Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How to delete apps on an iPad

With the sheer number of fine apps and games available to download from the App Store, your iPad’s home screen can quite swiftly become overrun with icons.

This is bad news for productivity, as it can be both distracting and excessively difficult to find the apps that you actually need. It can also literally clog your iPad up, taking up valuable storage that could be put to better use.

When you take a long hard look at all of the apps you have installed on your iPad, you’re likely to realise that you actually need very few of them.

Here, then, is how to delete apps from an iPad

What we used

The Short Version

  • Find the iPad app you wish to delete
  • Tap and hold the app icon
  • Remove and Delete app
  • The jiggle alternative
  1. Step
    1

    Locate the app icon

    First locate the app icon for the app you wish to delete.iPad iOS app delete

  2. Step
    2

  3. Tap and hold the app icon
  4. Press and hold on the app icon to bring up the shortcut menu.iPad iOS delete apps

  5. Step
    3

  6. Remove and Delete app
  7. Select ‘Remove App’ followed by ‘Delete App’. You’ll be warned that deleting the app will also delete its data, so confirm by pressing ‘Delete’ a final time.
    iPad iOS app delete

  8. Step
    4

    The jiggle alternative

    Alternatively, press and hold on an empty section of your home screen until the app icons start to jiggle. Hit the minus button by the app you wish to delete then press Delete App > Delete.iPad iOS app delete

FAQs

How do view and reinstall deleted apps?

the App Store and go to Apple ID > Purchased > My Purchases > Not on this iPhone. You’ll be presented with a list off all the apps that you’ve previously used or bought, but which are no longer on your iPhone.

Why can’t I delete certain apps?

If you encounter an app that can’t be deleted in this fashion, it’s because it’s one of Apple’s fundamental preinstalled apps, which can only be removed from view.

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Trusted Reviews Logo

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the best of Trusted Reviews delivered right to your inbox.

This is a test error message with some extra words