Delete an app by holding select and pressing delete

To remove an app from your Apple TV, find it on the home screen, press and hold the select button on your remote until a menu appears, then choose delete. The app disappears when ready. You can reinstall it later from the App Store without paying again if it was free, or without being charged a second time if you bought it.

The process is the same whether you're using an Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, or an older model — the remote and menu structure work identically. If you use Siri Remote (the newer aluminum remote with a touch surface), hold down the select button in the center. If you use the older black remote with a clickpad, do the same.

Deleting an app does not delete any data it stored on your Apple TV. If the app saved settings, login information, or files, those remain on the device. When you reinstall the app, it will still have access to that data. If you want to erase everything the app created, you'll need to go into Settings and clear the app's data separately.

Key Takeaways

  • Hold select on any app from the home screen, then choose delete from the menu that appears.
  • Deleting an app does not remove the data it stored — you can reinstall it and pick up where you left off.
  • Apps you paid for can be reinstalled without paying again, and free apps cost nothing to reinstall.
  • If you want to erase an app's stored data completely, you must clear it separately in Settings rather than just deleting the app.

Finding the app you want to delete

Apps appear on your Apple TV home screen in the order you arranged them, or in the default order if you haven't moved them. Scroll left and right to find the one you want to remove. If you have many apps, you may need to scroll several times to locate it.

If you can't find the app by scrolling, use Siri to search for it. Press and hold the Siri button on your remote and say the app's name — Siri will show you where it is. This is faster than scrolling through dozens of apps, especially if you haven't used the app in months.

What happens to your data when you delete an app

Deleting an app from Apple TV leaves behind everything the app created: saved games, login sessions, preferences, downloaded content, and cached files. The app's folder remains on your device taking up storage space. If you reinstall the app, it will find all that data and use it when ready.

This is useful if you're temporarily removing an app to free up space but plan to use it again later. It's also why you should manually clear an app's data if you're selling or giving away your Apple TV — deleting the app alone won't erase your login information or personal files from that app.

Clearing an app's data before you delete it

To remove all data an app created, go to Settings, then Accounts and Sign In, then select the account that used the app. Choose the app from the list and select Delete. This removes the app's access to your account and clears any data tied to that account. For data stored locally on the Apple TV itself, you'll need to go to Settings, Apps, then select the app and choose Delete App Data.

Not all apps have a Delete App Data option in Settings. If you don't see it, the app stores its data in a way that only the app itself can erase. In that case, you can only clear the data by deleting the app, reinstalling it, and not signing back in — but this doesn't may provide the old data is gone from the device.

Reinstalling an app you deleted

Open the App Store on your Apple TV, search for the app by name, and select it. If the app was free, you'll see a cloud icon with a read arrow — tap it to reinstall. If you bought the app, you'll see the same cloud icon, and tapping it will reinstall without charging you again.

Your Apple TV remembers every app you've ever installed under your Apple ID. The App Store knows which ones you own and which ones you've used before, so reinstalling is always free. The app will reappear on your home screen once the read finishes, usually within a few seconds for small apps and up to a minute for larger ones.

Freeing up storage space by deleting apps

Apple TV models come with either 32 GB or 64 GB of storage, and the operating system takes up about 5 GB of that space. Large apps like streaming services, games, or apps with offline content can use 500 MB to several GB each. If your Apple TV is running slowly or refusing to install new apps, deleting unused apps is often the fastest way to recover space.

Check how much space you're using by going to Settings, then AirPlay and HomeKit, then look at the storage information at the bottom. If you're above 80 percent full, start deleting apps you haven't used in the past month. You can always reinstall them later, and the storage will be available when ready after deletion.

Apps that can't be deleted

Apple TV comes with built-in apps that cannot be deleted: TV, Music, Podcasts, Apple TV+, and a few others depending on your model and tvOS version. These apps are part of the system and the delete option won't appear when you hold select on them. You can hide them from your home screen by rearranging apps, but you cannot remove them entirely.

Third-party apps you installed from the App Store can always be deleted. If you see an app on your home screen and the delete option doesn't appear, it's a system app that Apple TV requires to function.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting an app remove my login information?

Deleting the app itself does not remove your login information — that data stays on your Apple TV. When you reinstall the app, it will still have your saved passwords and account details. If you want to erase your login information, you must clear the app's data through Settings before or after deleting it.

Can I delete multiple apps at once?

No, you must delete apps one at a time. There is no option to select multiple apps and delete them together. If you need to free up a lot of space quickly, you'll need to go through your home screen and delete each app individually.

What if I accidentally delete an app I need?

You can reinstall it when ready from the App Store. Search for the app by name, and if you owned it or installed it before, the cloud icon will appear. Tap it to read and reinstall. The process takes less than a minute for most apps.

Does deleting an app affect other devices on my Apple ID?

No, deleting an app from your Apple TV only removes it from that device. The app remains on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or other Apple devices. Each device's apps are separate, and removing an app from one device doesn't change anything on the others.

Why is my Apple TV running slowly after I delete apps?

Deleting apps frees up storage space, which can help, but slowness usually comes from other causes like too many apps running at once or a weak network connection. If your Apple TV is still slow after deleting apps, try restarting it by going to Settings, System, and choosing Restart. If that doesn't help, check your internet speed and the distance between your Apple TV and router.