it.
2. On the Create Shortcut screen, pick a type, for example Settings.
3. Choose the target. For Settings that could be Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery or Developer options.
4. Change the name and icon if you like.
5. Add it to the home screen. Android shows a small dialog: tap Add, or drag the icon to the spot you want.

The new icon works like any other. Move it, put it in a folder, or remove it by dragging it to Remove at the top of the screen.

What you can make a shortcut to

• Apps: any installed app, with your own name and icon.
• Activities: a specific screen inside an app. See the activity shortcuts guide.
• Files and folders: a document, a photo album, or your Downloads folder. See file and folder shortcuts.
• Settings pages: jump straight to Wi-Fi, Display, Battery and many more. See settings shortcuts.
• Contacts: call or text someone with one tap. See contact shortcuts.
• Websites: open a page in your browser. See website shortcuts.
• Custom intents: for people who know Android intents and want full control.

Tips for a cleaner home screen

• Group related shortcuts in a folder, such as one folder for all your settings shortcuts.
• Use short names. Most launchers cut labels after about 10 to 12 characters.
• Put the shortcuts you use daily in the dock at the bottom so they show on every page.
• If you use something many times a day from any screen, a Quick Settings tile is often faster than a home screen icon.

If the shortcut does not appear

• Some launchers ask before adding a shortcut. Look for a dialog and tap Add.
• Check if your home screen layout is locked. On Samsung phones this is under Home screen settings, Lock Home screen layout.
• If your home screen is full, the icon goes to the next page or is not added at all. Free up a spot and try again.
• Third party launchers like Nova or Niagara support shortcuts too, but each handles them a little differently.