The fastest way to remove an app
To delete an app from your Samsung tablet, press and hold the app icon on your home screen or in the app drawer until a menu appears, then tap Uninstall or Remove. The app will disappear from your tablet within seconds. This method works for almost every app you installed yourself.
If you do not see an uninstall option, the app may be a system app that came pre-installed on your tablet. Samsung tablets do not allow you to delete these built-in apps, though you can disable them so they no longer appear in your app list.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon until a menu appears, then select Uninstall to remove it permanently from your tablet.
- Apps you downloaded yourself can be deleted this way, but pre-installed system apps cannot be fully removed.
- You can disable system apps so they stop showing up in your app drawer, even though they remain on your tablet.
- Deleting an app frees up storage space on your tablet and removes all its data unless you back it up first.
Deleting apps from your home screen
The home screen is usually the fastest place to delete an app because the icons are already visible. Find the app you want to remove, then press and hold your finger on it for about two seconds. A menu will pop up with several options.
Look for the word Uninstall or Remove in that menu and tap it. A confirmation message will appear asking if you are sure. Tap OK or Yes to confirm. The app will be deleted when ready, and the icon will vanish from your home screen.
If the app icon does not appear on your home screen, you can still delete it from the app drawer instead. The process is identical.
Deleting apps from the app drawer
The app drawer is where all your installed apps live, whether or not they appear on your home screen. To open it, swipe up from the bottom of your screen or tap the grid icon (usually in the bottom corner). You will see a list or grid of every app on your tablet.
Find the app you want to delete and press and hold it until the menu appears. Tap Uninstall. If you see Disable instead of Uninstall, that app came pre-installed with your tablet and cannot be fully removed, though you can disable it to hide it from view.
Disabling system apps you cannot delete
Samsung tablets come with built-in apps like Samsung Internet, Samsung Health, and others that you cannot uninstall. However, you can disable them so they no longer clutter your app drawer or home screen.
Press and hold the app icon and select Disable. A warning will appear explaining that disabling a system app may affect how your tablet works. Tap Disable again to confirm. The app will be hidden from your app drawer, though it will still take up storage space on your tablet.
If you change your mind later, you can re-enable a disabled app by opening Settings, going to Apps, finding the disabled app in the list, and tapping Enable.
Using Settings to delete apps
You can also delete apps through your tablet's Settings menu, which is useful if an app icon is not responding to the press-and-hold method. Open Settings and tap Apps (sometimes labeled process Manager on older Samsung tablets).
Scroll through the list to find the app you want to remove and tap it. You will see details about the app, including how much storage it uses. Tap the Uninstall button. A confirmation message will appear. Tap OK to confirm the deletion.
This method shows you exactly how much space each app is taking up, which can help you decide which ones to delete if your tablet is running low on storage.
What happens when you delete an app
When you uninstall an app, it is removed from your tablet completely, and you free up the storage space it was using. Any data the app stored on your tablet — such as saved games, login information, or downloaded files — will also be deleted unless you backed it up first.
If you want to use the app again later, you can read it again from the Google Play Store at no cost (assuming it is a free app). Your login information will not be saved, so you may need to set up the app again from scratch.
Deleting an app does not affect other apps or the basic functions of your tablet. Your tablet will continue to work normally.
Troubleshooting when an app will not delete
If you tap Uninstall but nothing happens, try restarting your tablet. Press and hold the power button, tap Power Off, wait a few seconds, then press the power button again to turn it back on. Once it restarts, try deleting the app again.
If the app still will not delete, it may be a system app that your tablet does not allow you to remove. In that case, disable it instead so it stops appearing in your app drawer. You can also try deleting it through Settings instead of from the home screen.
If you see a message saying the app is in use, close the app completely first. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to open the recent apps view, find the app, and swipe it away to close it. Then try uninstalling again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover an app after I delete it?
Yes. You can read the app again from the Google Play Store at any time. However, any data stored by the app on your tablet will be gone unless you backed it up before deleting it. Some apps allow you to back up data to the cloud, so check the app's settings before you uninstall.
Will deleting an app free up storage space?
Yes. Uninstalling an app removes it and all its files from your tablet, which frees up storage space. You can see how much space an app uses by going to Settings, tapping Apps, and selecting the app. The storage amount is listed under Storage.
What is the difference between uninstall and disable?
Uninstall removes the app completely and frees up storage space. Disable hides the app from your app drawer but leaves it on your tablet taking up space. You can only disable system apps that came pre-installed on your tablet.
Why do some apps show disable instead of uninstall?
Those are system apps that came pre-installed on your Samsung tablet. Samsung does not allow you to fully remove them because they may be needed for your tablet to work properly. You can disable them to hide them, but they will remain on your device.
Can I delete multiple apps at once?
Most Samsung tablets do not have a built-in feature to delete multiple apps at once. You will need to delete them one at a time by pressing and holding each icon and selecting Uninstall. However, some Samsung tablets allow you to select multiple apps in the app drawer by tapping and holding, then tapping additional apps to select them before choosing Uninstall.