How to Delete Apps on iPhone

To delete an app on iPhone, touch and hold its icon, tap Remove App, tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm. That removes the app and its data from your iPhone. If you tap Remove from Home Screen instead, the app is not deleted. It only moves to the App Library and stays installed.

The steps below follow Apple’s current Remove or delete apps from iPhone guide and its Delete apps on your iPhone or iPad support article.

Before you delete an app

Deleting an app is quick, but three things are worth a look first.

• Subscriptions keep billing. Apple says deleting an app does not automatically cancel its in-app subscriptions. Cancel any you no longer want in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions first. Our guide on how to cancel subscriptions on iPhone walks through it.
• Data on the phone goes with the app. Deleting an app removes it and its data from your iPhone. If the app has files, notes, or game progress that exist only on the phone, export or sync them before you delete it.
• iCloud data stays. Apple says data the app stored in iCloud, such as photos or documents you saved through the app, is not deleted when you delete the app.

If you only want storage back and plan to use the app again, offloading may be the better choice. It is covered further down. For a game that keeps its progress in an online account, see deleting Pokémon GO from an iPhone without losing progress as an example. For a streaming app where downloads take most of the space, see removing the Prime Video app or its downloads from an iPhone.

What you need

These steps apply to iPhones running a current version of iOS. Apple’s guide lists the same steps for iOS 18, iOS 26, and iOS 27. The App Library and the Remove App menu have been part of iOS since iOS 14, so older phones on iOS 14 or later work the same way. You do not need a computer.

Delete an app from the Home Screen

1. Find the app on your Home Screen. If you can’t see it, swipe down from the middle of the Home Screen and type its name in Search.
2. Touch and hold the app icon until a menu opens.
3. Tap Remove App. A box opens with two choices.
4. Tap Delete App. Do not tap Remove from Home Screen, which keeps the app installed.
5. Tap Delete to confirm.

The icon disappears right away. Apple notes that it may take a moment for the available storage on your iPhone to update after you delete an app.

If the apps start to jiggle instead

If you keep holding, or if you touch and hold an empty part of the screen, every icon starts to jiggle. That is the Home Screen editing mode, and it is handy when you want to delete several apps in a row.

1. Tap the Remove icon (a minus sign) in the upper-left corner of the app.
2. Tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm.
3. Repeat for any other apps you want to delete.
4. Tap Done at the top of the screen when you are finished.

Delete an app from the App Library

The App Library is the page after your last Home Screen page. It lists every app on the iPhone, including apps you removed from the Home Screen earlier. Use it when the app has no Home Screen icon.

1. Swipe left past your last Home Screen page until you see App Library.
2. Find the app in its category, or tap the search field at the top and type its name.
3. Touch and hold the app icon.
4. Tap Delete App. Depending on your iOS version, you may see Remove App first.
5. Tap Delete to confirm.

Apple also says you can delete apps from Spotlight, the search you open by swiping down on the Home Screen. Search for the app, then touch and hold its icon in the results to look for the delete option.

Delete an app from Settings

Settings shows how much space each app uses, so this route is useful when you are clearing storage and want to start with the biggest apps. For a streaming app, that total includes saved videos; see how much space Disney Plus downloads use on an iPhone for an example.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General, then tap iPhone Storage.
3. Wait for the list of apps and their storage use to load.
4. Tap the name of the app you want to remove.
5. Tap Delete App, then confirm.

The same screen has an Offload App button, explained in the next section. For more ways to make room, see how to check and free up storage on iPhone.

Delete, offload, or remove from the Home Screen?

iPhone gives you three ways to get an app out of the way. They sound alike but do different things.

Option	What happens to the app	What happens to its data	Best for
Delete App	Removed from the iPhone	Removed from the iPhone; iCloud data is kept	Apps you are done with
Offload App	Removed, but the icon stays with a cloud symbol	Documents and data are kept	Freeing space for an app you will use again
Remove from Home Screen	Stays installed in the App Library	Nothing changes	Tidying the Home Screen

Offload an app

Offloading means removing the app itself while keeping its documents and data on the phone.

1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
2. Tap the app.
3. Tap Offload App, then confirm.

Apple says the icon stays on your Home Screen with a cloud symbol. Tap it to reinstall the app. Our article on the cloud icon next to an app on iPhone explains that symbol in more detail.

Your iPhone can also do this by itself when storage is low. Go to Settings > Apps > App Store and turn on Offload Unused Apps. Turn the same switch off if you would rather the phone never removed apps without asking.

Remove an app from the Home Screen only

1. Touch and hold the app on the Home Screen.
2. Tap Remove App.
3. Tap Remove from Home Screen.

The app moves to the App Library and still works from there. This is also the usual reason an app seems to have vanished. The same search trick helps if you can’t find the Settings app on your iPhone.

Which built-in Apple apps can you delete?

Some apps that come with the iPhone can be deleted, and some can only be removed from the Home Screen. Apple’s list of built-in apps you can delete includes Books, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Compass, Contacts, FaceTime, Files, Find My, Freeform, Health, Home, iTunes Store, Mail, Maps, Measure, Music, Notes, Podcasts, Reminders, Shortcuts, Stocks, Tips, Translate, Apple TV, Voice Memos, Wallet, Watch, and Weather.

Apps that are not on that list, such as Settings, Phone, Messages, Safari, Camera, Photos, and the App Store, do not offer Delete App. Apple notes that in the European Union there may be other built-in apps you can delete.

Deleting a built-in app also deletes its related user data and configuration files, and it can switch off features elsewhere. Apple gives these examples:

• Delete Calculator and it no longer appears in Control Center.
• Delete Stocks or Weather and that information is no longer available in other places, such as Notification Center.
• Delete Music, Maps, Books, or Podcasts and they are not available with CarPlay.
• Delete Contacts and your contact information remains in the Phone app.
• If an Apple Watch is paired, deleting an app from the iPhone also deletes it from the watch. The Watch and Health apps ask you to unpair the watch first.

To bring a built-in app back, open the App Store, search for the exact name of the app, and tap the redownload button.

How to confirm the app is gone, and get it back

Swipe to the App Library and search for the app’s name. If it is deleted, it does not appear. You can also check Settings > General > iPhone Storage, where the app should no longer be listed.

Deleting an app can be undone, but only the app itself comes back. Apple says you can reinstall any app you previously downloaded from the App Store if it is still available there:

1. Open the App Store.
2. Tap your picture or the account button at the top.
3. Tap Apps & Purchase History, then tap Your Apps. Older iOS versions may label this differently.
4. Find the app and tap the download button, which looks like a cloud with an arrow.

You can also search the App Store for the app’s name. Data that was stored only on the iPhone does not return with the app. Data kept in iCloud or in the app’s own online account usually comes back after you sign in again, but that depends on the app. On a tablet, see how to install an app on the iPad.

Can’t delete an app? Try these fixes

If Delete App is missing or nothing happens, Apple’s If you can’t delete an app on your iPhone article suggests checking the following.

• It is a built-in app that can’t be deleted. Check the list above. You can still remove it from the Home Screen.
• Screen Time is blocking it. On the latest iOS, go to Settings > Screen Time > Apps & Websites > Restrictions and make sure Deleting Apps is set to Allowed. On earlier versions, the setting is under Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Deleting Apps. You may need the Screen Time passcode. On a child’s phone, a parent has to change it.
• The iPhone is managed. Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. If a profile is listed under Mobile Device Management, a work or school controls the phone, and you need to ask its IT admin.
• Another app is restricting it. Apple says some third-party focus or screen-limit apps can block app deletion. Open that app and check its settings, or contact its developer.
• iOS is out of date. Apple’s first suggestion is to update to the latest version of iOS, then try again.

If you see only Remove from Home Screen and no delete choice, one of the first three items is almost always the cause. Our related article, How to Delete Apps on iPhone (and Why Some Won’t Delete), covers those cases further.

Frequently asked questions

Does deleting an app cancel my subscription?

No. Apple says deleting an app does not automatically cancel in-app subscriptions. Cancel it in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions, or with the company that bills you if you did not subscribe through Apple.

Does deleting an app delete all of its data?

It deletes the app and its data from your iPhone. Data the app stored in iCloud is not deleted, and an account you created with the app’s maker still exists. To close that account, use the app’s own settings or the company’s website before you delete the app.

Do I have to pay again to reinstall a deleted app?

Apple says you can reinstall any app you previously downloaded from the App Store if it is still available, and the app is listed in your purchase history for that purpose. If the developer has pulled the app from the App Store, you may not be able to download it again.

Will deleting an app on my iPhone delete it from my iPad?

Apple’s steps remove the app from the device you are holding, and its documentation describes only one linked case: deleting a built-in app from an iPhone also deletes it from a paired Apple Watch. To remove an app from a tablet, see how to delete apps on iPad.

Why did my app turn into an icon with a cloud next to it?

It was offloaded, either by you or by the Offload Unused Apps setting. The app was removed to save space, but its data is still on the phone. Tap the icon to reinstall it.

Can I stop someone from deleting apps on an iPhone?

Yes. Set Deleting Apps to not allowed in the Screen Time restrictions described in the troubleshooting section, and protect it with a Screen Time passcode.

Next step

Once the apps you don’t use are gone, open Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see how much space you got back. Want to keep apps from being installed or deleted? Here’s how to block the App Store on iPhone.