The fastest way to remove an app
Open your home screen or app drawer, press and hold the app icon until a menu appears, then tap Uninstall or Remove. The app and all its data will be deleted from your phone. This works for almost every app you installed yourself.
If you cannot see an uninstall option, the app is likely a system app that came with your phone — Android does not let you delete those through the home screen. You can disable them instead, which stops them from running and removes them from your app list. Go to Settings > Apps, find the app, tap it, and select Disable.
Some phones use slightly different names for these menus. Samsung phones call it App Drawer instead of Apps, and some older versions say process Manager. The steps are the same.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon on your home screen or in the app drawer, then tap Uninstall to remove it completely.
- System apps that came with your phone cannot be uninstalled, but you can disable them through Settings to stop them from running.
- Uninstalling an app also deletes all the data it stored on your phone, including login information and saved files.
- If you cannot find an app in your app drawer, search for it by name in Settings > Apps, then uninstall from there.
Uninstalling through the Settings menu
If the press-and-hold method does not work, or if you want to see a full list of everything installed, go to Settings > Apps. You will see every app on your phone, including system apps. Tap the app you want to remove, then tap Uninstall.
This method also shows you how much storage space each app is using. If your phone is running slowly or you are low on storage, deleting large apps here is a good way to see what is taking up room. The storage number shown includes the app itself plus any data it has saved.
On some phones, you may need to tap a menu button (three dots or lines) to see the uninstall option. If you see Disable instead of Uninstall, that app came with your phone and cannot be fully removed.
What happens when you delete an app
Uninstalling removes the app and everything it stored on your phone — your login information, saved files, game progress, and any other data tied to that app. If you reinstall it later, you will start fresh unless the app backs up your data to a cloud account like Google Drive or the app maker's own servers.
Deleting an app does not affect anything else on your phone. Your photos, messages, contacts, and other apps will remain untouched. The only thing that changes is the app itself and its stored data are gone.
If you are unsure whether you want to permanently delete an app, you can disable it instead. Disabled apps take up almost no storage space and do not run in the background, but you can re-enable them later without losing any data.
Removing apps you cannot find or uninstall
Some apps hide themselves or do not show up in the normal app list. If you cannot find an app to delete it, search for it by name in Settings > Apps. Type the app name in the search box at the top of the screen.
If the app still does not appear, it may be a system app that your phone manufacturer installed. You cannot uninstall these, but you can disable them. Go to Settings > Apps, tap the menu button (three dots), and select Show system apps. Find the app and tap Disable.
Some phones also have a Google Play Store app that lets you uninstall apps you downloaded from there. Open the Play Store, tap your profile icon in the top right, go to Manage my apps and games, find the app, and tap Uninstall. This is another way to remove apps if the Settings method is not working.
Freeing up storage space by deleting apps
If your phone is running out of storage, deleting apps is one of the fastest ways to free up space. Go to Settings > Apps and sort by size to see which apps are taking up the most room. Large apps like games, social media, and video streaming services often use several gigabytes.
Before you delete an app, check whether it backs up your data. Most apps tied to an online account — like email, social media, or banking apps — save your information to their servers, so uninstalling does not lose your data. Apps that store files locally, like note-taking or photo-editing apps, may not back anything up unless you set it up first.
You can also clear an app's cache without uninstalling it. Go to Settings > Apps, tap the app, and select Storage > Clear Cache. This removes temporary files the app created but keeps the app itself and your data intact. It frees up less space than uninstalling, but it is useful if you want to keep the app but need quick storage relief.
Reinstalling an app you deleted
If you delete an app and change your mind, you can reinstall it from the Google Play Store. Open the Play Store, search for the app by name, and tap Install. The app will read and install just like the first time.
If the app is no longer available in the Play Store — because the developer removed it or it was a regional app — you cannot reinstall it through the normal method. Some apps can be found on third-party app stores, but downloading from sources other than the Google Play Store carries higher security risk because those stores have less oversight.
Your Google account remembers which apps you have installed in the past. If you go to Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Data & Privacy, you can see a list of all apps you have ever installed on any Android phone linked to that account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will deleting an app free up storage space?
Yes. Uninstalling removes the app and all its data from your phone's storage. The amount of space freed depends on the app size — large games or video apps can free up several gigabytes, while small utility apps may only free up a few megabytes. You can see how much space each app uses in Settings > Apps before you delete it.
Can I delete system apps that came with my phone?
No, you cannot uninstall system apps, but you can disable them. Disabling stops the app from running and removes it from your app list, which frees up some resources. If you change your mind, you can re-enable it later. Go to Settings > Apps, find the app, and tap Disable.
What happens to my data if I delete an app?
All data stored on your phone by that app — login information, saved files, game progress — will be deleted. However, if the app backs up your data to a cloud account or the app maker's servers, that information stays safe. When you reinstall the app, you can usually sign back in and recover your data.
Can I recover an app after I delete it?
Yes, you can reinstall any app from the Google Play Store by searching for it and tapping Install. If the app is no longer available in the Play Store, you cannot reinstall it through the normal method. Your Google account keeps a record of all apps you have installed, so you can see what you had before.
How do I delete an app that will not uninstall?
If an app will not uninstall, it is likely a system app. Try disabling it instead through Settings > Apps. If you still cannot remove it, restart your phone and try again. Some apps require you to remove them as a device administrator first — go to Settings > Security > Device Admin Apps, find the app, and tap Deactivate before uninstalling.