To delete an app on iPhone, touch and hold the app icon until a menu appears, tap Remove App, then tap Delete App and confirm with Delete. That removes the app and its data from your phone. If you would rather keep the app’s data, use Offload instead. Here are all the ways to remove apps, the important Delete-versus-Offload difference, and how to get an app back later.

Delete an app from the Home Screen

This is the quickest method:

  1. Touch and hold the app’s icon until a menu pops up.
  2. Tap Remove App.
  3. Tap Delete App.
  4. Tap Delete to confirm.

The same menu also offers Remove from Home Screen, which hides the icon but keeps the app installed and searchable in the App Library. Choose that when you want a cleaner Home Screen without actually deleting anything.

Delete apps in jiggle mode

If you want to remove several apps in a row:

  1. Touch and hold any empty area of the Home Screen until the icons start to jiggle.
  2. Tap the minus (−) badge in the corner of an app.
  3. Tap Delete App, then Delete.
  4. Repeat for other apps, then tap Done (or swipe up) to finish.

Delete from the App Library

Apps you removed from the Home Screen still live in the App Library, the last screen to the right:

  1. Swipe left past your last Home Screen page to open the App Library.
  2. Touch and hold the app you want to remove.
  3. Tap Delete App, then confirm.

Delete or offload from Settings (best for freeing space)

The Settings route shows you how much room each app uses, which makes it the smart place to reclaim storage:

  1. Go to Settings, General, iPhone Storage.
  2. Tap the app you want to manage; larger apps are usually near the top.
  3. Choose Offload App to remove the app but keep its data, or Delete App to remove everything.

Delete versus Offload: which to pick

The difference matters, so it is worth understanding before you tap:

  • Delete App removes the app and all of its documents and data. Reinstalling later gives you a fresh, empty app.
  • Offload App removes only the app itself and keeps its documents and data. The icon stays with a small cloud symbol, and tapping it re-downloads the app with your data intact.

Offload is ideal for a large game or app you use occasionally but do not want to lose progress in. Delete is the right choice when you are truly done with something. You can also turn on Settings, App Store, Offload Unused Apps to let iPhone offload rarely used apps automatically when space is low.

Getting a deleted app back

Deleting is not permanent as far as the App Store is concerned. Open the App Store, tap your profile picture, and look under your purchases or library to re-download anything you previously installed. If it was a paid app, you do not pay again with the same Apple Account.

One caution: deleting an app does not close any online account tied to it, and it does not cancel a subscription. To stop a subscription, go to Settings, your name, Subscriptions and cancel there before or after deleting the app.

Deleting Apple’s built-in apps

You are not stuck with the apps that come preinstalled. Most Apple apps, such as Stocks, Compass, Tips, or even Mail, can be removed the same way you remove any app: touch and hold, then Remove App. A small number of core apps cannot be deleted, only rearranged, including Settings, Phone, Safari, Messages, the App Store, Clock, Find My, Health, and the Camera. If you delete an Apple app and later want it back, search for it by name in the App Store and re-download it for free.

Why an app can reappear or refuse to delete

If an app comes back after you delete it, or the minus badge is missing, check these:

  • Screen Time restrictions. Go to Settings, Screen Time, Content and Privacy Restrictions, iTunes and App Store Purchases and make sure Deleting Apps is set to Allow.
  • It is a core app that cannot be removed; you can only move it or put it in a folder.
  • Family or device management. On a managed or school device, an administrator may push certain apps back automatically.

Delete versus keeping the icon hidden

If your only goal is a cleaner Home Screen rather than free space, you do not have to delete anything. Choose Remove from Home Screen to send the app to the App Library, where a quick swipe or Spotlight search still finds it. That keeps every app installed and up to date while giving you an uncluttered layout, and it is fully reversible: touch and hold the app in the App Library and choose Add to Home Screen to bring the icon back.

Related iPhone guides

If your goal is more free space, pair this with our guide on how to check iPhone storage and free it up. You may also want to block unwanted callers or turn off Find My iPhone before trading in a device.