Delete an app directly from your Roku home screen

The fastest way to remove an app is to highlight it on your Roku home screen, press the Options button (the star icon with three horizontal lines) on your remote, and select Remove channel. The app disappears when ready. You do not need to restart your TV or confirm anything else — it is gone as soon as you select that option.

If you cannot find the Options button on your remote, look for a button with three horizontal lines stacked on top of each other. On older Roku remotes, this may be labeled as Menu. Press it while the app is highlighted, and the same removal menu appears.

Deleting an app this way removes it from your home screen and from your Roku's storage. If you change your mind later, you can reinstall it from the Roku Channel Store at any time — your login information and any saved settings within that app stay on your account, so you do not lose your place.

Key Takeaways

  • Highlight any app on your home screen, press Options (the star with three lines), and select Remove channel to delete it when ready.
  • Deleting an app frees up storage space on your Roku and removes it from your home screen, but does not affect your account or saved login information.
  • You can reinstall any app you delete later by going to the Roku Channel Store and searching for it by name.
  • If an app is frozen or not responding, deleting and reinstalling it often fixes the problem without affecting your other channels.

Remove multiple apps at once

If you want to clean up your home screen by removing several apps, you do not have to delete them one at a time. Roku lets you rearrange your entire home screen and hide apps you do not use often. Press the Home button on your remote, then press Options and select Manage home screen. This opens a view where you can see all your installed apps.

In this view, highlight any app and press Options again. You will see the option to remove it. Work through your list and remove the ones you no longer want. When you are finished, press Home to return to your normal screen. All the apps you selected are now gone.

This method is useful if you have accumulated many apps over time and want to start fresh. You can also use Manage home screen to move apps around and organize them into an order that makes sense for how you actually use your TV.

What happens to your data when you delete an app

When you delete an app from your Roku, the app itself is removed from your TV's storage. However, your account information — your login, your watch history, your saved preferences — stays connected to your Roku account in the cloud. This means when you reinstall the app later, you log back in and pick up where you left off.

Some apps store information locally on your Roku instead of in the cloud. If you delete an app that stores data this way, that local data is erased. For example, if you use a fitness app that tracks workouts stored only on your TV, deleting the app will erase those records. Most streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ store your watch history on their own servers, so deleting them does not affect your account.

If you are unsure whether an app stores data locally, check the app's settings before you delete it. Look for an option like "Backup" or "Cloud sync" — if the app offers these, your data is safe. If you do not see these options, assume the data is local and will be lost.

Free up storage space by removing unused apps

Roku TVs have limited built-in storage. If your TV is running slowly, freezing, or taking a long time to load apps, you may be running out of space. Deleting apps you no longer use is one of the fastest ways to improve performance. Each app takes up between 50 megabytes and several hundred megabytes, depending on what it does.

Start by removing apps you have not opened in the last month. Go through your home screen, highlight each unused app, press Options, and select Remove channel. After you delete five or six apps, restart your Roku by unplugging it for 30 seconds, then plugging it back in. This clears out temporary files and often noticeably improves speed.

If your TV is still slow after removing apps, the problem may be something else — a weak internet connection, too many apps running in the background, or a Roku system that needs an update. But removing apps is always the first step to try, because it costs nothing and often works.

Reinstall an app you deleted

To get back an app you removed, press the Home button on your remote and navigate to the Roku Channel Store. Use the search function to find the app by name — type the first few letters and Roku will show you matches. Select the app from the results and press the button that says Add channel. The app downloads and installs automatically, usually within a minute or two.

Once the installation is complete, the app appears on your home screen. Open it and log in with your account information. If the app stores data in the cloud, your watch history and preferences load automatically. If it stores data locally, you start fresh.

You can reinstall apps as many times as you want. There is no limit to how many times you can add and remove the same app, so do not worry about permanently losing access to anything.

Troubleshoot when an app will not delete

Occasionally, an app will not delete when you select Remove channel. This usually happens if the app is currently running or if your Roku is having a temporary problem. Close the app first by pressing Home on your remote, then try deleting it again. If it still will not delete, restart your Roku by unplugging it for 30 seconds.

Some apps that come built into Roku — like the Roku Channel, Roku Search, and the Home Screen itself — cannot be deleted. If you try to remove one of these, the Remove channel option will not appear. These system apps are part of how your Roku works and are designed to stay on your TV.

If you want to hide a built-in app from your home screen without deleting it, use the Manage home screen option instead. Highlight the app, press Options, and select Hide channel. The app stays on your Roku but does not appear on your home screen, so it is out of the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does deleting an app remove my login information?

No. Your login and account information are stored on the app company's servers, not on your Roku. When you reinstall the app, you log back in and your account is still there. The only exception is apps that store data only on your TV — those lose their local data when you delete them.

Can I delete apps that came with my Roku?

Most pre-installed apps can be deleted, but a few system apps cannot. If the Remove channel option does not appear when you press Options, that app is built into Roku and cannot be removed. You can hide it from your home screen instead using the Hide channel option.

Will deleting apps make my Roku faster?

Yes, if your Roku is running slowly because it is low on storage. Removing unused apps frees up space and can noticeably improve speed. Restart your TV after deleting apps to clear temporary files. If your TV is still slow, the problem may be your internet connection or too many apps running at once.

What if I delete an app by accident?

You can reinstall it when ready by going to the Roku Channel Store, searching for the app by name, and selecting Add channel. The entire process takes less than a minute. Your account information and cloud-stored data are not affected.

Can I delete an app while it is running?

You should close the app first by pressing Home, then delete it. If you try to delete an app while it is open, the deletion may not work. Close the app, wait a few seconds, and try again.