This article explains how to delete apps on an Android tablet, including how to find and remove not only large apps, but also apps you don’t use anymore.

What to Know

  • From home screen or app drawer: Long press the app, drag it to Uninstall section of the home screen, release.Fine large apps: Settings > Storage > Other Apps > three vertical dots > Size, tap app you want to remove.Unused apps: Files > Clean > Search for apps > Continue > Permit usage access > Delete unused apps card.

How Do I Remove an App From My Android Tablet?

There are a number of ways to remove an app from an Android tablet:

  • Drag from home screen or app drawerDevice storage section of system menuUse the cleaning wizard in the Files app

Delete Apps From the Home Screen or App Drawer

Here’s the easiest way to remove any app from your Android tablet:

  • Open the app drawer, and press and hold the app you want to remove.
  • Move your finger slightly while keeping it held down.
  • With your finger still held down, drag the app icon to Uninstall, and lift your finger.
  • Tap OK.
  • The app will be removed from your tablet.

How Do I Find Android Apps to Uninstall to Free Up Space?

If your tablet storage is getting full, the best way to free up space on Android is to uninstall the biggest apps you don’t need or don’t use anymore.

Open the app drawer, and press and hold the app you want to remove.

Move your finger slightly while keeping it held down.

With your finger still held down, drag the app icon to Uninstall, and lift your finger.

Tap OK.

The app will be removed from your tablet.

Here’s how to free up space by removing large Android apps from your tablet:

  • Open Settings, and tap Storage.
  • Tap Other Apps.
  • You can also find apps to remove by taping Photos & videos, Music & audio, Games, and Movie & TV apps.
  • Tap the three vertical dots icon in the upper right corner.
  • Tap Sort by size.
  • Locate a large app you don’t need, and tap it.
  • Tap the app icon.
  • Tap Uninstall.
  • Tap OK.
  • If you need to free up more space, tap back and select another app to remove.

How Do I Remove Unwanted Apps From My Android Tablet?

If you know the exact app you want to remove, the best way to remove it is the method described in the previous section. If you need some help identifying unwanted apps, the Files app has a wizard which will automatically locate any unused apps and allow you to uninstall them.

Open Settings, and tap Storage.

Tap Other Apps.

You can also find apps to remove by taping Photos & videos, Music & audio, Games, and Movie & TV apps.

Tap the three vertical dots icon in the upper right corner.

Tap Sort by size.

Locate a large app you don’t need, and tap it.

Tap the app icon.

Tap Uninstall.

If you need to free up more space, tap back and select another app to remove.

Here’s how to find unwanted apps on your Android tablet using Files:

  • Open Files.
  • Tap Clean in the bottom left corner.
  • Tap Search for apps.
  • Tap Continue.
  • Tap the Permit usage access toggle.
  • The Files wizard will look for unused apps.
  • Locate the Delete unused apps card and tap Select apps.
  • If you see Nice! No used apps, that means the wizard didn’t find any unused apps. If you still want to remove apps, use one of the other methods.
  • Select the apps you want to uninstall.
  • Tap Uninstall.
  • Tap OK.
  • When there are no more unused apps, you’ll see a card saying Nice! No unused apps.

How Do I Uninstall an App That Won’t Let Me Uninstall It?

You can uninstall almost any Android app using the methods described above, but there are some exceptions. If you find you can’t uninstall an app from your Android tablet, it usually falls into one of these categories:

Open Files.

Tap Clean in the bottom left corner.

Tap Search for apps.

Tap Continue.

Tap the Permit usage access toggle.

The Files wizard will look for unused apps.

Locate the Delete unused apps card and tap Select apps.

If you see Nice! No used apps, that means the wizard didn’t find any unused apps. If you still want to remove apps, use one of the other methods.

Select the apps you want to uninstall.

When there are no more unused apps, you’ll see a card saying Nice! No unused apps.

  • System apps. You can’t uninstall system apps. These apps are critical to the operation of the phone, so they are permanently installed.Preinstalled apps. Some preinstalled apps can be uninstalled, and others can’t. If you can’t uninstall a preinstalled app, you can disable it to prevent it from ever running.Apps protected by administrator privileges. You can uninstall this type of app by removing the administrator privileges.

Can I Uninstall Preinstalled Apps on an Android Tablet?

You can uninstall some preinstalled apps from your Android tablet, but some will give you trouble. If you try to remove a preinstalled app and receive an error message, the only way to get rid of it is to root your phone and install a different version of Android. The other option is to disable the preinstalled apps on Android. This won’t free up any space, but it will prevent the app from ever running or sending you notifications. 

Can I Uninstall Admin-protected Apps on an Android Tablet?

If you can’t uninstall an app because it has admin permissions, then you need to disable Android admin permissions before you can remove it. You can do so by navigating to Settings > Security > Device admin apps. If the app you’re having trouble with appears in that list, you can tap the toggle next to it to remove the admin permissions, and then you should be able to uninstall it. 

  • How do I move apps to an SD card on an Android tablet?
  • If you’re running out of space on your tablet, you can offload apps to an external memory card. Load the card, and then go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Info and select the app. Finally, go to Storage > Change and select your SD card to move the app.
  • How do I organize apps on an Android tablet?
  • You can sort and list Android apps in a variety of ways. To alphabetize them, open Apps, tap the More option, and then go to Display Layout > Alphabetical List. Alternatively, you can make app folders by dragging one app icon onto another.

If you’re running out of space on your tablet, you can offload apps to an external memory card. Load the card, and then go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Info and select the app. Finally, go to Storage > Change and select your SD card to move the app.

You can sort and list Android apps in a variety of ways. To alphabetize them, open Apps, tap the More option, and then go to Display Layout > Alphabetical List. Alternatively, you can make app folders by dragging one app icon onto another.

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