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How to Delete Apps on an Android Phone

Tap and hold on the Home screen, or go to Settings

By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 13, 2022 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Delete/Uninstall Apps Delete/Uninstall Preinstalled Apps Why Won't These Apps Delete? Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know

From homescreen: Swipe up from the homescreen > tap and hold the app > Uninstall > OK.From Settings: Tap Apps > tap the app > Uninstall > OK.From the Play Store app: Tap profile icon > Manage Apps & Device > Manage > checkbox > trash can > Uninstall. This article provides step-by-step instructions for three ways to delete apps from your Android smartphone, including how to delete pre-installed apps.

How Do I Get Rid of Apps I Don' t Want

There are multiple ways to delete apps that you don't want from your Android smartphone. Here are two of the easiest.

How to Delete Android Apps

From the homescreen of your phone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to show your list of apps. Tap and hold the app you want to delete until a menu pops out from it. In the pop-out menu, tap Uninstall. In some versions of Android, like Android 12 on Pixel, you have to drag the app to see the Uninstall option, and when you see it, drag the icon into that box at the top. A pop-up window makes sure you understand what's going to happen. To continue with deleting the app, tap OK. A message tells you the app has been uninstalled and it is now removed from your Android phone. To delete an app from the home screen without uninstalling the app itself , just tap and hold until the pop-out menu appears. Tap Remove. Or in some versions of Android, like Android 12 on Pixel, you have to drag the app to see the Remove option, and when you see it, drag the icon into that box at the top.The app is still on your phone, but is no longer taking up room on the home screen.

How to Delete Android Apps From Settings

This option is particularly good if you're trying to free up storage space, since it lets you see which apps take up a lot of space. Open the Settings app and tap Apps. Tap the app you want to delete. Tap Uninstall. Some apps don't show an Uninstall button on this screen. To learn how to delete these pre-installed apps, check out the next section. In the pop-menu, tap OK. In just a moment, the app you selected will be deleted from your Android.

How Do I Uninstall Preinstalled Apps in Android

Android phones come with a lot of pre-installed apps, and uninstalling these often requires a different set of steps. To uninstall preinstalled apps, follow these steps: Open the Google Play Store app and tap on your profile icon in the top right corner. Tap Manage Apps & Device. Tap Manage. Tap the check box next to each app you want to delete. Tap the trash can icon at the top right of the screen. In the pop-up menu, tap Uninstall. Technically, this won't totally remove the pre-installed app from your phone. The icon will still appear in this list. However, this does remove all updates you've installed to the app and frees up all storage used by the app.

Why Can' t I Delete Apps on My Android

In some cases, you may find you're not able to delete the apps you want to remove. If you're facing that situation, here are some of the causes: App is system or pre-installed: Some apps can't be deleted, either because they're essential to the operation of the phone or because the phone's maker or phone company has blocked deleting them. Deletion is blocked by an admin: If you get your phone from work or a parent, it could be configured to only allow someone with an administrator password to delete some or all apps. There's a bug: It's possible that you're experiencing some kind of bug preventing app deletion. If so, try restarting your Android and, if that doesn't work, installing any available OS updates. How to Turn Off Android Phone Sensors FAQ How do I hide apps in Android? The Android OS doesn't have a built-in way to hide apps you aren't using or want to secure, but you have options. One is to disable an app by going to Settings > Apps > tap the app > Disable. A disabled app won't appear in your App Drawer, but you can still reactivate it from Settings without having to go to the App Store. You can also use a secure folder or a third-party app. How do I move apps to an SD card in Android? One alternative to deleting things from your Android device to clear space is moving apps to an SD card. To do so, insert the SD card, and then go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info > select app > Storage > Change, and then select your SD card. Not all apps support this option. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Delete Apps on an Amazon Fire Tablet How to Delete Apps on iPhone 13 How to Delete Apps on an Android Tablet How to Close Apps on Android How to Delete Apps From Your iPhone How to Delete a Cash App Account Can You Delete the Apps That Come With the iPhone? How to Free Up Space on Android Phones How to Uninstall Skype How to Uninstall Dropbox on a Mac How to Unhide Apps on an iPhone How to Turn Safe Mode On and Off on Android How to Clear Your iPhone Cache How to Delete a POF Account on iPhone How to Delete Apps on Samsung Smartphones How to Root Kindle Fire Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies