How to Download Apps on a Fire TV Stick

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With an Amazon Fire TV Stick, you can watch over a million movies and TV episodes. But first, you need to download apps, such as Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify, to your device. Here are all the different ways to download an app on your Fire TV Stick and how to add them to your home screen.

How to Download Apps Using a Voice Remote

If your Amazon Fire TV Stick came with a voice remote, you can simply ask Alexa to open an app, and you will instantly be taken to the download page. To do this, press and hold the button with the microphone icon or Alexa symbol and say, “Alexa, open [App Name].”

Then select the Download button that appears on your screen by pressing the Select button on your remote.

If you’re looking for apps to download, check out our list of the best apps for Fire TV.’

How to Download an App on Your Fire TV Stick Manually

If you don’t have a voice remote, the easiest way to download an app is by navigating to the Find button on the home page. Then select the search icon and type the name of the app with your remote. Finally, select the result and then click Download.

Select the Find button on your Fire TV home screen. You can do this by pressing the right directional button on your remote until it is highlighted. Then click the down button on your remote to reveal the menu.
Then select Search.
Next, type the name of the app you want to download. You have to do this letter-by-letter using your remote. Use the directional buttons to select each letter and the Select button to enter each letter.
Then navigate down and select the app’s name. You don’t have to type the entire name to see it appear.
Next, select the app icon. If you don’t see the app you want to download, you can scroll to the right or scroll down to find it.
Finally, select Download.

How to Download Apps by Category

If you don’t know the name of the app you want to download on your Fire TV Stick, you can use the Amazon Appstore to search for popular apps by category. To do this, go to Find on your home screen and select Appstore.

Go to Find on the Fire TV home screen.
Then select Appstore. You can also search for apps on this page by selecting any of the other sections.
Next, select a category, choose an app, and finally, click Download. You can search for popular apps in the Featured section, while the App Library section will show you any apps you have previously downloaded on any Fire TV device.

The All Categories tab will give you over 25 different categories, making it easy to find new apps to download.

Once you have downloaded the apps you want, you can also add them to your home screen and rearrange them, so you can access your favorites quickly.

How to Add Apps to Your Fire TV Home Screen

To add apps to your Fire TV home screen, click the Apps icon that looks like three boxes with a plus sign. Then highlight the app you want to move and press the Menu button on your remote. Finally, select Move and use your remote to add the app to the top row.

Select the Apps button on your Fire TV home screen. This is the button with three boxes and a plus sign.
Then highlight the app you want to move. Don’t click the app. That will open it. Instead, just use your remote to navigate to the app.
Next, click the Menu button on your remote. This is the button with the three-line icon.
Then select Move. You should see this option appear on the right side of your screen and press the Select button on your remote.
Finally, move the app to the top row. To do this, use the directional buttons on your remote. You can only add 6 apps to the home screen currently. They will all show up in the middle bar on your home screen.

How to Download Apps on an Older Fire TV Stick

To search for a specific app, navigate to your home screen and select the magnifying glass icon in the top menu. Type in the name of the app you’re searching for and select it from the list. Then select Get or Download.

Note: If you are using an old version, check out our step-by-step guide on how to update your Fire TV Stick.

Launch your Fire Stick and select the magnifying glass icon from the top menu. You can find this in the top-left corner of your screen. If you have a Fire Stick remote with a built-in microphone, you can also search for apps by pressing the microphone button on the remote and saying the name of the app.
Using the directional pad, type in the name of an app. You don’t have to type in the whole phrase. The name of the app may appear before you completely type it in.
Then select the app from the list. Once you see the name of the app you want to download, press down on the directional pad until you reach the app’s name.
Press the center button on your remote to select an app.
Then select Get or Download. You will see the Download button if you have downloaded the app in the past. You will see the Get button if you have never downloaded the app before.
Wait for the download to finish and select Open to launch it.