Chrome Add to Home Screen Missing on Android- How to Fix

Every day we surf the internet. It may be to fetch the latest news. Or get some entertainment. Or… Find a solution to a problem you’re facing(like you’re searching for one now).

No matter what the reason, some websites stand out from others. Websites we feel like visiting from time to time.

And that brings us to this question, “What if you could just add that site to your home screen or easy navigation?”

Actually, you can do that.

In this article, we show you how to add a website to the home screen of your android phone.

And if the add to home screen is missing for Chrome on your phone, we’ll show you what measures you can take to fix that.

For demonstration purposes, we’re going to use a Samsung phone with the Chrome browser. Even if you use a different mobile set, there’s nothing to worry about. All android phones have more or less the same fix.

Let’s get that shortcut on your home screen!

How to add a website to your Android phone’s home screen?

So before we move to fix the bug, let us show you how to actually add a website shortcut to your home screen. If you know how to do it, skip to the next section.

• First, open your browser.

• Now, go to the website that you want to add to your phone’s home screen. Type the URL on the search bar and hit Go. If you don’t know the URL, search the name and tap on the results you find on Google search.

• After the site loads, look at the top right corner of your screen. You should see a ‘three vertical dots button. Tap on it to launch the options bar.

• The browser options should appear. Find the Add to Home screen button. Tap on it.

You will be prompted to screen where you’ll be asked to name the shortcut. You can choose the default name already set or give one of your own. Tap Add.

The next part is a bit tricky so pay attention.

You will see another prompt telling you to add the shortcut or drag the icon.

You can either tap Add again and the system will automatically add the shortcut to your home screen(Usually it’s added to a window where there are no apps). This is the easy way.

Or you can tap and hold the icon for a bit. Then drag it to your desired destination and put it there.

That’s how you can add a shortcut to your Android phone’s home screen.

Possible fixes to Chrome Add to Home screen Missing or Not Working

There could be several reasons why you aren’t able to add a shortcut to your home screen. It could be a problem on
● Your phone
● Your browser
● The website itself

Wherever the problem persists, the following fixes should handle them all.

Let’s get going.

Fix-1: Restart your phone

Of course. The classic solution that can solve 80% of your device problems.

When you restart your phone, all your apps and the system starts working from scratch again. So any bugs or problems due to memory are fixed by restarting your device since you’re loading everything from its default state.

Think of it like what sleeping does for you. Waking up from a good sleep refreshes your energy and gives you a new start.

Restarting your phone is quite easy (I’m sure you’ve done this a few times by now). The most common way to restart your Android phone is by holding the Power button. This brings up the options to Power Off, Restart, or turn on Emergency Mode(Some phones may have other options).

Tap Restart and wait till your phone shuts down and gets back up.

See if it fixed the issue or not.

Fix-2: Delete Browser Cache

Sometimes your browser cache may cause this problem. If that’s the case, deleting the cache could solve this bug.

Basically, cache(pronounced as cash) is information stored in the browser. Deleting cache will
● Remove your login information on sites
● Make some sites load slower

But, if it solves the problem at hand, it’s worth it(it doesn’t do any harm).

To delete your browser cache:

1. Open your browser(Chrome in my case)
2. Tap the three dots button on the top right corner. Now tap History → Clear browsing data…
3. Set a time range or choose All time.
4. Click the boxes beside Cookies and site data and Cached images and files
5. Hit Clear data

Check to see if the problem has been solved.

Fix-3: Update/Reinstall/Disable and enable your browser

If the problem is about your browser then this fix should take care of it.

Sometimes, there may be an update available for your browser which you missed. To know if your browser has an update or not

1. Visit Play Store
2. Search for your browser(Chrome in my case)
3. If there is any new update available, the green button will have Update written on it. If it’s up to date, then it will have Open written instead.
4. If there is an update, push the update.

If your browser is already in its latest version, another thing you can do is uninstall and reinstall it.

In the same procedure above, find your browser on Play Store. Tap Uninstall. Wait a bit. Now tap Install to reinstall your browser.

If your browser came pre-installed with your phone, chances are it can’t be uninstalled. In this case, you can disable it.

1. Go to Settings → Apps.
2. Find your browser on the list. Tap on it.
3. Now tap on Disable.
4. Then tap on Enable/ Turn on(whatever is written instead of ‘disable’)

Fix-4: Use a third-party launcher

If it’s an issue between your browser and the stock launcher, try using a third-party launcher like Nova. Some users report that this fixed their problem.

1. Go to Play Store
2. Search for Nova Launcher
3. Hit Install

See if you can add shortcuts to your home screen now.

Fix-5: Allow storage permission of your browser

Another reason this problem can occur is if the storage permission is denied for your browser.

1. Go to Settings → Apps
2. Find your browser and tap on it
3. Go to Permissions → Storage
4. Press Allow if it was not allowed

Fix-6: Try a different website and browser

Try to add a different website shortcut. This allows you to see if the problem was with that particular website.

Alternatively, try a different browser and try to add the shortcut to that website.

Fix-7: Install the native android app of that website

If the website has an official Android app(like Instagram), then try the app instead of adding a shortcut to the website.

It’s understandable why some may prefer to use the web app instead of the Android app. If all fails, this is the last resort.

It’s hard to say why sometimes the Add to Home screen doesn’t work on particular models or Android versions. The fixes we’ve mentioned above should work as a clear guide to fixing this issue.

If any of the fixes worked for you, let us know in the comments which one.

FAQ