How to Delete Apps on iPhone 17, 16 & Any Model (2026)

Knowing how to delete apps on iPhone is the quickest way to free up storage and clean up a cluttered Home Screen. Apple gives you several ways to do it: from the Home Screen, the App Library, Spotlight search and iPhone Storage in Settings. You can also offload an app, which removes the app but keeps its data, or simply remove it from the Home Screen without deleting anything.

Quick answer: on iPhone 17, 16, 15 and any iPhone running a recent iOS, touch and hold the app, tap Remove App, tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm. If the app isn't on your Home Screen, swipe left to the App Library, search for it and do the same. To delete apps to free space, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap an app and choose Delete App (or Offload App to keep its data). No Delete option? Check Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Deleting Apps and set it to Allow.

Every step in this guide comes from Apple's official documentation: Delete apps on your iPhone or iPad, Remove or delete apps from iPhone, Delete built-in Apple apps, Manage storage on iPhone, Lock or hide apps on your iPhone, Cancel a subscription from Apple, Hide apps in your App Store purchase list and Manage your iCloud storage. We checked them again on November 4, 2026.

Delete, offload or remove: which one do you need?

The menu gives you three different choices, and they do very different things.

If your goal is more free space, you want Delete App or Offload App. If you just want a tidier Home Screen, Remove from Home Screen is enough and you can still open the app from the App Library.

Before you delete an app

Two quick checks save trouble later:

• Cancel subscriptions first. Deleting an app does not cancel its in-app subscriptions, so you can keep getting charged. Go to Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, choose the subscription and tap Cancel Subscription. If there's no Cancel button or you see an expiration date in red, it's already cancelled.
• Know what happens to your data. Deleting an app removes it and its data from your iPhone. Anything the app stored in iCloud, such as photos or documents, is not deleted. If you want to keep local data, such as game progress that isn't synced, offload the app instead.

How to delete apps on iPhone from the Home Screen

This is the method most people use, and it works the same on iPhone 17, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone Air, iPhone SE and older models.

1. Touch and hold the app icon on the Home Screen until a menu appears.
2. Tap Remove App.
3. Tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm.

If you hold too long and the icons start to jiggle instead of showing a menu:

1. Tap the Remove icon (the minus sign) in the upper-left corner of the app.
2. Tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm.
3. Tap Done at the top of the screen.

It can take a moment for your available storage to update after you delete an app.

How to delete multiple apps at once

iPhone doesn't have a "select several apps and delete" button, but jiggle mode makes bulk cleanup fast:

1. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen (or any app) until the icons jiggle.
2. Tap the minus sign on the first app, tap Delete App, then Delete.
3. Without leaving jiggle mode, tap the minus sign on the next app and repeat.
4. Tap Done when you're finished.

If you're clearing many apps to free space, the iPhone Storage list in Settings (below) is often quicker because it sorts apps by size, biggest first.

Delete an app from the App Library or Spotlight

Some apps live only in the App Library and never appear on your Home Screen. That's normal if you set new downloads to go to the App Library only.

1. Swipe left past your last Home Screen page to open the App Library.
2. Tap the search field at the top to see an alphabetical list of every app.
3. Touch and hold the app, tap Remove App if you see it, then tap Delete App.
4. Tap Delete to confirm.

You can also use Spotlight: swipe down from the middle of the Home Screen, type the app's name, then touch and hold the result and delete it the same way. Apple specifically recommends Spotlight when you can't find an app.

How to delete hidden apps on iPhone

Since iOS 18 you can hide downloaded apps behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Hidden apps disappear from the Home Screen and from Spotlight, so many people think they can't be deleted. They can:

1. Swipe left past all your Home Screen pages to the App Library.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap the Hidden folder, then authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
3. Touch and hold the app. If you see Delete App, tap it and confirm.
4. If you don't, tap Don't Require Face ID (or Touch ID / Passcode) to unhide it first. The app moves back to the Home Screen and the top of the App Library, where you can delete it normally.

Not sure which apps are hidden? Apple lists them in Settings > Apps > Hidden Apps (you'll need to authenticate). You can also delete a hidden app from Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

Note that the Hidden folder is different from hiding a purchase in the App Store. Hiding a purchase removes it from your App Store purchase list but doesn't delete the app from any device. More on that below.

Delete or offload apps in Settings (best for freeing space)

If you're deleting apps to free storage, Settings shows exactly how much space each one uses.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General, then tap iPhone Storage. It can take a few seconds to load.
3. Apps are listed by size, largest first. Tap the one you want.
4. Choose Offload App or Delete App, then confirm.

Each app's page shows App Size (the app itself) and Documents & Data (what it has saved). That split tells you which option helps:

• If App Size is big and Documents & Data is small, offloading frees almost as much as deleting.
• If Documents & Data is big (chat apps, streaming downloads, social media caches), only Delete App frees that space. You can also clear downloads inside the app. Our guide on how to clear cache on iPhone covers Safari, Instagram, TikTok and System Data.

What does Offload App mean?

Offload App removes the app to free storage but keeps its documents and data. The icon stays on your Home Screen with a small cloud symbol. Tap it and the app downloads again with your data in place, as long as it's still available in the App Store. It's ideal for apps you use now and then but don't want to set up again, like airline, travel or tax apps.

Delete App removes the app and its related data from your iPhone. To get it back you download it again and sign in.

Turn on Offload Unused Apps

Your iPhone can offload apps you haven't used automatically when storage runs low:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps, then tap App Store.
3. Turn on Offload Unused Apps.

On iOS 17 and earlier the switch is in Settings > App Store. If you often travel without signal, consider leaving it off, because an offloaded maps or translation app can't be reinstalled offline.

Remove an app from the Home Screen without deleting it

If you just want a cleaner Home Screen, you don't have to delete anything.

1. Touch and hold the app.
2. Tap Remove App.
3. Tap Remove from Home Screen.

The app moves to the App Library and still works from there. To stop new downloads from landing on your Home Screen, go to Settings > Home Screen & App Library and choose App Library Only. To put an app back, find it in the App Library, touch and hold it and tap Add to Home Screen.

Which built-in Apple apps can you delete?

Since iOS 14 you can delete many of the apps that come with iPhone. According to Apple's list, these built-in apps can be deleted:

• Activity, Apple Books, Apple TV, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Compass, Contacts
• FaceTime, Files, Find My, Freeform, Health, Home, iTunes Store, Mail
• Maps, Measure, Music, News (where available), Notes, Podcasts, Reminders
• Shortcuts, Stocks, Tips, Translate, Voice Memos, Wallet, Watch, Weather

Core apps such as Phone, Messages, Safari, Camera, Photos, App Store and Settings aren't on the list and can only be removed from the Home Screen. In the European Union, Apple lets you delete some extra built-in apps.

A few side effects Apple warns about before you delete built-in apps:

• If you have an Apple Watch, deleting an app on iPhone also deletes it from the watch.
• Delete Calculator and it disappears from Control Center.
• Delete Stocks or Weather and that information won't appear elsewhere, such as widgets or watch complications.
• Delete Books, Maps, Music or Podcasts and they won't be available in CarPlay.
• Delete Contacts and your contacts are still available in the Phone app.

To get a built-in app back, open the App Store, search for its exact name and tap the redownload button.

Why can't I delete apps on my iPhone?

If touching and holding an app doesn't show Delete App, work through these causes in order:

1. It's a core Apple app. Phone, Messages, Safari, Camera, Photos, App Store and Settings can't be deleted, only removed from the Home Screen. Check Apple's list above.
2. Screen Time is blocking it. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Deleting Apps and choose Allow. You may need the Screen Time passcode. On a child's iPhone managed through Family Sharing, the parent has to change this.
3. A third-party blocker app is in control. Focus and app-blocking apps that use Screen Time permissions can prevent uninstalling. Turn off that app's Screen Time access or its "prevent uninstall" setting, then try again.
4. The iPhone is managed (work or school). If a company or school manages the device through Mobile Device Management (MDM), or an app came with a configuration profile, the administrator may block deleting it. Check Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and contact your IT admin.
5. The app is stuck "Waiting…" or downloading. Touch and hold the icon and choose Cancel Download if offered, or delete it from Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
6. iOS is glitching. Restart your iPhone (see how to turn off iPhone). If the screen is frozen, use a force restart from our hard reset iPhone guide, then try again.

Delete an app's data from iCloud too

Deleting an app from your iPhone doesn't remove its data from your iCloud backup. If you want to free iCloud space or make sure an app's backup is gone:

1. Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud.
2. Tap Storage (or Manage Account Storage), then tap Backups.
3. Tap your iPhone's name.
4. Turn off the app you no longer use, then tap Turn Off to confirm.

Apple notes that this stops backing up that app and removes all of its information from iCloud. Some apps are always backed up and can't be switched off.

Hide a deleted app from your App Store purchase list

Your App Store purchase history keeps every app you've downloaded, even after you delete it. You can't erase that history, but you can hide an app from the list:

1. Open the App Store and tap your photo or initials.
2. Tap Apps & Purchase History, then Your Apps.
3. Swipe left on the app and tap Hide.

Hiding doesn't delete the app from any device. It still appears in your full purchase history in Settings, and if you use Family Sharing, family members can no longer download it from your shared purchases.

How to reinstall a deleted app

You can reinstall any app you previously downloaded if it's still in the App Store, and you don't pay again for paid apps:

1. Open the App Store.
2. Tap your picture, tap Apps & Purchase History, then tap Your Apps.
3. If you use Family Sharing, choose My Apps or a family member.
4. Find the app and tap the download icon.

Your data comes back only if the app synced it to iCloud or its own account, or if you offloaded rather than deleted it.

Deleting an app also never deletes the account behind it. Social apps keep your profile live until you close it in the app's own settings, for example when you delete your Facebook account, delete your TikTok account or delete your Instagram account.

Which method should you use?

• Deleting one or two apps: use the Home Screen method. It takes seconds.
• Freeing storage: use Settings > General > iPhone Storage to find the biggest apps, and offload anything you may need again.
• Just decluttering: remove apps from the Home Screen and keep them in the App Library.
• Hiding an app from other people: use Hide and Require Face ID instead of deleting it.
• Selling or giving away your phone: deleting apps one by one isn't enough. First turn off Find My iPhone so Activation Lock is removed, then follow our guide on how to factory reset iPhone to erase everything safely.

FAQ

Final thoughts

Now you know how to delete apps on iPhone from the Home Screen, App Library, Spotlight and Settings, how to deal with hidden and built-in apps, and when offloading is the smarter option. A quick cleanup every few months keeps your storage free and your Home Screen easy to use.

More quick iPhone guides: how to block a number on iPhone, how to unblock a number on iPhone, how to take a screenshot on iPhone and how to clear cache on iPhone.

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