The fastest way to remove an app from your Samsung
To delete an app from your Samsung phone, press and hold the app icon on your home screen or in your app drawer until a menu appears, then tap Remove app or Uninstall. The exact wording depends on your Samsung model and Android version, but the result is the same — the app is removed from your phone and no longer takes up storage space.
If you do not see a menu when you press and hold, try a longer press (three to five seconds). Some Samsung phones require you to tap a trash icon or Uninstall button that appears at the top of the screen after you hold the icon.
Apps you downloaded yourself can always be deleted this way. Some apps that came pre-installed on your phone may not have an Uninstall option — instead you may see Disable, which turns off the app but keeps it on your phone. That is normal and is covered in a section below.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon until a menu appears, then tap Remove app or Uninstall to delete it.
- Pre-installed apps often cannot be fully deleted, but you can disable them to hide them from your home screen and app drawer.
- Deleting an app removes it from your phone but does not delete your account or data stored in that app's cloud service.
- You can delete apps from your home screen, your app drawer, or through the Settings menu under Apps.
- If you accidentally delete an app, you can reinstall it from the Google Play Store at no cost.
Deleting apps from your home screen versus your app drawer
Your home screen is what you see when you unlock your phone. Your app drawer is the folder or menu that holds all your installed apps — usually accessed by swiping up from the bottom or tapping an icon labeled Apps.
You can delete an app from either location using the same press-and-hold method. The difference is that deleting from your home screen only removes the shortcut; deleting from the app drawer removes the app itself. If you delete a shortcut from your home screen but the app is still in your app drawer, the app is still installed and using storage.
To be sure an app is fully deleted, delete it from the app drawer. If you only see it on your home screen, press and hold it there, then look for an option that says Remove from Home screen or Delete shortcut — that removes only the icon, not the app.
Using the Settings menu to delete apps
If pressing and holding does not work, or if you prefer a different method, you can delete apps through your phone's Settings menu. Open Settings, then tap Apps (sometimes labeled process Manager or Manage apps).
Scroll through the list and tap the app you want to delete. A details screen will open showing how much storage the app uses and when you last opened it. Tap the Uninstall button at the top or bottom of the screen. Your phone will ask you to confirm — tap OK or Uninstall again.
This method works the same way as pressing and holding, but it is useful if you want to see how much storage each app is using before you decide what to delete, or if you are deleting several apps at once.
The difference between uninstalling and disabling an app
Uninstall removes the app completely from your phone. Disable turns off a pre-installed app so it no longer appears in your app drawer or home screen, but the app files remain on your phone taking up a small amount of storage.
Pre-installed apps — the ones that came with your Samsung phone, like Samsung Internet, Samsung Health, or Google Maps — often cannot be uninstalled. When you press and hold them, you will see Disable instead of Uninstall. Disabling is usually enough; the app will no longer bother you or appear in your app list.
If you later change your mind and want to use a disabled app again, open Settings, go to Apps, find the app in the list, and tap Enable. The app will reappear in your app drawer.
What happens to your data when you delete an app
Deleting an app from your phone removes the app itself and any data stored locally on your phone — like photos you saved inside the app, or messages you wrote in it. However, it does not delete your account or data stored in that app's cloud service.
For example, if you delete Gmail from your phone, your email account and all your messages remain on Google's servers. When you reinstall Gmail later, you can sign back in and see all your old messages. The same is true for most apps — your account data lives on the company's servers, not on your phone.
If you are concerned about losing data before you delete an app, check whether the app has a backup or export feature. Some apps let you read your data as a file before you uninstall.
Reinstalling an app you deleted by mistake
If you delete an app and later decide you want it back, open the Google Play Store, tap the search icon at the bottom, and search for the app by name. When you find it, tap Install. The app will read and install on your phone at no cost, even if you paid for it before — Google remembers your purchase.
This works for any app you downloaded from the Google Play Store. If the app is no longer available in the Play Store (because the developer removed it), you cannot reinstall it through the normal method. In that case, you would need to find the app file from another source, which is beyond the scope of this guide.
Freeing up storage by deleting large apps
If your phone is running low on storage, deleting apps is one way to free up space. To see which apps are using the most storage, open Settings, tap Storage (or Device care, then Storage), and look for a list of apps ranked by size.
Games and streaming apps like Netflix or YouTube tend to use the most space. Deleting one large app can free up several gigabytes. After you delete an app, the freed-up space becomes available for photos, videos, or other files.
Keep in mind that deleting an app only frees up the space the app itself uses. If you want to free up space used by photos or videos, you need to delete those files separately, or move them to cloud storage like Google Photos or Samsung Cloud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete multiple apps at once?
Most Samsung phones do not have a built-in way to select and delete multiple apps at once from the home screen. You can delete them one at a time using the press-and-hold method, or you can open Settings and delete them from the Apps menu one by one. It takes a few extra seconds per app, but it is straightforward.
What if an app keeps coming back after I delete it?
Some pre-installed apps may reappear after a system update. If you want to hide it, disable it instead of trying to uninstall it. Open Settings, go to Apps, find the app, and tap Disable. It will no longer show up in your app drawer or home screen.
Does deleting an app free up storage space right away?
Yes. The storage space is freed up when ready after you confirm the uninstall. You do not need to restart your phone or wait for anything to finish — the space is available to use right away.
Can I delete the Google Play Store or other system apps?
No. System apps like Google Play Store, Settings, Phone, and Contacts cannot be uninstalled. You can only disable them. Even if you disable them, your phone will re-enable them if you restart or after a system update.
Will deleting an app remove it from my Google account?
No. Deleting an app from your phone does not affect your Google account or any data stored on Google's servers. Your purchase history, app data, and account information remain tied to your Google account and can be reinstalled on any Android phone you own.