Tech Reference

How to delete apps on your iPad, or offload apps to save their data

hands using ipad, tapping apps
Deleting apps on an iPad is so simple it takes only a few taps. Westend61/Getty Images
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An app-cluttered home screen makes using your iPad much less pleasant when you have to comb through dozens of little icons to find the app you want. 

You can delete unwanted apps from your iPad's home screen to clean up its appearance, free up storage space, and improve your interface experience. 

When you delete an app from the home screen, any data stored within the app, such as levels beaten in a game, will be lost.

If you want to delete an app and archive its data, you can instead "offload" the app in Settings. Then, when you re-download the app, your data will be recovered. 

Here's how to delete, remove, or offload apps on your iPad. 

How to delete apps on an iPad

1. Press and hold your finger down on the app you want to delete on your iPad home screen. 

2. Tap "Delete App" in the pop-up menu that appears. 

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Select "Delete App" in the pop-up.  William Antonelli/Insider

How to offload apps on iPad to save their data 

If you want to delete multiple apps at once or save an app's data before you remove it, you can offload or delete the apps in Settings. 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad. 

2. Tap the "General" tab and select "iPad Storage."

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In "General," tap "iPad Storage."  William Antonelli/Insider

3. Scroll down to find a list of apps and tap the one you want to offload or delete. 

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Select an app in the list of apps.  William Antonelli/Insider

4. Tap "Offload App," then confirm by hitting "Offload App" again. This will delete the app, but keep its documents and data. You can also select "Delete" instead of "Offload App" if you want to delete multiple apps this way. 

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Tap "Offload App" to offload the selected app, or "Delete App" to delete it.  William Antonelli/Insider

5. You can also choose to let your iPad automatically offload unused apps when it's low on storage. On the iPad Storage page, tap "Enable" beside "Offload Unused Apps."

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Tap "Enable" to turn on automatic offloading.  William Antonelli/Insider

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Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.