Restore app drawer icon missing on android home screen dock

A lot of Android users install third party launchers like Apex, Nova, GO, Google Now, Trebuchet and so on. Many times, users accidentally delete the app drawer(launcher) icon which is the circular button at the center of the bottom of the home screen (dock) which gives you access to all of your apps. Losing this icon means you can’t access the app drawer. However this is a simple issue. You can easily get back the missing app launcher icon. This post will show you how to fix/restore the missing app launcher icon on android:

Missing App launcher icon on home screen dock

App drawer icon or button is basically the circle with dots which when clicked lets you see all of your apps or app drawer. The app drawer icon is on the homescreen dock, usually at the middle of the bottom of the homescreen. When the app launcher button is not locked, users can sometimes accidentally drag it to another homescreen. So the first thing to do if that happens, is to swipe through your home screens and look for the icon, and then drag it back to its original place. If you have dragged the icon to the top, then it will be deleted (removed). In that case, you will need to restore the app launcher icon. To get back the missing app drawer icon (button) on your home screen, follow the below methods for each launcher- NOVA, GO, Trebuchet and Apex launcher.

Fix: Restore missing app drawer icon in Nova launcher

For NOVA launcher users the steps to restore or get back missing app drawer icon/button are as follows:

1. Tap and hold (long press) on an empty space on your home screen
2. Select “Widgets”
   
3. From Nova Launcher widgets, long press “Nova Action”
   
4. You will now be taken to the home screen
   
5. Select “App drawer”
   
6. Drag the App drawer icon to its original place on the home screen
   

Fix: Restore Go launcher missing app drawer icon

Follow these steps to get back app drawer icon on Go launcher the home screen

Tap on an empty space on your home screen for a few seconds. Now some message will pop up.
1. Select “Launcher actions” >> press “open/close app drawer”.
   
2. Now you will see have the app drawer icon/button on the homescreen.
   
3. Drag the app drawer button to its original spot.
   

Here’s another method to restore app drawer icon for Go launcher user

1. Tap and hold on any empty spot on your home screen.
   
2. Select “Add” > Then select “Go shortcut” >> Appdrawer
   
3. Select “OK”.
   
4. Now you will see the app drawer icon which you can drag anywhere.
   

For 2015 version of Go Launcher

1. Long press on the lower dock (where the app drawer icon was originally located)
   
2. Select “Default icon” >> A list of default icons will be displayed
   
3. Now select the app drawer icon and it will be added
   

Fix Apex launcher app drawer icon missing

Here are the steps to restore/ get back app drawer icon on Apex launcher users

1. Long press on homescreen
   
2. Select “Apex Actions” >> Add to Home Screen
   
3. Select “App Drawer”
   
4. Now the app drawer icon will appear on the homescreen
   
5. Drag the icon/button to the homescreen dock
   

Fix Trebuchet app drawer icon/ button missing

Many custom ROMs like Cynogenmod has Trebuchet setup as default launcher. If your app drawer icon is missing on Trebuchet here are the steps to get it back:

1. Go to Settings >> Apps
   
2. Scroll down and select “Trebuchet”
   
3. Tap “clear data”
   
4. Now your launcher is set to default
   

If that didn’t resolve the issue, you can try installing another third party launcher like Nova.

Final method:

Uninstalling and reinstalling your launcher will also resolve the issue. However, you will lose your homescreen icons so you will have to set it up again. Simply go to settings >> apps >> scroll down and select the name of your launcher >> tap “uninstall”. Then go back to Google Play and re-install the launcher. Now you will get your app drawer icon back in your homescreen dock.

That’s it. Even If you use other launchers apart from the ones mentioned above, you can use similar methods to restore missing app drawer/launcher icon on your home screen.

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Shawn

I fix errors or at least try to...

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