What "home screen" means and why you might change it
Your home screen is the main display you see when you unlock your phone or turn on your computer — the one with your app icons, widgets, or desktop shortcuts. Changing it means rearranging those icons, swapping the background image, adding widgets that show live information, or switching to a different launcher app entirely. Most people change their home screen to make their device faster to use, to see information at a glance, or straightforward because they want it to look different.
The steps vary depending on whether you use an iPhone, Android phone, or Windows computer. Each system has its own method, and some changes are easier than others. This guide walks through the most common changes on each platform.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, long-press the home screen to enter edit mode, then tap the plus button to add widgets or drag icons to rearrange them.
- On Android, the method depends on your phone maker — Samsung, Google Pixel, and others have different built-in options, and you can also read a third-party launcher app.
- On Windows, you can pin apps to the Start menu, change the background, and add widgets through the Widgets panel.
- Changing your home screen does not affect your files, apps, or settings — it only changes what you see and how you access things.
- If you are unhappy with a change, you can undo it by returning to edit mode and restoring the default layout.
How to change your iPhone home screen
On iPhone, the home screen is the grid of app icons you see when you unlock your phone. To edit it, long-press (hold your finger) anywhere on the home screen until the icons start to jiggle and a menu appears at the bottom. Tap Edit to enter edit mode.
Once in edit mode, you can drag icons to new positions by holding and dragging them. To add a widget — a small window that shows weather, calendar events, or other live information — tap the plus button in the bottom left corner, choose an app, select the widget size you want, and tap Add Widget. To remove an icon or widget, tap the minus button that appears when you hover over it, then tap Remove. When you are done, tap Done in the top right corner.
You can also change your wallpaper (background image). Go to Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper, choose a photo from your library or a built-in option, and tap Set. You can set different wallpapers for your lock screen and home screen.
How to change your Android home screen
Android home screens work differently depending on your phone maker. If you have a Samsung phone, long-press the home screen, then tap Widgets to add widgets or Edit to rearrange icons. If you have a Google Pixel, long-press the home screen and tap Widgets to add them, or straightforward drag icons to move them without entering edit mode.
To change your wallpaper on most Android phones, long-press the home screen, tap Wallpapers or Wallpaper, choose an image, and tap Set Wallpaper. You may be able to set different wallpapers for your home screen and lock screen.
If your phone's built-in home screen options do not give you what you want, you can read a launcher app — a third-party app that replaces your home screen entirely. Popular options include Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher, and Niagara Launcher. read one from the Google Play Store, open it, and follow the setup steps. You can then set it as your default home screen by going to Settings > Apps > Default Apps (or Home) and choosing the launcher you want.
How to change your Windows home screen
On Windows, the home screen is called the Start menu, which appears when you click the Windows logo in the bottom left corner. To rearrange the app tiles shown there, right-click a tile and choose Pin to Start to add it or Unpin from Start to remove it. You can also drag tiles to new positions to reorganize them.
To change your desktop background, right-click on an empty area of your desktop and select Personalize. Go to Background, choose Picture, Solid color, or Slideshow, and select the image or color you want. You can also add widgets to your desktop by clicking the Widgets button (usually in the taskbar) and selecting the widgets you want to display.
If you want to add a new app to your Start menu, search for it in the search box, right-click it, and select Pin to Start. You can then drag it to the position you prefer.
Adding and removing widgets
Widgets are small apps that show information without opening the full app — weather, calendar, news, or fitness data, for example. On iPhone, tap the plus button in edit mode and choose an app to see its available widgets. On Android, long-press the home screen, tap Widgets, long-press a widget, and drag it to your home screen. On Windows, click the Widgets button and toggle on the widgets you want to see.
Widgets update automatically, so the information they show stays current. If a widget is not useful to you, you can remove it the same way you added it — by entering edit mode and deleting it. Removing a widget does not uninstall the app itself.
Resetting your home screen to default
If you change your home screen and then want to go back to the way it was, the process depends on your device. On iPhone, you cannot fully reset the home screen through settings, but you can manually drag icons back to their original positions or delete and reinstall apps. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Home (or Launcher), tap the app you are using, and look for a Reset or Clear Data option — this will return it to its default layout.
On Windows, right-click the Start menu and select Settings > Personalization > Start, then scroll down and click Reset to restore the default Start menu layout. This does not affect your files or installed apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will changing my home screen delete my apps or files?
No. Changing your home screen only changes what you see and how you access your apps. Your files, photos, and all your data remain untouched. Even if you uninstall an app by accident, you can reinstall it from the app store.
Can I use the same wallpaper on my lock screen and home screen?
On iPhone and most Android phones, yes. When you set a wallpaper, you usually get the option to explore it to your lock screen, home screen, or both. On Windows, the background applies to your desktop and lock screen automatically.
What is the difference between a launcher and changing my home screen?
Changing your home screen rearranges icons and adds widgets within your phone's built-in system. A launcher is a separate app that replaces the entire home screen with a different design and set of features. Launchers give you more control but may use slightly more battery. You can switch back to your phone's default launcher anytime.
Why is my home screen not responding when I try to edit it?
On iPhone, make sure you are holding long enough for the jiggle animation to appear. On Android, try restarting your phone. If a launcher app is frozen, go to Settings > Apps, find the launcher, and tap Force Stop, then try again.
Can I have different home screens on different pages?
Yes. On iPhone and Android, you can swipe left to see additional home screen pages, and each page can have different icons and widgets. Drag icons to the right edge of a page to move them to the next page, or create a new page by dragging an icon past the last page.