The fastest way to delete a reminder

Open the Reminders app on your iPhone. Find the reminder you want to delete, swipe left on it with one finger, and tap the trash icon that appears. The reminder is gone when ready — you do not need to confirm the deletion.

If swiping does not work on your device, tap "Edit" in the upper left corner of the list, tap the red circle next to the reminder, then tap "Delete" that appears on the right. This method works the same way whether you are deleting one reminder or several in a row.

Deleted reminders go to a "Recently Deleted" folder where they stay for 30 days before disappearing permanently. If you delete something by accident, open the Reminders app, scroll to the bottom of your list names, tap "Recently Deleted", and swipe left on the reminder to restore it.

Key Takeaways

  • Swipe left on any reminder and tap the trash icon to delete it when ready without confirmation.
  • Deleted reminders stay in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days, so you can restore them if you change your mind.
  • You can delete multiple reminders at once by tapping Edit, selecting several reminders with the red circles, and deleting them together.
  • Reminders you delete from your iPhone also disappear from other devices signed into the same iCloud account.

Deleting reminders from a shared list

If someone shared a reminder list with you, you can delete individual reminders from that list the same way — swipe left and tap trash. The reminder disappears from everyone's copy of the list, and the person who created the list gets a notification that you deleted it.

If you want to remove yourself from a shared list entirely instead of deleting individual reminders, tap the list name, scroll to the top, and tap "Remove Me". You will no longer see that list on any of your devices, but the list and all its reminders stay on other people's phones.

Clearing completed reminders

Reminders you have already completed stay in your list by default. To hide them, open the Reminders app, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, and toggle off "Show Completed". The completed reminders are still there — they just do not show on your screen.

If you want to permanently delete all your completed reminders at once, there is no built-in button for this. You have to delete them one at a time using the swipe-left method, or select multiple completed reminders in Edit mode and delete them together.

What happens when you delete a reminder across devices

If you are signed into iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac with the same Apple ID, deleting a reminder on one device removes it from all of them. The deletion syncs within a few seconds to a few minutes depending on your internet connection.

If you use a different Apple ID on another device, or if that device is not signed into iCloud, reminders do not sync between them. A reminder you delete on your iPhone will still exist on a device using a different account. You would have to delete it separately on that device.

Deleting reminders from a specific list

The Reminders app organizes reminders into lists — you might have a "Work" list, a "Home" list, and others. You can delete individual reminders from any list using the swipe-left method. The reminder disappears but the list itself stays.

If you want to delete an entire list and all the reminders in it, tap and hold the list name, then tap "Delete List". A confirmation message appears asking if you are sure. Tap "Delete" to confirm, and the list and every reminder in it go to Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Reminders that keep coming back

Some reminders are set to repeat — daily, weekly, on specific dates, or at certain times. If you delete a repeating reminder, the entire series is deleted, not just one occurrence. If you only want to skip one instance, open the reminder, tap "Edit", and change the repeat settings instead of deleting it.

If a reminder keeps reappearing after you delete it, check whether it is syncing from another device or calendar app. Open the Reminders app settings, tap "Accounts", and make sure you are not subscribed to a calendar that is adding reminders automatically. Some calendar apps push reminders to your phone even if you did not create them there.

Recovering a deleted reminder

You have 30 days to recover a reminder after you delete it. Open the Reminders app, scroll down past all your active lists, and tap "Recently Deleted". Find the reminder you want to keep, swipe left on it, and tap "Recover". It goes back to its original list.

After 30 days, reminders in Recently Deleted disappear permanently and cannot be recovered. There is no way to restore a reminder after that point, so if you think you might need something later, move it to a different list instead of deleting it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a reminder deletion right after I delete it?

Not with an undo button, but you can recover it within 30 days from the Recently Deleted folder. Open Reminders, scroll to the bottom, tap Recently Deleted, find the reminder, swipe left, and tap Recover.

What if I delete a reminder by accident and do not notice for weeks?

As long as it has been fewer than 30 days, go to Recently Deleted and recover it. If more than 30 days have passed, the reminder is permanently gone and cannot be restored.

Does deleting a reminder from my iPhone delete it from my iPad too?

Yes, if both devices use the same iCloud account. The deletion syncs automatically. If you use different Apple IDs on each device, you have to delete the reminder separately on each one.

Can I delete all reminders at once?

There is no "delete all" button. You can select multiple reminders in Edit mode and delete them together, but you have to do it list by list. Deleting an entire list deletes all reminders in that list at once.

Why do my reminders keep coming back after I delete them?

They might be syncing from another device, or a calendar app might be adding them automatically. Check your Accounts settings in the Reminders app to see what calendars are connected and turn off any that are adding unwanted reminders.