Change App Drawer to Horizontal Scroll on Samsung

How to Change App Drawer to Horizontal Scroll in Samsung One UI 7.

Learn how to switch your Samsung phone’s app drawer from vertical scrolling back to horizontal pages in One UI 7. I’ll show you the steps to change this setting and return to the traditional side-swiping app drawer layout.

I am showing you on a Samsung S23 Ultra running Android 15 with One UI 7.0. The steps work on most Samsung Galaxy phones that have received the One UI 7 update, including S series and other recent models.

If you prefer the classic horizontal page style for your app drawer, this guide will help. I show you exactly where to find the scroll direction setting in One UI 7 and how to switch from vertical to horizontal scrolling.

Learn how to organize apps across multiple horizontal pages or how to adjust the page transition effects. I explain these related settings so you can customize your horizontal app drawer experience.

If you find horizontal swiping more familiar or better, this post is for you. Learn how to disable vertical scrolling in One UI 7, change back to horizontal app pages, or modify the paging style. This post covers what you need.

What Changed in One UI 7 App Drawer

After the One UI 7 update, you may notice your app drawer looks different. The default setting might be vertical scrolling with apps listed in alphabetical order. Some people like this new style. Others prefer the older horizontal page layout where you swipe left and right.

The good news is you can switch between both styles. You are not stuck with one or the other. The setting is easy to find once you know where to look.

How to Switch from Vertical to Horizontal Scrolling

The setting you need is inside your app drawer menu. Here is exactly how to change it:

1. Open your app drawer by swiping up on your home screen
2. Look at the top right corner of the app drawer screen
3. Tap the three dot menu (this is the settings menu)
4. Tap on “Sort” from the menu that appears
5. You will see sorting options on the screen
6. Tap on “Custom order”

That is it. Once you select custom order, your app drawer will switch from vertical scrolling to horizontal pages. You can now swipe left and right to see different pages of apps.

Understanding the Different Sort Options

When you tap the three dot menu and then sort, you will see a few different options. Here is what each one does:

• Alphabetical order – Apps are listed from A to Z in a vertical scroll. You scroll up and down to see all apps.
• Custom order – Apps are arranged in horizontal pages. You swipe left and right. You can also move apps around to different positions and pages.

If your phone updated to One UI 7 and you now have vertical scrolling, you probably have alphabetical order selected. Switching to custom order changes the layout to horizontal pages.

How to Organize Apps on Horizontal Pages

Once you switch to horizontal scrolling, you can arrange your apps however you like. Here is how to move apps around:

1. Open your app drawer in horizontal mode
2. Tap and hold any app icon
3. Drag the app to a new spot on the same page
4. To move an app to a different page, drag it to the left or right edge of the screen
5. Release the app when you see the new page appear

You can create pages based on how you use your apps. For example, you might put social media apps on one page and work apps on another. This makes finding apps faster.

How to Use the Page Indicator Dots

When you are in horizontal mode, you will see small dots at the bottom of your app drawer screen. These are page indicator dots.

Here is how to use them:

• Each dot represents one page of apps
• The highlighted dot shows which page you are currently on
• Tap a dot to jump directly to that page
• Swipe left or right to move between pages

The dots help you know how many pages you have and where you are. If you have many apps, you may have several pages. You can reduce the number of pages by moving apps together onto fewer pages.

Does Horizontal Mode Affect Folders?

Folders work the same way in both vertical and horizontal modes. You can still create folders to group similar apps together.

To create a folder in horizontal mode:

1. Tap and hold one app icon
2. Drag it on top of another app
3. A folder will be created automatically
4. Tap the folder to open it and see both apps
5. You can add more apps to the folder the same way

Folders appear as a single icon on your horizontal pages. Tap the folder to open it and see the apps inside. This keeps your app drawer clean and organized.

Why You Might Prefer Horizontal Scrolling

Horizontal scrolling feels familiar to many Samsung users. Older versions of One UI used horizontal pages by default. If you have used Samsung phones for years, horizontal swiping may feel more natural.

Some people also find horizontal scrolling easier for finding apps by sight. You see a whole page of icons at once. With vertical scrolling, you see fewer icons at a time and have to scroll up and down more.

There is no right or wrong choice. Both styles work well. The best option is whatever feels most comfortable for you.

What If You Cannot Find the Setting

If you follow the steps and do not see the three dot menu in your app drawer, try these things:

• Make sure you are actually in the app drawer (swipe up from the bottom of your home screen)
• Look carefully at the top right corner of the screen – the three dots should be there
• If you still cannot find it, your One UI version might be slightly different

You can also try this alternate method:

1. Go to your home screen
2. Tap and hold an empty area
3. Tap Settings
4. Look for Home Screen or App Drawer options
5. Find the sort or layout setting there

Most Samsung users will find the three dot menu works fine. The setting is in the same place on most One UI 7 devices.

Does This Work on All Samsung Phones with One UI 7

These steps work on Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI 7. This includes:

• Samsung Galaxy S series (S23, S24, S25)
• Samsung Galaxy Note series
• Samsung Galaxy A series (newer models)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series

If your phone has received the One UI 7 update, these steps should work. Some carrier-specific models might have slight differences in the menu names, but the general steps are the same.

Final Thoughts

Changing your app drawer from vertical to horizontal scrolling in One UI 7 takes only a few seconds. Open your app drawer, tap the three dot menu, tap sort, and choose custom order. That is all you need to do.

If you ever want to go back to vertical scrolling, just follow the same steps and choose alphabetical order instead of custom order. You can switch back and forth anytime.

Learn this setting once and you can adjust your app drawer to match how you like to use your phone. No complicated steps. Just a simple switch that makes your phone work the way you want it to.