How To Delete An App on Apple TV

October 28, 2023

Whether you’re looking to declutter your Apple TV’s home screen or free up some storage space, deleting unnecessary apps is a simple process.

This comprehensive guide will show you how to remove apps, adjust home screen settings, and understand sync options. Plus, we’ll explore why you might occasionally run into issues when trying to delete apps from your Apple TV.

Contents

How to Delete an App on Apple TV

Follow these steps to delete an app from your Apple TV:

Navigate to the app: On your Apple TV home screen, use your remote to highlight the app you want to delete.
Open the options menu: If you’re using a Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote, press and hold the Touch surface until the app starts to jiggle. If you’re using an Apple Remote, press and hold the Select button until the app starts to jiggle.
Delete the app: Press the Play/Pause button for more options, then select ‘Delete.’ If the app doesn’t jiggle, make sure that you’re not highlighting ‘Open’ on the menu.
Confirm deletion: When prompted, select ‘Delete’ to confirm that you want to delete the app.

Home Screen Settings

Apple TV allows you to customize the home screen to your liking. You can organize apps into folders, move apps around, or even hide them using the home screen settings:

To move an app: Press and hold the Touch surface until the app starts to jiggle. Then, swipe left, right, up, or down on the Touch surface to move the app. Press the Touch surface again to finish.
To create a folder: While an app is jiggling, drag it onto another app to create a new folder.
To rename a folder: Open a folder, navigate to the name of the folder, and press the Touch surface. Then, use the onscreen keyboard or Siri to enter a new name.

Sync Settings

Under ‘Settings > Apps,’ you can turn on or off automatic downloads. When this feature is turned on, apps you purchase on other devices using your Apple ID will automatically appear on your Apple TV home screen.

Why Can’t I Delete Apps on Apple TV?

There are several reasons why you might be having trouble deleting apps on Apple TV:

The app is open: You cannot delete an app if it’s currently open. Make sure you have closed the app before trying to delete it.
Restrictions are enabled: If you’ve enabled restrictions on deleting apps, you won’t be able to remove them. Go to ‘Settings > General > Restrictions’ to adjust this setting.
The app is updating or installing: If the app is currently updating or installing, you will have to wait for the process to finish before you can delete the app.