How to Create a Desktop Shortcut for Google Docs on Android

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: July 23, 2018 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to create a new shortcut icon for a document in your Google Drive library, and save it to your phone or tablet's Home screen, using Android. The mobile app for Google Docs will not allow you to create a shortcut, but you can find all your saved documents in Drive, and save a shortcut from here.

Steps

1
Open the Drive app on your Android. The Drive app looks like a triangle with yellow, blue, and green edges. You can find it on your Apps menu.
- The Docs app doesn't allow you to create desktop shortcuts. You'll have to use the Drive app to locate your document and create a shortcut.
2
Find the document you want to create a shortcut for. Scroll down your saved files list, and locate the file you want to shortcut in your library.
3
Tap the ⋮ next to the document's name. You can find this button to the right of the file's name below the document thumbnail. It will open a menu of your file options.
4
Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen on the menu. This will create a shortcut icon for the selected document, and save it to your Android's Home screen.
- You'll see a pop-up notification letting you know the file has been added to your Home screen.
5
Find and tap the shortcut icon on your Home screen. This will quickly open the saved document without having to open the Drive app.