How to delete widgets from your iPhone
To remove a widget from your iPhone home screen, press and hold the widget until a menu appears, then tap Remove Widget and confirm. For lock screen widgets, long-press the lock screen, tap Customize, select the widget, and tap the minus icon. Widgets can also be removed by editing your home screen — long-press an empty area, tap the minus button next to an app, and toggle off the widgets you don't want to see.
The method you use depends on where the widget sits. Home screen widgets, lock screen widgets, and widgets in the Smart Stack (a stack of multiple widgets that swipe between each other) all remove slightly differently, though the core action — long-press and confirm — works the same way across all of them.
Key Takeaways
- Long-press any widget on your home screen, tap Remove Widget, and confirm to delete it immediately.
- Lock screen widgets are removed by long-pressing the lock screen, tapping Customize, selecting the widget, and tapping the minus icon.
- Removing a widget from a Smart Stack deletes only that widget, not the entire stack — the remaining widgets stay grouped together.
- Deleting a widget does not uninstall the app itself; the app remains on your phone and can be re-added as a widget later.
Removing widgets from your home screen
Press and hold directly on the widget you want to remove. After a moment, a menu will pop up with several options. Tap Remove Widget — it usually appears near the bottom of the menu. A confirmation dialog will ask if you're sure; tap Remove again to finish.
If you have multiple widgets stacked together in a Smart Stack, long-pressing will show you which widget is currently visible. Tap Remove Widget to remove only that one widget. The other widgets in the stack stay grouped together. If you want to remove the entire stack, you'll need to remove each widget individually.
Another way to remove home screen widgets is to enter edit mode. Long-press an empty area of your home screen until the icons start to jiggle, then look for a minus button (a circle with a line through it) next to each app. Tap the minus button next to an app to see its widgets, then toggle off the ones you don't want. Tap Done when finished.
Removing widgets from your lock screen
Lock screen widgets work differently from home screen widgets. Long-press your lock screen (not an app icon) until the Customize button appears at the bottom. Tap it to enter lock screen customization mode.
You'll see your lock screen layout with your widgets displayed. Tap the widget you want to remove, and a minus icon will appear. Tap the minus icon to delete that widget. Tap outside the widget or press Done to save your changes. The lock screen will return to normal, and the widget will no longer appear.
Removing widgets from the app library
If you've added widgets to the App Library (the rightmost screen on your home screen), you can remove them the same way as home screen widgets. Swipe to the App Library, find the widget, long-press it, and tap Remove Widget.
The App Library organizes apps by category, and widgets appear alongside them. Removing a widget from the App Library does not affect widgets you've placed on your home screen — they remain in place until you remove them separately.
What happens when you delete a widget
Deleting a widget removes only the widget itself, not the app it came from. The app stays installed on your phone and continues to work normally. You can add the widget back later by long-pressing your home screen, tapping the plus button, finding the app, and selecting the widget again.
Widgets that show live information — like weather, calendar events, or news headlines — stop updating once you remove them. If you add the widget back later, it will resume showing current information from that point forward.
Removing all widgets at once
There is no single button to remove all widgets from your iPhone at once. You'll need to remove them individually using the long-press method or by entering edit mode and toggling them off app by app. If you have many widgets, edit mode is usually faster because you can see all your apps and their widgets in one place.
If you want a cleaner home screen, you can also delete entire app pages. Long-press a page of your home screen (an empty area), and a menu will appear with an option to remove the page. This removes all apps and widgets on that page at once, though you can still access the apps through the App Library.
Troubleshooting widget removal
If a widget won't delete when you long-press it, make sure you're pressing directly on the widget itself, not on the app icon below it. Some widgets are small and require a precise tap. If the menu doesn't appear, try holding your finger in place for a full second before releasing.
If you're in edit mode and the minus button doesn't appear next to an app, that app may not have widgets available. Only apps that support widgets will show the minus button. Check that you're looking at the correct app and that it's one that offers widget functionality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting a widget uninstall the app?
No. Removing a widget only removes the widget from your home screen or lock screen. The app itself stays installed and works normally. You can add the widget back anytime by long-pressing your home screen, tapping the plus button, and selecting the app and widget again.
Can I remove a widget from a Smart Stack without removing the others?
Yes. Long-press the Smart Stack to see which widget is currently showing, then tap Remove Widget. Only that widget is deleted; the other widgets in the stack remain grouped together. You can continue swiping through the remaining widgets as before.
How do I remove a widget from my lock screen?
Long-press your lock screen, tap Customize, tap the widget you want to remove, and tap the minus icon that appears. Then tap outside the widget or press Done to save. The widget will no longer appear on your lock screen.
What if the remove option doesn't show up when I long-press a widget?
Make sure you're pressing directly on the widget itself and holding for at least one full second. If you're pressing on an app icon instead, the app menu will appear rather than the widget menu. Try again with your finger positioned squarely on the widget.
Can I remove widgets in bulk?
There's no bulk delete option, but edit mode is the fastest way to remove multiple widgets at once. Long-press an empty area of your home screen, tap the minus button next to each app, and toggle off the widgets you don't want. This lets you see all your apps and their widgets in one view.