The fastest way to delete an app and all its data
To remove an app completely from your iPhone, press and hold the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears, then tap Remove App and select Delete App. Confirm by tapping Delete again. This removes the app and its data from your phone in one action.
If you want to keep the app but just hide it from your home screen, you can choose Remove from Home Screen instead — the app stays in your App Library and you can reinstall it later without losing anything. But if your goal is to free up space or completely remove something you no longer use, the delete option is what you need.
The delete method works the same way whether the app came from the App Store, came pre-installed on your iPhone, or was sideloaded. The only exception is a handful of built-in Apple apps (like Phone, Messages, and Settings) that cannot be deleted, though you can hide those too.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon, tap Remove App, then Delete App to remove it completely and free up storage space.
- Deleting an app also removes all its data, settings, and saved files — this cannot be undone without reinstalling the app.
- If you think you might use an app again, choose Remove from Home Screen instead to keep it in your App Library.
- Built-in Apple apps cannot be deleted, but you can hide them from your home screen so they do not clutter your view.
- Reinstalling a deleted app from the App Store will not restore your old data unless you backed up your phone before deletion.
Why deleting is different from just hiding
When you delete an app, your iPhone removes three things: the app itself, all the data it stored (like saved games, login information, or photos you edited in that app), and the space it took up on your phone. If you reinstall the app later, you start fresh — your old settings and data are gone unless you had backed up your entire phone before the deletion.
Hiding an app (by choosing Remove from Home Screen) only takes it off your home screen and moves it to the App Library, a folder at the end of your home screens. The app still takes up storage space and still has all its data. You can search for it by swiping down and typing its name, or find it in the App Library by category. This is useful if you use an app rarely but do not want to lose your data.
If you are trying to free up storage space on a full iPhone, deletion is the only option that actually recovers that space. Hiding does nothing for storage.
Deleting apps from Settings instead of the home screen
If an app icon is hard to find or you prefer not to use the home screen, you can delete from the Settings app instead. Open Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage. Scroll down to find the app you want to remove, tap it, and tap Delete App. Confirm the deletion.
This method shows you exactly how much space each app is using, which is helpful if you are trying to figure out which apps are taking up the most room. The Settings route takes a few more taps but gives you more information before you commit to deleting.
Both methods — home screen and Settings — delete the app completely. There is no difference in the result, only in how you navigate to the delete button.
What happens to your data when you delete an app
When you delete an app, your iPhone removes all the files that app created or stored. This includes login credentials, game saves, photos you edited in that app, notes you took in that app, and any settings you customized. If the app synced data to iCloud (like some Apple apps do), that data may still exist in iCloud, but the local copy on your phone is gone.
Some apps back up their data to the cloud automatically — for example, if you use a password manager or a notes app that syncs to a cloud service, your data may still be recoverable after deletion. But most third-party apps do not do this, so deletion means permanent loss of local data.
If you are not sure whether an app backs up its data, check the app's settings before you delete it, or search the app's website for information about data backup. Once you delete, there is no undo button.
Removing apps you cannot delete
Apple's built-in apps — Phone, Messages, Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Stocks, Compass, Measure, Health, Wallet, and a few others — cannot be deleted. If you try to press and hold one of these apps, the menu will show Remove from Home Screen only, with no delete option.
You can hide these apps by choosing Remove from Home Screen, which moves them to the App Library. They will no longer appear on your home screens, but they will still be on your phone and you can find them by searching or browsing the App Library. This is the closest you can get to removing them.
If a built-in app is taking up significant storage space, the issue is usually not the app itself but the data it has accumulated — for example, the Mail app might be storing thousands of old emails. In that case, open the app and delete old data manually, or go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap the app, and look for options to offload or clear cache.
Recovering storage space after deletion
Deleting an app frees up the space it was using, but your iPhone may not show the freed space when ready. The system updates storage numbers periodically, so check back in a few minutes or restart your phone to see the change reflected in Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
If you deleted a large app and still do not see much freed space, the app may have had cached files or temporary data that the system cleans up separately. These files disappear on their own over time, or you can force the cleanup by restarting your phone.
To see exactly how much space you recovered, open Settings > General > iPhone Storage before and after deletion and compare the total available storage at the top of the screen.
Reinstalling an app after you delete it
If you delete an app and later change your mind, you can reinstall it from the App Store. Open the App Store app, search for the app by name, and tap the cloud icon with a down arrow (or the Get button if it is a paid app). The app will read and install.
Reinstalling does not restore your old data unless you backed up your entire iPhone before the deletion and then restore from that backup. A backup is a snapshot of your phone at a moment in time, including all apps and their data. If you restore from a backup made before you deleted the app, that app and all its data will come back.
If you did not back up before deletion, the reinstalled app will be fresh with no previous data. You will need to log in again and set it up from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete an app and then get my data back if I reinstall it?
Only if you backed up your iPhone before you deleted the app. A backup is a complete snapshot of your phone, including all apps and their data. If you restore from that backup, the app and its data return. Without a backup, reinstalling the app gives you a fresh copy with no previous data.
Does deleting an app free up storage space?
Yes. Deleting an app removes the app itself and all its data from your phone, which frees up the storage space it was using. You can see how much space each app uses by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Hiding an app (removing it from the home screen only) does not free up any space.
What is the difference between removing an app and offloading it?
Offloading removes the app but keeps its data, so you can reinstall it later and your settings and data will still be there. Deleting removes both the app and its data. You can offload an app by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tapping the app, and choosing Offload App.
Why can I not delete some apps?
Apple's built-in apps like Phone, Messages, and Mail cannot be deleted because they are core to how your iPhone works. You can hide them from your home screen by pressing and holding and choosing Remove from Home Screen, which moves them to the App Library so they do not clutter your view.
Will deleting an app remove it from my other Apple devices?
No. Deleting an app from your iPhone only removes it from that device. If you have the same app on an iPad or Mac, it stays there. If you want to remove it from multiple devices, you need to delete it from each one separately.