How to Create a Folder on Your Home Screen

Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

Folder ManagementHome ScreenSmartphoneAndroidiPhoneUser InterfaceCustomizationMobile OSProductivityDevice Management

Creating folders on your home screen can help you stay organized and make it easier to find and access your most frequently used apps or files. This guide will provide a detailed, step-by-step process for creating folders on your home screen on both mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) and computers. We'll cover the basics and also provide examples to make everything as easy to understand as possible.

Create a folder on a mobile device

Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, often have a home screen where you can place apps for quick access. Creating folders on this screen helps you organize these apps more effectively.

Step-by-step instructions for Android devices

1. Long press an app icon: On your Home screen, find the app icon you want to include in the folder. Tap and hold (long press) the app icon until a menu appears or the icon starts to shake.
2. Drag an app icon onto another icon: Without lifting your finger, drag the app icon onto another app icon that you want to include in the same folder. Lift your finger when the icons overlap.
3. Folder creation: A new folder is automatically created, and both app icons appear inside this folder.
4. Name the folder: Tap the newly created folder to open it. Tap the “Unnamed Folder” text to bring up the keyboard. Enter a name for your folder and press “Done” or “Enter.”
5. Add more apps to the folder: To add more apps to this folder, long-press any other app icon and drag it to the folder.
6. Reorder or remove apps: Open the folder, and long-press any app icon to drag it to a new location within the folder, or drag it out of the folder to delete it.

Example:

Let's say you want to create a "Productivity" folder on your Android phone. You can create it like this:

1. Long-press on the "Calendar" app icon on your home screen.
2. Drag and drop the "Calendar" app icon onto the "Email" app icon.
3. A new folder containing both "Calendar" and "Email" will be created.
4. Open the folder by tapping on it and rename it to “Productivity” by tapping on “Unnamed Folder.”
5. Long-press the "Notes" app icon and drag it to the "Productivity" folder.

Step-by-step instructions for iOS devices (iPhone and iPad)

1. Long press on an app icon: Find the app icon you want to include in the folder. Tap and hold (long press) on the app icon until the icons start to shake.
2. Drag an app icon onto another icon: Without lifting your finger, drag the app icon onto another app icon that you want to include in the same folder. Lift your finger when the icons overlap.
3. Folder creation: A new folder is created, and both app icons appear inside this folder.
4. Name the folder: Tap the newly created folder to open it. Tap the area where "Unnamed Folder" or "Folder" is written to bring up the keyboard. Enter a name for your folder and press "Done."
5. Add more apps to the folder: To add more apps to this folder, long-press other app icons and drag them to the folder.
6. Rearrange or remove apps: Open the folder, then long-press any app icon in the folder to rearrange it, or drag it out of the folder to remove it.

Example:

Imagine you want to create a "Games" folder on your iPhone. Here's how to create it:

1. Press and hold the "Candy Crush" app icon on your home screen until the icons begin to jiggle.
2. Drag and drop the "Candy Crush" app icon onto the "Angry Birds" app icon.
3. Create a new folder containing both "Candy Crush" and "Angry Birds."
4. Open the folder, tap “Unnamed Folder”, and rename it to “Games”.
5. Long-press the "Clash of Clans" app icon and drag it to the "Games" folder.

Create a folder on your computer

Creating folders on your desktop or computer's home screen (be it a Windows PC or Mac) can help keep your files, shortcuts, and applications organized.

Step-by-step instructions for Windows PC

1. Right-click on the desktop: Go to your desktop, and right-click on an empty space. A context menu will appear.
2. Select "New" and then "Folder": From the context menu, hover over the "New" option, then click "Folder." A new folder named "New Folder" will appear on your desktop.
3. Name the folder: When the default name "New Folder" is highlighted, type the desired name for your folder and press "Enter."
4. Drag files or shortcuts to the folder: To add items to your new folder, simply click and drag files, shortcuts, or applications to the folder.
5. Open a folder: Double-click the folder icon to open it and view its contents.

Example:

Let's say you want to create a folder named "Work" on your Windows desktop. You would create it like this:

1. Right-click on an empty area of your desktop.
2. In the context menu, hover over "New" and click "Folder."
3. A new folder named "New Folder" will appear. Rename it to "Tasks" and press "Enter."
4. Drag and drop files related to your work projects into the “Work” folder.

Step-by-step instructions for Mac

1. Right-click on the desktop. Go to your desktop, and right-click (or Control-click) an empty space. A context menu will appear.
2. Select "New Folder." From the context menu, click "New Folder." A new folder will appear on your desktop.
3. Name the folder: When the new folder appears, the name "Untitled Folder" will be highlighted. Type the desired name for your folder and press "Return."
4. Drag files or shortcuts to the folder: To add items to your new folder, simply click and drag files, shortcuts, or applications to the folder.
5. Open a folder: Double-click the folder icon to open it and view its contents.

Example:

Let's say you want to create a folder named "Projects" on your Mac desktop. Here are the steps:

1. Right-click (or Control-click) a blank area of your desktop.
2. Click "New Folder" in the context menu that appears.
3. A new folder named "Untitled Folder" will appear. Rename it "Projects" and press "Return."
4. Drag and drop files belonging to different projects into the "Projects" folder.

Creating a folder using the command-line interface (CLI)

If you are comfortable using the command-line interface (CLI), you can also create folders via terminal commands on both Windows and Mac/Linux systems.

Using the command line on Windows (Command Prompt)

To create a folder using Command Prompt on a Windows machine, follow these steps:

1. Open a Command Prompt: Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter.
2. Go to the desktop: Type cd desktop and press Enter.
3. Create a new folder: Type mkdir folder-name folder-name and press Enter.

Example:

If you want to create a folder named "Photos" on the desktop, follow these steps:

1. Open a command prompt.
2. Type cd desktop and press Enter.
3. Type mkdir Photos and press Enter.

Using the command line on Mac/Linux (Terminal)

To create a folder using the Terminal on a Mac or Linux system, follow these steps:

1. Open the Terminal: Press Cmd + Space, type terminal, and press Enter.
2. Go to the desktop: Type cd Desktop and press Return.
3. Create a new folder: Type mkdir folder-name folder-name and press Return.

Example:

If you want to create a folder named "Documents" on the desktop, follow these steps:

1. Open the terminal.
2. Type cd Desktop and press Return.
3. Type mkdir Documents and press Return.

Conclusion

Creating folders on your home screen, whether on a mobile device or a computer, is a simple but effective way to keep your digital life organized. By following the methods outlined above, you can easily create, name, and manage folders to group together related apps, files, and shortcuts. This not only helps maintain a neat home screen, but it also improves your efficiency by making it easier to find and access the tools you need. Whether you prefer to use the graphical user interface or the command-line interface, the power to organize your space is at your fingertips.

  Share This Article

If you find anything wrong with the article content, you can request an update