Easy Ways to Restore or Reinstall Apps on Android

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Find & reinstall apps you’ve uninstalled or that were deleted

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: August 26, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Using the Play Store
|
• Using a Backup
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• Restoring Apps to the Home Screen
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

Are the apps you use frequently not showing up on your home screen, or have they disappeared after a factory reset? Don't worry—we'll teach you how to fix it. Continue reading to learn how to enable and use a Google backup to restore uninstalled apps or how to re-add apps to the home screen when they've disappeared.

How to Restore Apps on Android

• Open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, then tap Manage apps & devices > Manage > Not installed and select apps to re-download.
• Create a backup in Settings > Google > All services > Backup that will apply when you sign into Google.
• Use your App Library to re-add apps you've deleted from the Home screen.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Reinstalling Apps from the App Store

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1. 
   1
   Open the Google Play Store

   

   . Tap the app that looks like a "Play" button with red, yellow, blue, and green colors.

   • Use this method if you accidentally deleted an app that you want to re-download.
2. 
   2
   Tap your profile icon. It's in the top right corner of the screen.
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3. 
   3
   Tap Manage apps & device. It's next to a grid icon and will bring you to another page.
4. 
   4
   Tap the Manage tab. This shows you all the apps you've installed on your Android, as well as apps that you previously installed but aren't currently on your device.
5. 
   5
   Tap "This device" and select Not installed. It's the first drop-down at the top of the screen. Doing this will show you every app that you've installed in the past.
6. 
   6
   Select apps to re-download. Tap the empty checkboxes next to an app to select it. You can select multiple apps to re-download.
7. 
   7
   Tap Download. The "Download" button looks like an arrow pointing down to a line, and you can find it at the top of your screen next to a trash can icon.

   • The selected app(s) will begin downloading to your device.
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Section 2 of 3:

Using a Backup After Factory Reset

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1. 
   1
   Open Settings

   

   . It's a gray app with the icon of a gear, usually located in your Android's app drawer, though the icon may look different if you are using a different theme.

   • You can also swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the gear icon in the top-right of the notification drawer
     
     .
   • You need to create a backup before you can use one. Follow these steps to create a backup, then use it.
2. 
   2
   Tap Google. You'll find it next to a "G". This is where you sign into your Google account to keep all your data in Google synced and backed up.
3. 
   3
   Tap the All services tab. You'll see more options.
4. 
   4
   Tap Backup. It's under the "Backup & restore" section header near the middle of the menu.
5. 
   5
   Tap Back up now or set up the backup. Tap the options under "Backup details" to choose what your backup includes.

   • If you want the backup to include things like your photos and videos from your phone, tap Photos & videos, then tap the toggle next to Backup to turn it on.
   • Tap Other device data and tap the toggle next to Back up other device data to turn it on. "Other device data" includes things like apps and app data, call history, contacts, device settings, and both SMS/MMS messages.
6. 
   6
   Restore a backup. After factory resetting your phone, you will be able to access everything that you backed up by logging back into your Google account and following the on-screen instructions to restore a Google Backup.

   • You can even restore old photos that are stored in Google Photos by downloading the Google Photos mobile app and signing in to your Google account.
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Section 3 of 3:

Restoring Apps to the Home Screen

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1. 
   1
   Slide up from the bottom of your screen to open the App Drawer. This app drawer contains all the apps that are installed on your phone.

   • The steps to unhide hidden apps may vary depending on your launcher. For example, if you have Nova Launcher, open the Nova Launcher Settings and go to App drawer > Hide apps and deselect any hidden apps. If you're using One UI Launcher from Samsung, go to Settings > Home screen > Hide apps on Home and Apps screens and deselect any apps that are selected.
   • This method is helpful to add an icon or app to your Home screen if you accidentally removed it without uninstalling it.
2. 
   2
   Tap and hold an icon that you want to add to the Home screen. The App Drawer will close so you can place the app on your Home screen.
3. 
   3
   Drag and drop the app on a Home screen. You can place the new app anywhere on your screen.
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