To delete an app on an iPad, touch and hold the app icon, tap Remove App, then tap Delete App and Delete to confirm. If you only want it off your Home Screen, choose Remove from Home Screen instead. The app then stays in the App Library. On a phone, follow our guide on how to delete apps on an iPhone instead.
This guide covers deleting apps from the Home Screen, App Library, Spotlight and Settings, hiding apps without deleting them, offloading, what to do when you can’t delete an app, and how to reinstall one. It is based on Apple’s Remove or delete apps from iPad, Delete apps on your iPhone or iPad and How to check the storage on your iPhone and iPad. The steps work on every iPad model, including the 6th generation.
Before You Delete an App
Check important files before deleting. Delete App removes the app and its local data. Export anything that exists only inside the app, or confirm its own sync or backup method first. Reinstalling the app later does not guarantee that local-only work will return.
“Permanently” deleting an app means removing the installed app from this iPad. It does not automatically erase separately stored iCloud files, close a service account, or cancel billing. Removing the Home Screen icon alone leaves the app installed; offloading deliberately keeps documents and data. If you only want an app out of the row at the bottom of the screen, see how to add or remove apps in the iPad Dock.
Apple says deleting an app doesn’t automatically cancel its in-app subscriptions, so cancel any you don’t need first. If you can’t find the app, use Spotlight to search for it. Apple says you can delete apps from Spotlight too.
How to Delete Apps on iPad
- Find the app on your Home Screen or in the App Library.
- Touch and hold the app icon.
- Tap Remove App.
- Tap Delete App.
- Tap Delete to confirm.
Result: Apple says deleting an app removes it and its data from your iPad. Data stored in iCloud, such as photos or documents you saved through the app, isn’t deleted. It may take a moment for your available storage to update.
If the apps start to jiggle when you touch and hold, Apple says to tap the Remove icon in the upper-left corner of the app, tap Delete App and Delete, then tap Done.
How to Hide an App Without Deleting It
- Touch and hold the app.
- Tap Remove App.
- Tap Remove from Home Screen.
Result: Apple says the app moves to the App Library and can still be used from there. To limit access instead, Apple points to its Lock or hide an app feature, and to Screen Time for blocking an app.
How to Delete or Offload Apps From Settings
- Go to Settings > General > iPad Storage.
- Tap an app to see how much space it uses.
- Tap Offload App or Delete App.
Result: Apple explains the difference: Offload App frees up the storage the app uses but keeps its documents and data, while Delete App removes the app and its related data. This screen also lists storage recommendations.
Can’t Delete an App?
- Built-in apps: Apple says some Apple apps can be removed from the Home Screen but can’t be deleted. In the European Union, more built-in apps may be deletable.
- Parental controls: if you can’t delete a third-party app, Apple says to check that Deleting Apps is set to Allow in your parental control settings.
- Managed iPads: Apple says a device managed by a school or company (MDM) may not let you delete apps. Contact the administrator.
Allow App Deletion When Parental Controls Block It
A parent or authorized device manager should change the specific deletion restriction. On the older Screen Time layout, open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Deleting Apps and choose Allow, entering the Screen Time passcode when required. Apple documents the store-restriction route and says to allow app deletion when that restriction blocks removal. Do not turn off all restrictions to change this one control.
If your family has upgraded its controls to the version 27 layout, the parent opens Settings > Family > the child > Apps & Websites > Restrictions and reviews the app-deletion setting offered there. Apple’s updated family guide explains this different route. After the authorized change, return to the iPad’s Home Screen, touch and hold the intended app, choose Remove App > Delete App and confirm Delete after preserving its local data. Check that it is removed rather than merely hidden. If the passcode is unknown or school/work management blocks deletion, contact the responsible parent or administrator; these steps do not bypass their controls.
How to Reinstall a Deleted App
Apple says you can reinstall any app you downloaded before if it’s still in the App Store. Open the App Store, tap your picture at the top right, tap Apps & Purchase History, then Your Apps, find the app, and tap the download button. In a Family Sharing group, tap My Apps or choose a family member.
Restore a Deleted Built-In Apple App on iPad
If an Apple app is missing, first search the iPad and App Library to check whether it is installed but absent from the Home Screen. If it was deleted, open the App Store, search for its exact name, confirm that the publisher is Apple, and tap the cloud/redownload button. Wait for the download to finish, then open it from the Home Screen, App Library or the store’s Open button and check that it works. Apple documents restoring built-in apps. Which built-in apps can be deleted varies by system version and region. Reinstalling the app does not guarantee that deleted local data returns; check the relevant account or sync settings if expected content is missing. Avoid downloading a similarly named third-party app as a replacement for an Apple app.
Delete an App in the Older iPad 2 Layout
On an iPad 2 with the historical Home Screen interface, touch and hold an app until the icons jiggle, tap its X delete control, and confirm Delete. Press the Home button to finish. An app without that delete control may be built in or restricted. This deletes the app and its local data; hiding an icon and canceling a subscription are different tasks. The Remove App and Done labels above describe newer software.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting an app cancel my subscription?
No. Apple says deleting an app doesn’t automatically cancel in-app subscriptions, so cancel them separately before or after you delete the app.
What’s the difference between offloading and deleting?
According to Apple, offloading frees up the storage the app uses but keeps its documents and data, while deleting removes the app and its related data.
Related Guides
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
Read more about Matthew and how Solve Your Tech writes and updates its guides, or report a correction.