The fastest way to remove an app from your Samsung tablet
To delete an app on a Samsung tablet, press and hold the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears, then tap Remove or Uninstall. The app disappears when ready. If you cannot find the app on your home screen, open the Play Store app, tap your profile icon in the top right, select Manage my apps and device, go to the Manage tab, find the app you want to remove, tap it, and select Uninstall.
Both methods work equally well. The home screen method is faster if you can see the app. The Play Store method works even if you have hidden the app or moved it to a folder.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon on your home screen, then tap Remove or Uninstall to delete it in seconds.
- Apps deleted from your home screen are not actually removed from your tablet — they just disappear from view, and you can reinstall them later from the Play Store.
- To fully remove an app and free up storage space, use the Play Store method: go to Manage my apps and device, find the app, and tap Uninstall.
- System apps that came with your tablet cannot be deleted, but you can disable them to hide them from your home screen and app drawer.
- Uninstalling an app does not delete any files or data you created inside that app unless you specifically choose to clear the app's data.
Deleting an app from your home screen
This is the quickest method if you can see the app icon on your home screen. Press your finger on the app icon and hold it there for about two seconds. A menu will pop up with several options.
Look for a button labeled Remove, Uninstall, or sometimes a trash can icon. Tap it once. The app icon will vanish from your home screen when ready. This does not actually delete the app from your tablet — it only removes the shortcut from the screen you are looking at.
If you change your mind, you can reinstall the app later from the Play Store at no cost. Your tablet remembers that you owned it before.
Uninstalling an app completely through the Play Store
To actually remove an app and free up the storage space it uses, open the Play Store app (the colorful triangle icon). Tap your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen.
From the menu that appears, select Manage my apps and device. You will see three tabs at the top: Updates, Manage, and Installed. Tap the Manage tab to see all the apps currently on your tablet.
Scroll through the list to find the app you want to remove. Tap the app name once to open its details page. At the top of that page, you will see an Uninstall button. Tap it, and a confirmation message will ask if you are sure. Tap Uninstall again. The app will be removed from your tablet within a few seconds.
What happens to your data when you uninstall an app
When you uninstall an app, your tablet automatically deletes the app itself and any temporary files it created. However, some apps store personal data — like photos, messages, or saved games — in a separate location on your tablet.
When you uninstall an app, this personal data usually stays on your tablet. If you reinstall the app later, your old data will still be there. If you want to completely erase everything the app created, including your personal data, you need to clear the app's data before uninstalling it.
To do this, go to Settings on your tablet, tap Apps, find the app in the list, tap it, and select Storage. You will see a button that says Clear data or Clear cache. Tap Clear data to remove everything. Then uninstall the app as usual.
Dealing with apps you cannot delete
Some apps came pre-installed on your Samsung tablet by Samsung or your mobile carrier. These system apps cannot be uninstalled — if you try, the Uninstall button will be grayed out or will not appear at all.
You can hide these apps from your home screen and app drawer by disabling them. Go to Settings, tap Apps, find the app you want to hide, tap it, and select Disable. The app will no longer appear in your app drawer or home screen, though it will still take up a small amount of storage space.
If you later want to use the app again, go back to Settings, find it in the list, and tap Enable. The app will reappear and work normally.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is thinking that removing an app from your home screen has deleted it. It has not. The app is still on your tablet, still using storage space, and still appears in your app drawer. You must use the Play Store method to actually uninstall it.
Another mistake is uninstalling an app and then being surprised that your saved data is gone. If an app stores information you want to keep — like game progress or photos — back it up before you uninstall. Some apps let you save your data to the cloud through the app's own settings. Others require you to export files manually.
Do not try to delete system apps by going into Settings and looking for a delete button there. Samsung tablets do not allow this for security reasons. If you want to hide a system app, use the disable method described above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover an app after I uninstall it?
Yes. Open the Play Store, tap your profile icon, go to Manage my apps and device, and tap the Updates tab. You will see a list of apps you have owned before. Find the app you want and tap Install to put it back on your tablet. All your old data will return if you did not clear it before uninstalling.
Why does an app keep coming back after I delete it?
System apps that came with your tablet cannot be fully deleted. If you removed it from your home screen but it keeps reappearing, go to Settings, tap Apps, find the app, and select Disable. This will prevent it from running and hide it from your app drawer.
Does uninstalling an app free up storage space?
Yes, but only if you use the Play Store method to uninstall it. Removing an app from your home screen does not free up any space. To check how much space an app is using before you delete it, go to Settings, tap Apps, tap the app name, and look at the Storage section.
What is the difference between Remove and Uninstall?
Remove takes the app off your home screen but leaves it on your tablet. Uninstall deletes the app completely. If a menu shows both options, choose Uninstall to actually remove the app and free up space.
Can I delete multiple apps at once?
Not directly from the home screen. You must delete apps one at a time using either the home screen method or the Play Store method. If you want to remove many apps quickly, the Play Store method is faster because you can tap through the list without returning to your home screen between each deletion.