The fastest way to delete an app
Press and hold the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears, then tap Remove App. A second menu will ask whether you want to remove it from the home screen only or delete it entirely from your iPhone. Choose Remove App again, then Delete to remove it completely.
That's the method most people use because it's the quickest. The app is gone from your phone within seconds, and you free up the storage space it was using.
If you can't find the app on your home screen — because you moved it to a folder or to your library — you can delete it from the App Store instead. Open the App Store app, tap your profile icon in the top right corner, find the app in your purchase history, and swipe left on it, then tap the trash icon.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon, tap Remove App, then Delete to remove it from your iPhone entirely.
- Removing an app from your home screen only hides it; deleting it removes the app and frees up storage space.
- You can delete apps from the App Store if you can't locate them on your phone.
- Deleting an app does not delete your account with that service — you can reinstall it later and log back in.
The difference between removing and deleting
When you press and hold an app icon, you see two options: Remove from Home Screen and Remove App. These do different things, and it matters which one you choose.
Remove from Home Screen hides the app from view but leaves it installed on your phone. The app still takes up storage space, still receives updates, and still runs in the background if it's set to do so. You can find it later in your App Library — swipe all the way to the right on your home screen to see it organized by category.
Remove App deletes the app entirely. It no longer takes up storage space, no longer receives updates, and no longer runs in the background. If you change your mind later, you can reinstall it from the App Store for free.
Deleting apps from folders and the App Library
If you organized your apps into folders, you can delete them the same way: press and hold the icon, tap Remove App, then Delete. The folder itself stays on your home screen, but it will disappear once it's empty.
To delete an app that you've moved to your App Library, swipe to the far right of your home screen to open the library. Find the app in its category, press and hold it, tap Remove App, then Delete. You can also search for the app using the search box at the top of the App Library.
Freeing up storage space by deleting apps
Apps take up varying amounts of storage depending on what they do. A simple note-taking app might use 10 megabytes, while a game or photo editor can use hundreds of megabytes or even a gigabyte or more. If your iPhone is running low on storage, deleting large apps is one of the fastest ways to free up space.
To see how much space each app is using, go to Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage. The list shows every app ranked by size. Deleting an app removes the app itself but not the data it created — photos you took in a camera app, for example, stay on your phone unless you delete them separately.
If you want to keep the app but reduce the space it uses, you can offload it instead. In the same iPhone Storage list, tap the app name, then tap Offload App. This removes the app but keeps your data, so you can reinstall it later without losing anything.
What happens to your data and accounts
Deleting an app does not delete your account with that service. If you delete Instagram, your Instagram account still exists on Instagram's servers. When you reinstall the app later, you can log back in with the same username and password, and your photos, followers, and messages will still be there.
However, any data stored only on your phone — like drafts you never posted, or photos you saved to the app but not to your camera roll — may be lost. Some apps offer to back up your data to their servers before you delete them, so check for that option if you're concerned about losing something.
If you want to delete your account entirely rather than just the app, you'll need to do that through the app's website or settings before you delete the app. Most services have an account deletion option in their settings menu or on their website.
Undoing a deletion or reinstalling an app
If you delete an app by mistake, you can reinstall it immediately. Open the App Store, search for the app by name, and tap the cloud icon with a down arrow (or the Get button if it's your first time installing it). The app will download and install within seconds.
You have up to 15 minutes after deletion to undo the action on some apps — press and hold the empty space where the app was and look for an Undo option. This works only if you deleted it very recently and haven't closed the app switcher or restarted your phone.
Once you reinstall an app, you can log back into your account using your username and password. Your data will be there, assuming the app backs it up to its servers — which most apps do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete the built-in Apple apps that came with my iPhone?
You can delete most of them — Mail, Calendar, Maps, Stocks, Reminders, and others. Press and hold the app icon and tap Remove App, then Delete. A few apps like Settings, Phone, and Messages cannot be deleted because iOS needs them to function. If you delete a built-in app and want it back, you can reinstall it from the App Store for free.
Will deleting an app speed up my iPhone?
Deleting apps frees up storage space, which can help if your phone is nearly full. However, removing an app you rarely use won't make your iPhone noticeably faster in day-to-day use. If your phone feels slow, the issue is usually too many apps running in the background or not enough available storage — deleting large apps addresses the storage problem.
What if I see an app I want to delete but can't find it on my home screen?
Open the App Store, tap your profile icon in the top right, scroll down to see your purchased apps, find the one you want to remove, and swipe left on it. Tap the trash icon to delete it. Alternatively, open Spotlight search by swiping down from the top of your home screen, type the app name, press and hold the result, and tap Remove App.
Does deleting an app remove it from iCloud backup?
No. iCloud backup stores your settings, photos, messages, and other data — not the apps themselves. When you restore from an iCloud backup on a new iPhone, the apps you had installed will be reinstalled automatically, even if you deleted them before the backup was made. You can change this in Settings under iCloud by toggling off specific apps if you don't want them restored.