How To Find Out What Apps I Deleted

Deleting an app on an iPhone is a walk in the park. You lightly press on the app you want to get rid of. All of the apps start wobbling, you tap the "x" icon, and the unwanted app is gone.

How To See Recently Deleted Apps on the iPhone

But is there a way to keep track of all the apps you removed?

Yes, there is, and it's very easy to do so. The following sections will show you how to preview the deleted apps and also restore them if you want. Without much further ado, let's dive right in.

Previewing the Deleted Apps

Once you hit the "x" icon and confirm by tapping on Delete, the app along with its data is gone. However, it's not gone for good. Remember that all your apps (deleted or installed) live inside the App Store. You are only a few steps away from accessing them at any given point.

Launch the App Store, tap your profile icon on the top right, and select Purchased.

If you select the "All" tab, you can see every app on your account. The installed ones have the Open button on the right and the ones you deleted have a small cloud icon.

To preview only the deleted apps, tap on the "Not on this iPhone" tab instead. It lists all of the apps you've ever deleted from your account.

How to Restore the Apps

After a while, you might figure out that you want to go back to some of the apps you've deleted. Unsurprisingly, there are a few different ways to restore apps to an iPhone, and all of them are easy.

App Store

You already know how to get to the "Not on this iPhone" tab, so there's no need to repeat the steps. Once you reach the tab, browse the list of the deleted apps and tap on the cloud icon to reinstall it. You'll need to enter the Apple ID password to confirm and download the app.

The small blue circle indicates the download status. When it's done, you'll see the Open button next to the app. A great thing about this feature is that you don't need to pay twice for the apps you purchased. Restoring the app is enough.

Name Search

It might be quicker to just type the name of the app in the App Store search bar and find the app this way. The store, of course, remembers your purchases and the process is pretty similar to the one described above. Hit the magnifier icon at the bottom right in the App Store, type the name, and select the app from the results.

The cloud icon appears under the name of the app, just tap on it to reinstall the app.

Can You Do It via iTunes?

Unfortunately, you cannot. For some reason, Apple decided to remove the Apps tab/icon from iTunes 12.7 onwards. But if you haven't updated iTunes for a while, you might still be able to restore the apps. In that case, click on your iPhone, choose Apps, and click Install next to the ones you want to use again.

On the other hand, you can use the Restore from Backup feature on any version of iTunes. However, this might be too much just to get a few apps. You need to make sure to update the iPhone in a timely manner and there's always the risk of losing some of your data. Therefore, it's best to stick to the previously described methods.

Apps Gone Missing

You might notice that some of your apps are nowhere to be found even though you haven't deleted them. But there's no need to worry – these apps are not gone for good. As of iOS 11.0, Apple introduced the Offload Unused Apps feature which removes the apps you don't use.

All of the offloaded apps can be reinstalled via the App Store. If you dislike this automatic feature, it's simple to turn off. Go into Settings, swipe down and select iTunes & App Store, navigate to Offload Unused Apps, and tap on the button to toggle it off.

Tip: Use the Spotlight Search to find missing or deleted apps. Type the app's name and select the App Store icon if the app has been downloaded or offloaded.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I delete an app from my phone that I paid for, will I have to pay to download it again?

As long as you're using the same Apple ID and password, you will not have to pay to download the app again. Simply visit the App Store on your phone, click on the cloud icon, and download the content. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eYou may see a button that says 'Buy' rather than the cloud. If you're using the same Apple ID and password you shouldn't need to pay for the app. If it's a lower-cost app and you don't mind, go ahead and download it because oftentimes you'll get a pop-up that states u0022You've already purchased this app.u0022 Unfortunately, that isn't a guarantee so you may need to contact Apple.

If I change my Apple ID, can I still recover my Apps?

Unfortunately, no. If you delete or lose access to your Apple ID, you will also lose access to all saved information and your purchases. The only workaround to this is if you had Family Sharing set up.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eReactivate Family Sharing with your new Apple ID and see if your purchases become available. If you deleted your Apple ID, this may not work because you also deleted all purchases. Alternatively, if you or someone in your family made the purchases and your account is still active, it's certainly worth a shot.

The Apps Are Always Out There

In short, the easiest way to see your deleted apps is via the App Store Purchased tab. From there, you can quickly restore several apps at a time by tapping on the cloud icon. The other important takeaway is that the Offload Unused Apps feature automatically deletes apps. Turn it off to avoid temporarily losing some of your apps.