How to add widgets to your Android home screen
Short answer
Touch and hold an empty spot on your home screen, tap Widgets, find the app whose widget you want, then drag the widget to a free space and let go. To resize it, touch and hold the widget and drag the handles. To remove it, touch and hold it and choose Remove. The wording differs a little between Samsung, Xiaomi and Pixel phones.
Step by step
You need:
- An Android phone
- A free space on one of your home screen pages
- Touch and hold an empty spot. Go to the home screen page where you want the widget and press on an empty area, not on an app icon, until a menu or edit mode appears.
- Open the widget list. Tap Widgets. The list is grouped by app, so scroll or use the search field at the top to find the app that has the widget you want.
- Pick a widget and its size. Many apps offer several sizes, shown as a grid such as 2x2 or 4x2. Tap the app to see its options and choose the size that fits your free space.
- Place it on the home screen. Drag the widget onto the page and let go, or tap Add on phones that show an Add button. If the app asks you to set the widget up, finish its settings screen.
- Resize or move it. Touch and hold the widget until a frame with handles appears. Drag the handles to change its size, or drag the whole widget to move it.
- Remove a widget you no longer want. Touch and hold the widget and tap Remove, or drag it to the Remove area at the top. The app itself stays installed.
Where to find Widgets on popular phones
Every Android launcher has a widget list, but the button is not always called the same thing.
- Samsung (One UI): touch and hold an empty spot, then tap Widgets at the bottom. Widgets are grouped by app; tap an app to see its sizes, then tap Add.
- Xiaomi and Redmi (MIUI, HyperOS): touch and hold an empty spot or pinch two fingers together, then tap Widgets or Add widgets.
- Google Pixel: touch and hold an empty spot, tap Widgets, then touch and hold a widget and drag it into place.
- Other launchers: look for Widgets in the menu that appears after a long press on an empty area.
When the widget will not add
Most of the time the problem is space or the launcher. Try these in order.
- No room: the widget needs as many free cells as its size. Move a few icons, or add a new home screen page.
- Home screen layout is locked: some phones have a Lock home screen layout setting. Turn it off in the home screen settings.
- The app is not in the list: open the app once after installing it, then look again.
- The app asks to add it for you but nothing happens: some launchers ignore that request. Add the widget from the widget list instead.
When a clock or battery widget stops updating
Some phones close apps in the background to save battery, and a widget that depends on its app being awake can freeze or show an old time. Clock widgets that use Android's own clock keep running because the launcher updates them.
If a widget still lags, open its app once, and check that battery saving is not set to restrict it. On Xiaomi phones this is under the app's battery settings; on Samsung, under Battery and Background usage limits.
Making widgets look good on your wallpaper
Widgets look calmer when they share the colors of your wallpaper. On Android 12 and newer, many widgets follow the wallpaper colors on their own. A see-through background also helps a widget sit on a photo instead of covering it.
Line widgets up on the same grid rows, leave one empty row between groups, and use the same widget style on one page. Fewer, larger widgets are easier to read than many small ones. Note that Android widgets cannot blur the wallpaper behind them, so a glass look is made with a light tint and fine edges.
Moving widgets between pages
To move a widget to another home screen page, touch and hold it and drag it to the left or right edge of the screen. Hold it there for a moment and the next page slides into view; let go where you want it.
If you want the same widget on two pages, add it twice from the widget list. Each copy is separate, so on many apps you can give each one its own settings, such as a different city on a world clock.
Questions people ask
Why can't I add a widget to my home screen?
Usually there is not enough free space for its size, or the home screen layout is locked. Free up some cells, add a new page, or turn off the layout lock in the home screen settings.
How do I resize a widget on Android?
Touch and hold the widget until a frame with handles appears, then drag the handles. Some widgets have a fixed size and cannot be resized.
How do I add a clock widget to my home screen?
Long-press an empty spot, tap Widgets, open the Clock app or another clock widget app, and drag the clock you like onto the page.
Can I make a widget transparent?
Only if the widget offers it. Many widget apps include a transparency or background setting; the system widget list itself has no transparency switch.
Does removing a widget delete the app?
No. Removing a widget only takes it off the home screen. The app and its data stay on your phone.
