The fastest way to remove an app
To delete an app on a Samsung phone, press and hold the app icon on your home screen or in the app drawer until a menu appears, then tap Remove or Uninstall. The exact wording depends on your Samsung model and Android version, but the result is the same — the app disappears from your phone and frees up storage space.
If you do not see a menu when you hold down the icon, your phone may be in a locked mode. Try swiping up from the bottom of the screen first to open the app drawer, then hold the icon there. Some Samsung phones also let you drag the app to a trash icon that appears at the top of the screen.
Deleting an app this way removes it completely. You can download it again later from the Google Play Store if you change your mind, and your login information for that app will usually still be saved.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon until a menu appears, then select Remove or Uninstall to delete it from your phone.
- Deleting an app frees up storage space but does not erase your account or login information for that app.
- If you cannot see a menu when holding an app icon, open the app drawer first by swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
- You can reinstall any app you delete by searching for it in the Google Play Store, as long as it is still available.
Deleting apps from the home screen versus the app drawer
Your Samsung phone has two places where apps live: the home screen (the main page you see when you unlock your phone) and the app drawer (the full list of all installed apps). You can delete an app from either location, and the result is identical.
If the app is on your home screen, hold the icon directly. If you want to delete an app but do not see it on your home screen, swipe up from the bottom to open the app drawer, find the app there, and hold it. Some Samsung phones show a small trash icon or the word Remove near the top of the screen when you hold an app — drag the icon up to that spot to delete it.
After you delete an app, it no longer appears in either location. The home screen and app drawer both update automatically.
Using the Settings menu to uninstall apps
If holding the app icon does not work, or if you want to delete multiple apps at once, you can remove them through the Settings menu instead. Open Settings, tap Apps, then scroll through the list until you find the app you want to delete.
Tap the app name to open its details page. At the top or bottom of that page, you should see an Uninstall button. Tap it, and the phone will ask you to confirm. Tap Uninstall again, and the app is removed.
This method works for almost every app on your phone. A few system apps that came pre-installed on your Samsung cannot be deleted this way — if you tap an app and see Disable instead of Uninstall, that means the app is built into your phone and cannot be fully removed. You can disable it to hide it, but it will still take up a small amount of storage.
What happens to your data when you delete an app
Deleting an app removes the app itself and any files it stored directly on your phone. However, your account information and login details for that app are usually saved separately, often in the cloud or on the app company's servers.
When you reinstall the app later, you can often log back in with the same username and password, and your data may still be there. This is true for apps like Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and most social media or email services. Some apps, particularly games, may ask you to link your account before you can recover your progress.
If you are concerned about losing data before you delete an app, check whether that app has a backup or export feature. Many apps let you download your data or save it to the cloud before you remove the app.
Freeing up storage space by deleting large apps
Apps take up storage space on your phone, and deleting ones you no longer use can help your phone run faster. To see which apps are using the most space, open Settings, tap Storage, and look for Apps or App files. Your phone will show you a list of apps ranked by size.
Games and video streaming apps like YouTube, TikTok, or Netflix often use several hundred megabytes or even gigabytes of space. Deleting these apps can free up significant room on your phone. After you delete an app, your phone's storage space updates immediately.
If you want to keep an app but reduce the space it uses, you can also clear its cache instead of deleting it entirely. Open Settings, tap Apps, select the app, and choose Storage or Cache, then tap Clear Cache. This removes temporary files the app created but keeps the app itself installed.
Reinstalling an app you deleted
If you delete an app and later decide you want it back, you can download it again from the Google Play Store. Open the Play Store app, tap the search icon at the top, type the app name, and tap the result when it appears.
Tap the Install button (or a cloud icon if you have installed it before), and the app downloads and installs automatically. The whole process usually takes less than a minute on a fast internet connection. When you open the app, you can log in with your account information, and in many cases your previous data will be there.
Some apps are no longer available in the Play Store because the developer stopped supporting them or removed them. If you search for an app and cannot find it, it may no longer be available for download. In that case, you would need to find an alternative app that does the same thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete system apps that came with my Samsung phone?
Most pre-installed Samsung apps can be disabled but not fully deleted. When you try to uninstall them, you will see a Disable button instead of Uninstall. Disabling an app hides it from your home screen and app drawer, but it remains on your phone taking up a small amount of space. You can re-enable it later if you change your mind.
What if I accidentally delete an app I need?
You can reinstall it immediately from the Google Play Store by searching for the app name and tapping Install. Your login information and account data are usually saved separately, so you can log back in and recover your information. The reinstall process takes just a few minutes.
Does deleting an app delete my account with that service?
No. Deleting the app only removes the software from your phone. Your account with the service (like your Gmail account or Facebook profile) remains active on the company's servers. When you reinstall the app, you can log in with the same credentials and access your account again.
Why does my phone still show an app after I tried to delete it?
If the app reappears after you delete it, it may be a system app that your phone automatically reinstalls, or it may be linked to a work or school account that requires it. Try opening Settings, tapping Apps, finding the app, and selecting Disable instead of Uninstall to hide it from view.
Can I delete multiple apps at once?
Most Samsung phones do not have a built-in feature to delete multiple apps in one action. You will need to delete them one at a time by holding each icon or using the Settings menu. However, this process only takes a few seconds per app, so removing several apps takes just a minute or two.