Alphabetizing apps on Android (sorting them into a list or grid according to the alphabetical order of their names) is a super easy and effective way to organize your phone.
To learn how to do so, simply follow our step-by-step tutorial below. For all other information, or if you have further unanswered questions, we recommend you turn your attention to our FAQ section at the end of this article.
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How to alphabetize apps on Android
- On the home screen of your Android device, swipe up from the bottom to access the apps screen
- Alternatively, tap the ‘Apps’ icon (white circle with six blue dots)
- Once on the apps screen, tap the Menu icon in the top-right corner (also called the ‘Ellipsis’ icon, or identified as three vertical dots stacked one atop the other)
- From the drop-down menu, select ‘Sort’ (Samsung) or ‘Display layout’ (other Android devices)
- Lastly, tap ‘Alphabetically’ or ‘Alphabetical order’ and your apps will be immediately sorted into alphabetical order, going A-Z from left-right
And there you have it! Four (4) simply steps to alphabetize apps on Android. For all other information and questions, see our FAQs below.
FAQs
Why would I want to alphabetize apps on Android?
Alphabetizing apps on Android – arranging them so that they appear in the order of the alphabet, according to their names – is a super handy and effective way of cleaning up a cluttered apps screen, whilst simultaneously making it much easier to navigate.
There are many different ways to sort apps and organize them on Android devices – from tablets to smartphones and more – but alphabetizing is one way which almost all of us (except perhaps the very young) can immediately recognise and thus easily navigate.
You may want to alphabetize your apps on Android if you find yourself struggling to locate them when searching for them, or if somehow they were once alphabetized, but have now mysteriously fallen out of order.
Even if you’re not struggling to locate your myriad smartphone apps, you may still wish to alphabetize the apps on your smartphone simply because it makes the app screen look neater and nicer.
Whatever your reason for wanting to alphabetize your apps on Android, to do so is simple. Just follow our step-by-step tutorial above.
What are the other ways you can sort apps on Android?
The number of different ways you can sort, filter and organize apps on an Android device depend on the make and model of that Android device. On Samsung devices, for example, you can only sort apps in one of two ways: either alphabetically, or ‘custom’ (meaning that you arrange them however you like).
On other Android devices not Samsung, however, you may find that you have a greater variety of sort options available to you, including but not limited to: by date installed/created, by type, in a horizontal grid or in a vertical grid.
We typically find, however, that arranging Android apps alphabetically is truly the easiest, most straightforward and instantly recognisable means of sorting Android apps, and will almost always be the simplest way to make your phone-usage smoother and less frustrating than before.
Does alphabetizing apps on Android change their order on the home screen?
No, alphabetizing apps on Android does not change the order they appear in on your home screen. When we refer to ‘organizing apps’ or ‘sorting apps’ alphabetically, we mean with regards to the Apps screen. The Apps screen is the area of your phone which displays all apps you currently have downloaded and installed on your phone. Usually, it is accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen when on any page of the home screen.
In contrast, the apps you have on your home screen are in fact app ‘shortcuts’ which you have most likely specifically chosen to add to your home screen. These cannot be arranged alphabetically, but must instead be arranged one at a time by tapping and holding the shortcut icon, before dragging and dropping it into place.
Thus, when you alphabetize apps on Android, you do so only to the full list of apps displayed on the Apps screen. Your home screen app shortcuts will not be affected.
What’s the best way to organize apps on Android smartphones and tablets?
Alphabetizing your Android apps is a safe, simple and effective way to organize your apps on the App screen, making it easier and faster to locate specific apps when next you go looking for them. However, this may not be the whole answer to the issue of organization on your Android device.
For example, as explained above, alphabetizing does not affect the display of app shortcuts on your home screen. Moreover, if you have copious numbers of apps, merely alphabetizing them may not cut down on the time it takes you to find them all that much.
For greater organizational control, we would recommend grouping your apps into customizable folders. To do so is easy, and can be done on either the home screen, the apps screen, or both. Simply tap and hold the first app icon you wish to group with another, and then move it to hover over a second app icon with which you wish it to be grouped.
From here, you’ll see a folder form beneath your finger, containing both apps. Simply let go and you will ‘drop’ the first app into a newly created folder containing the second as well. You will then be automatically prompted to name the folder (if you’re not, tap and hold the folder and then tap ‘Rename’ from the pop-up menu). Give the folder a name and then tap away from it to close it.
You can add numerous apps to this folder by repeating the process, and/or create numerous other similar folders. You might, for example, create folders for ‘Social Media Apps’, ‘Entertainment Apps’, and ‘Work Apps’, or something similar.
This grouping method can be done on both the Apps screen and the Home screen, and works great in conjunction with alphabetized apps. (When you alphabetize apps on the App screen, folder names are also included in the alphabetization.)
