Deleting an app from Roku takes less than a minute
You remove apps from a Roku TV the same way you add them — through the home screen menu. Press the Home button on your remote, find the app you want to remove, press the Options button (the one with three horizontal lines), and select Remove Channel. The app disappears when ready and frees up space on your device. You can reinstall it later from the Roku Channel Store without losing any saved passwords or account information.
The entire process works the same whether you are using a Roku TV, a Roku streaming stick, or a Roku box. The buttons and menu locations are identical across all Roku devices, so these steps explore no matter which model you own.
Key Takeaways
- Press Home on your remote, highlight the app, press Options (three lines), and select Remove Channel to delete any app in seconds.
- Removing an app does not erase your login information — when you reinstall it, you can sign back in with the same account.
- Roku does not let you delete built-in apps like Netflix or Prime Video from the home screen, but you can hide them so they do not clutter your view.
- If you cannot find the Options button on your remote, look for a button with three horizontal lines or check your remote model number in the Roku settings.
- Deleting apps does not significantly free up storage on newer Roku models, but it does make your home screen cleaner and faster to navigate.
Step-by-step: removing an app you installed
Start by pressing the Home button on your Roku remote. This takes you to the home screen where all your apps are arranged in rows. Scroll left or right until you see the app you want to delete. Highlight it by moving the cursor over it — the app will expand slightly to show you have selected it.
Once the app is highlighted, press the Options button on your remote. This button usually has three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other and is located near the directional pad. A small menu will pop up with several choices. Look for the option that says Remove Channel and press OK. The app will vanish from your home screen within a second or two.
If you do not see an Options button on your remote, check whether your remote has a button with three dots arranged vertically or horizontally. Some older Roku remotes use different symbols. If you still cannot find it, go to Settings on your home screen, select Remote, and look up your remote model to see which button performs this function.
What happens to your saved passwords and accounts
Deleting an app from Roku does not erase your login credentials. When you reinstall the same app weeks or months later, you can sign back in with your username and password, and your watch history, preferences, and saved shows remain intact. The app stores this information on the service's servers (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and so on), not on your Roku device itself.
This means you can safely remove apps you are not using right now without worrying about losing access to your accounts. The only exception is if an app stores local data — like a game that saves your progress on the Roku itself — but most streaming apps do not work this way. Your account stays active on the service's end regardless of whether the app is installed on your device.
Hiding apps instead of deleting them
Roku comes with several built-in apps like Netflix, Prime Video, and the Roku Channel that you cannot remove through the standard delete process. If you do not use one of these apps but do not want to see it on your home screen, you can hide it instead. Highlight the app, press Options, and select Hide Channel. The app stays on your Roku but moves out of sight.
To unhide an app later, go to Home, scroll all the way to the right, and look for a row labeled Hidden Channels. You can view all your hidden apps there and restore any of them to your main home screen by highlighting it, pressing Options, and selecting Unhide Channel. This gives you a cleaner home screen without permanently removing anything.
Freeing up space on your Roku device
Deleting apps has a limited effect on storage space, especially on newer Roku models. Most modern Roku TVs and streaming devices have enough built-in storage that removing a few apps will not noticeably improve performance. However, if you own an older Roku device or have installed dozens of apps, removing the ones you never use can help the device run a bit faster when scrolling through your home screen.
If your Roku is running slowly or crashing frequently, deleting apps is worth trying, but the real fix is usually a restart. Unplug your Roku device for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait for it to boot up. This clears the device's memory and solves most slowness problems without requiring you to remove anything.
Reinstalling an app you deleted
If you change your mind after deleting an app, reinstalling it is straightforward. Press Home, scroll to the right until you reach the end of your home screen, and look for a row labeled Search or Add Channels. Select it and search for the app by name. When you find it in the Roku Channel Store, select it and choose Add Channel. The app reappears on your home screen within seconds, and you can sign back in with your existing account.
You can also add apps through the Roku mobile app on your phone or through the Roku website if you know your account login. Both methods push the app to your device remotely, which is useful if you want to add something without using your TV remote.
Troubleshooting when an app will not delete
If you highlight an app, press Options, but do not see a Remove Channel option, the app is likely a built-in channel that Roku does not allow you to delete. Netflix, Prime Video, the Roku Channel, and a few others fall into this category. Your only option is to hide the app as described above. Try pressing Options again and look for Hide Channel instead.
If an app is stuck or the Options menu does not appear at all, restart your Roku device by unplugging it for 30 seconds. Sometimes the home screen gets confused and a restart clears it up. After the device boots back up, try deleting the app again. If the problem persists, the app may be corrupted, and you can try removing it, restarting, and then reinstalling it fresh from the Channel Store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete Netflix or other built-in apps?
No, Roku does not allow you to delete pre-installed apps like Netflix, Prime Video, or the Roku Channel. You can hide them from your home screen so they do not appear, but they remain on your device. If you want them back on your home screen, you can unhide them at any time through the Hidden Channels row.
Will deleting an app erase my watch history?
No. Your watch history, saved shows, and account information are stored on the streaming service's servers, not on your Roku. When you reinstall the app and sign back in, everything is still there. The only data that gets erased is the app itself and any temporary files it stored locally.
How do I delete an app if my remote is broken?
You can use the Roku mobile app on your phone as a remote control. read it from the App Store or Google Play, connect it to your Roku device, and use your phone's screen to navigate and delete apps the same way you would with a physical remote. You can also purchase a replacement Roku remote online.
Does deleting apps make my Roku faster?
Deleting apps has minimal impact on speed for most modern Roku devices because they have sufficient storage. If your Roku is slow, restarting it usually helps more than removing apps. Unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and let it fully boot up before testing performance again.
Can I delete multiple apps at once?
No, Roku requires you to delete apps one at a time. Highlight each app, press Options, select Remove Channel, and repeat for the next app. There is no bulk delete feature, but the process is fast enough that removing several apps takes only a few minutes.