Tech Reference

How to delete apps on your Samsung Galaxy, or disable apps that can't be removed

How to hide photos on Samsung Galaxy s10
You can delete or disable apps on your Samsung Galaxy when you no longer need them. Henry Nicholls/Reuters
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It's so easy to install games and other apps in the Google Play store, that you might have an unmanageably large number of apps installed on your Samsung Galaxy. The good news is that almost any app can be deleted, and it's a simple process to do that. 

The only apps you can't delete are some pre-installed apps which are a part of the Android operating system. Many of these apps can instead be disabled, however, which removes them from the list of apps and prevents them from using system resources, which is the next best thing.  

How to delete apps on a Samsung Galaxy

1. Start the Settings app and tap "Apps."

2. In the list of apps, find the app you want to delete.

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You can find a complete list of all apps installed on your phone in the Settings app.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. Tap "Uninstall."

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Use the Uninstall button at the top of the app's details page to remove it from your Galaxy phone.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

There's another way to delete an app without opening the Settings app. You can just tap and hold an app icon anywhere on the Home screen or app pages, and wait until a pop-up menu appears. Then tap "Uninstall."  

delete app samsung galaxy
Tap and hold an app to uninstall it, if the option is available.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

If the app had been pinned to your Galaxy's Home screen and you don't want to delete it entirely, you can also tap "Remove from Home." This returns the app to the app screen and removes it from its prominent position on the Home screen. 

How to disable built-in apps that you can't delete on a Samsung Galaxy

Some built-in apps can't be deleted, but can instead be disabled. Of course, there are some apps so essential to the proper operation of your phone that they can't be disabled either. 

Here's how to disable apps through a Galaxy's settings: 

1. Start the Settings app and tap "Apps."

2. In the list of apps, find the app you want to disable.

3. Tap "Disable."

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You can only disable certain built-in apps rather than deleting them.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

You can also tap and hold an app to disable it, as depicted in the above section for deleting an app. If the Disable button is greyed out, you can't disable or delete that app. 

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Tap and hold an app you can't delete to see if you can disable it. If the disable option is greyed out (as pictured here), you can't disable or delete it.  Dave Johnson/Business Insider

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Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.