Skip to main content

Learn how to quickly and easily pin a game or app on Xbox One

Serving as an all-purpose media hubs for many players, the Xbox One can be a crowded place, with dozens of games and apps we use regularly. While the ever-evolving dashboard does an admirable job giving you tools to cut through the chaos and find what you need, the Xbox One allows you to avoid all that by “pinning” your favorite games and apps to your home screen for easy access. Here’s our quick guide on how to pin a game or app on Xbox One.

How to pin a game or app

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 1: Find the game or app you want to pin

Recommended Videos

To locate whatever game or app you want, select the “My Games & Apps” tile from the dashboard or Xbox Guide. If you want to pin a game, go to the “games” section. To select an app, go to “apps.” You can scroll between them using the dashboard bar on the left-hand side of the screen.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Pin it!

Highlight the game or app you want and press the Menu button (below the Xbox button to the right), then select “Add to Pins.”

That’s it! The app or game is now available easily from the dashboard home page.

How to find your Pins

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Your full list of pinned games and apps is stored on a secondary home screen. There are two quick ways to access it.

  1. From the dashboard, simply navigate down using the left analog stick until you reach the pins screen, and your pinned games and apps will be lined up.
  2. Press the Xbox button on your controller and select the pin icon on the Xbox guide.

How to edit and sort your Pins

Image used with permission by copyright holder

To edit your pins screen, highlight a pin and press Y to move it around, or press Menu and select “move pin.” To delete a pin, highlight it and press “menu,” then select “unpin.”

You can also reorder your submenus, including the pins screen, your club home pages, and Xbox Store recommendations, by pressing the menu button on the “Pins” tile. You’ll have the option to move the screen to the top or remove it entirely. If you plan on using pins regularly, we recommend keeping the pins screen as close to the main home screen as possible.

Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
Best video game deals: PlayStation 5, Xbox S and X, Nintendo Switch

There's a lot to love about PC gaming, but if you want a very streamlined plug-and-play experience, consoles are the way. Of course, console games are also quite expensive, and if you've gamed on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch, then you know how quickly your wallet can empty, filling up your library. That said, there are actually quite a few great deals that you can take advantage of across pretty much all platforms, so it's not as bleak as it may feel. That's why we've gone out and collected our favorite PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, or best Nintendo Switch games to save you the hassle, so be sure to check out all the options below.
On the other hand, if you're just doing a bit of window shopping, then check out some of our other favorite PS5 game deals, Xbox game pass deals and Nintendo Switch deals for more specific offers.

Best PS5 game deals
Dead Space -- $20 $50 60% off

Read more
Crash Bandicoot 4 dev partners with Xbox for next game — after leaving Xbox
Crash Bandicoot emerging from a tunnel, with a smirk on his face.

Toys for Bob, the now-independent game developer best known for its work on Call of Duty and Crash Bandicoot games, announced that it struck a deal with Xbox, its former parent company, to publish its next game.

The studio revealed the move on X (formerly Twitter) Friday, adding that while the game is still in the early stages of development, the team is "working hard on an experience we're so sooo inspired about."

Read more
3 underrated Xbox Game Pass titles to play this weekend (May 31-June 2)
A knight with a large sword prepares to stab a dragon in Lords of the Fallen.

We're right on the precipice of June, which will be chock-full of new game announcements from every publisher. In fact, that wave already started with Sony's May 30 State of Play. Still, just because this time of year is mainly focused on video game announcements doesn't mean you shouldn't be playing anything new. If you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber in particular, there are three titles you can have a great time with this weekend.

For those excited about Until Dawn's PC and PS5 remake, I recommend you check out developer Supermassive Games' previous narrative title, which is actually available through Game Pass. The other two games are new to the service. One is a Soulslike that was nearly a decade in the making, but paid off that wait by being an impressive title that stands toe-to-toe with FromSoftware's work. The other is one of 2023's best games, a puzzler that will make you think more deeply about how people interact with each other.
The Quarry

Read more