Pin, Reorder & Remove Apps on Galaxy Tablet Taskbar

This guide shows you how to customize the taskbar on your Samsung Galaxy tablet, so you can pin your most-used apps, rearrange them to your liking, and remove ones you don’t need. The taskbar is the strip of apps at the bottom of the screen that appears when you’re using your tablet in DeX mode or with the recent apps view. You’ll learn exactly where to tap and what to drag to get your taskbar set up just right.

What You’ll Need

A Samsung Galaxy tablet (running One UI 4.1 or later, which includes the taskbar feature).
Your tablet’s screen unlocked and on the home screen.

Step-by-Step

Open the taskbar. The taskbar is usually visible at the bottom of your screen when you’re on the home screen or in a full-screen app. If you don’t see it, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up the recent apps view—the taskbar will appear at the bottom.
Pin an app to the taskbar. To add a new app, tap the grid icon (the app drawer) on the left side of the taskbar. This opens your full app list. Find the app you want to pin, then press and hold its icon. Drag it down onto the taskbar and release it when you see a highlighted space or a “Pin” label.
Reorder apps on the taskbar. Press and hold any app icon on the taskbar. After a moment, the icon will lift slightly or the taskbar will zoom out. Drag the icon left or right to your desired position, then release. The other icons will shift to make room.
Remove an app from the taskbar. Press and hold the app icon on the taskbar you want to remove. Drag it upward away from the taskbar and release it when you see a “Remove” label or the icon disappears. The app is only removed from the taskbar, not uninstalled from your tablet.
Pin from the recent apps view. If you have an app open that you want to pin, open the recent apps view (swipe up and hold from the bottom). Tap the app’s icon at the top of its preview card, then select “Pin to taskbar” from the menu that appears.
Use the taskbar settings (optional). To adjust taskbar behavior, go to Settings → Display → Taskbar. Here you can toggle “Show taskbar” on or off, and choose whether to show recent apps on the taskbar.

Common Mistakes

Dragging to the wrong area: When pinning, make sure you drag the app icon directly onto the taskbar area, not just anywhere on the screen. If you drop it outside the taskbar, it will just create a shortcut on the home screen.
Confusing taskbar with home screen: The taskbar is a separate strip at the bottom, distinct from your home screen icons. Pinning an app to the taskbar does not create a home screen shortcut, and vice versa.
Removing instead of reordering: When you drag an app icon upward, it removes it. If you want to reorder, drag it horizontally along the taskbar, not up.
Forgetting to save changes: There’s no save button—changes take effect immediately. If you navigate away and come back, your changes should still be there.
Not seeing the taskbar at all: If the taskbar isn’t showing, it might be turned off in settings. Go to Settings → Display → Taskbar and make sure “Show taskbar” is enabled.

Tips

Pin your most-used apps: Keep apps like email, calendar, and messaging at the left side of the taskbar for quick access.
Use the recent apps section: The taskbar automatically shows your most recent apps on the right side. You can disable this in taskbar settings if you prefer a cleaner look.
Combine with DeX: If you use Samsung DeX, the taskbar works similarly, and your pinned apps will carry over.
Drag multiple apps: You can drag multiple apps to the taskbar at once by selecting them in the app drawer (long-press one, then tap others) and dragging the group.
Reset to default: If you mess up, you can reset the taskbar by going to Settings → Display → Taskbar and tapping “Reset taskbar.”

Troubleshooting

Taskbar not appearing: Make sure you’re in a supported mode. The taskbar appears in the standard tablet layout, not in full-screen mode. Swipe down from the top to open the quick settings panel and check if “Full screen” is off. Also verify that the taskbar is enabled in Settings → Display → Taskbar.

Can’t drag apps: If you can’t drag an app icon, try restarting your tablet. Sometimes the touch input gets glitchy. Also, make sure you’re pressing and holding long enough—about half a second—before dragging.

Pinned apps disappear after restart: This can happen if the system UI crashes. Try clearing the cache of the “One UI Home” app: go to Settings → Apps → One UI Home → Storage → Clear cache. This won’t delete your data, just temporary files.

Taskbar shows too many apps: The taskbar has a limit on how many icons it can display. If you try to pin more than that, the oldest ones get pushed off. Remove some apps you don’t need to make room.

Changes not saving: If your changes revert, check if you have a “Taskbar lock” option in the taskbar settings. Some devices have a lock that prevents accidental changes. Toggle it off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does pinning an app to the taskbar use more battery?

No, pinning an app just creates a shortcut. It doesn’t run the app in the background, so there’s no extra battery drain.

Can I pin folders to the taskbar?

Yes, you can create a folder on your home screen, then drag that folder onto the taskbar. It will appear as a single icon that opens the folder when tapped.

Will my taskbar settings sync with Samsung DeX?

Yes, the taskbar layout is shared between tablet mode and DeX mode. Changes you make in one will reflect in the other.

How do I hide the taskbar completely?

Go to Settings → Display → Taskbar and turn off “Show taskbar.” You can always turn it back on later.

Why is my taskbar not showing recent apps?

In taskbar settings, make sure “Show recent apps” is toggled on. If it still doesn’t show, restart your tablet.

Can I move the taskbar to the side of the screen?

No, the taskbar is fixed to the bottom of the screen in standard tablet mode. In DeX, you can adjust its position via DeX settings.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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