Tidy up your Roku home screen in 30 seconds

One of the first things I did as a new Roku user was to start adding apps to the Home screen, from Netflix and Disney+ to Apple TV+ and HBO Max. 

But once I had all my apps installed, I hit a roadblock. How exactly do you rearrange all those app tiles? Personally, I like having Netflix up top, along with such oft-used services as Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, but they were all jumbled in the middle of the app grid.

Meanwhile, there were some apps I wanted to nix, such as People TV and Roku’s Getting Started channel. 

If you’re new to Roku, it’s easy to get stuck trying to move or delete apps on the Home screen, given there’s no obvious way to rearrange your tiles. 

More experienced Roku users, however, will know the trick: the ever-useful “*” button, a.k.a. Options, which reveals contextual and related options when pressed. Once you’re familiar with the Options button, rearranging apps on the Home screen is a snap. 

How to move and remove apps from the Roku home screen 

We’ll start with moving and rearranging apps on the Roku home screen; removing channels apps next.

Rearrange the apps on the Roku home screen 

Go to the Home tab on the main Roku screen, press the “>” button on the remote, then navigate to the channel tile you’d like to move. 

Next, press the “*” button on the remote. When you do, a menu will pop up with a variety of options, allowing you to check for updates, remove the app (we’ll get to that one in a moment), and so on.

The option you’re looking for is “Move app”—or, if the app isn’t already in the top row, “Move app to top.” Select the latter option to jump the app to the top of the screen, or “Move app” to fine-tune its arrangement. 

Now, you’ll see the app tiles again, except this time the one you selected will be surrounded by arrows. 

Using the arrow keys on the remote, move the app tile around until it’s in the ideal position, then press the OK button. All set! 

Delete apps from the Roku home screen 

Want to delete an app tile? It’s a cinch, but keep in mind that just because you remove an app (such as, say, Hulu or Max) from the Roku home screen doesn’t mean you’ve unsubscribed from the associated service. 

That’s why you should check whether you’re subscribed to the app you want to nix. In some cases, you might have subscribed directly with the service; in others, you might have subscribed through Roku. If you don’t check, you run the risk of a surprise charge on your next credit card bill. 

To find out if you subscribed through Roku, visit my.roku.com and select Manage Your Subscriptions. If the channel you want to delete is listed, be sure to unsubscribe if you no longer want it.

If the service isn’t listed, you either subbed directly or via a third party, or perhaps the app doesn’t offer a subscription at all.

Once you’ve finished checking your subscription (if you had one in the first place), deleting a channel on Roku is similar to moving an app. 

Just navigate to the app you want to delete, press the “*” (Options) button, then select “Remove app.”

This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best media-streaming devices.