The fastest way to remove an app
To delete an app from your iPhone, press and hold the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears, then tap Remove App and confirm by tapping Remove from Home Screen or Delete App. If you choose Remove from Home Screen, the app stays on your phone but disappears from view. If you choose Delete App, the app and all its data are erased from your iPhone.
The difference matters: removing from the home screen takes five seconds and uses almost no storage, but the app can still run in the background and send notifications. Deleting the app itself removes it completely, which is what you want if you no longer use it or need the storage space back.
You can also delete apps through the App Store. Open the App Store app, tap your profile icon in the top right corner, find the app in your purchase history, swipe left on it, and tap Delete. This method works the same way but takes more steps.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon, tap Remove App, then choose whether to remove it from your home screen only or delete it entirely from your iPhone.
- Removing from the home screen hides the app but leaves it installed and able to run in the background; deleting removes it completely and frees up storage.
- You can reinstall any app you delete later by searching for it in the App Store, as long as your Apple ID has purchased it before.
- Deleting an app also deletes all the data it stored on your phone, including saved games, login information, and downloaded content within that app.
What happens to your data when you delete an app
When you delete an app, your iPhone removes the app itself and everything stored inside it — saved games, photos you edited in that app, login credentials, and any files the app created. This data cannot be recovered unless you backed it up separately or the app syncs to a cloud service like iCloud.
Some apps back up their data automatically. For example, if you delete the Notes app and then reinstall it, your notes reappear because Apple stores them in iCloud. Other apps, like games, typically do not back up progress unless the game itself offers cloud saving. Before you delete an app, check whether it has a backup or export option in its settings.
If you only remove the app from your home screen without deleting it, all the data stays on your phone and the app can still access it if you reinstall it later.
How to find and delete apps you forgot about
If you have apps buried in folders or on later home screen pages, use Spotlight search to find them quickly. Swipe down from the top of your home screen, type the app name, and when it appears in the results, press and hold it and tap Remove App.
You can also see every app installed on your phone by opening Settings, tapping General, then iPhone Storage. This list shows how much space each app uses, sorted from largest to smallest. Tap any app to see when you last used it, then tap Offload App to remove it from your home screen while keeping the data, or Delete App to remove it entirely.
The iPhone Storage view is useful if you need to free up space quickly — it shows you exactly which apps are taking the most room. Deleting a large app like a video streaming service or game can recover several gigabytes.
Removing apps that came with your iPhone
Apple's built-in apps like Mail, Maps, Stocks, and Reminders can be deleted the same way as any other app. Press and hold the icon, tap Remove App, and choose Delete App. You can reinstall them later from the App Store if you change your mind.
Some system apps like Settings, Health, and Wallet cannot be deleted — if you press and hold them, the Remove App option will not appear. These are core to how your iPhone works and Apple does not allow their removal.
If you delete a built-in app and later want it back, search for it by name in the App Store and tap the cloud icon with a down arrow to reinstall it. It will read and appear on your home screen within seconds.
Stopping apps from running in the background
If you want an app to stop using battery and data without deleting it, you can prevent it from running in the background. Go to Settings, tap General, then Background App Refresh. Find the app in the list and toggle it off. The app will no longer run when you are not actively using it, but it will still be installed and available when you open it.
You can also turn off notifications for an app without deleting it. Go to Settings, tap Notifications, find the app, and toggle off Allow Notifications. The app stays on your phone but stops sending alerts.
These options are useful if an app is useful sometimes but drains your battery or sends too many notifications. You keep the app without the unwanted behavior.
Recovering a deleted app and its data
If you delete an app by mistake, you can reinstall it from the App Store at no cost, even if you originally paid for it. Search for the app by name, and instead of a price, you will see a cloud icon with a down arrow. Tap it to reinstall.
The app will read and install within seconds. However, the data that was stored inside the app before you deleted it is usually gone — unless the app syncs to a cloud service. For example, if you deleted Dropbox, reinstalling it will show all your files because they are stored on Dropbox's servers, not on your phone. If you deleted a game with no cloud save, your progress is lost.
If you have a backup of your iPhone from before you deleted the app, you can restore from that backup to get the app and its data back. This requires erasing your entire phone and restoring from the backup, so it is only practical if you deleted the app very recently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting an app free up storage space?
Yes. Deleting an app removes the app file and all the data it stored, which frees up the space it was using. You can see how much space each app uses in Settings under General > iPhone Storage. Removing an app from your home screen without deleting it does not free up any space.
Can I delete an app and then reinstall it for free?
Yes. If you purchased an app or downloaded a free app, you can reinstall it from the App Store without paying again. Your Apple ID remembers your purchase history. Search for the app and tap the cloud icon to reinstall it.
What happens to my login information when I delete an app?
Login credentials stored inside the app are deleted along with the app. When you reinstall it, you will need to log in again. If the app offers to save your password in iCloud Keychain, you can use that to log back in quickly.
Can I delete multiple apps at once?
No. You must delete apps one at a time by pressing and holding each icon. However, you can speed up the process by using Spotlight search to find each app quickly, rather than scrolling through your home screen.
Will deleting an app stop it from sending notifications?
Yes, deleting an app stops all notifications from that app. If you want to keep the app but stop notifications, go to Settings > Notifications, find the app, and toggle off Allow Notifications.