How to see recently deleted apps on iPhone

Many guides say iPhone keeps a list of recently deleted apps for 30 days, like the Recently Deleted album in Photos. It does not. Apps are removed at once, and the list you are looking for is really your App Store download history. It is just as useful: every app you ever downloaded with your Apple Account is there, and reinstalling is free for apps you already got.

Free apps appear here too. The word Purchased is misleading: it covers everything you downloaded, not only paid apps.

Why you cannot see when you deleted an app

The Not on this iPhone list is sorted by when you first downloaded each app, not when you removed it. iPhone does not record a deletion date that you can see. If you remember roughly what the app was called, the search bar is faster than scrolling.

Check for offloaded apps

An offloaded app is different from a deleted one. Offloading removes the app but keeps its data, and the icon stays on your Home Screen with a small cloud next to its name. Tap it and the app downloads again with your data in place. iPhone can offload unused apps by itself when storage is low. Look in Settings › General › iPhone Storage to see which apps are offloaded and to turn the automatic option on or off.

App not in the list? Check Hidden Purchases

If you hid a purchase, it will not show in Purchased. Open the App Store, tap your profile picture, then your name to open the account page, and look for Hidden Purchases. Unhide the app there and it returns to your list. Also check that you are signed in with the same Apple Account you used when you downloaded the app.

• Different Apple Account: sign in with the other account to see its downloads.
• Family Sharing: tap My Purchases, then pick a family member to see what they bought.
• Removed from the App Store: if the developer pulled the app, it may not be available to download again.

What happens to your data when you reinstall

Deleting an app removes the app and the data it stored on your iPhone. When you reinstall, anything saved in the app's own account or in iCloud comes back after you sign in, such as messages in a chat app or progress in many games. Anything that lived only on the iPhone is gone, unless you restore from a backup. If an app held something important, see how to restore an iPhone from a backup.

Deleted apps can still charge you

Deleting an app does not cancel its subscription. To see what you are still paying for, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Apps you deleted still appear if they bill you. Our guide to ending subscriptions on iPhone shows how to cancel.

How to stop deleting apps by accident

• Press and hold an app, then choose Remove App carefully. The menu offers Delete App and Remove from Home Screen. Remove from Home Screen keeps the app in the App Library.
• Use Screen Time to block deleting apps: Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › iTunes & App Store Purchases › Deleting Apps.
• Keep your iPhone backed up, so a deleted app and its data can be restored. See our guide to backing up an iPhone.

Short on space and tempted to delete? Try clearing iPhone storage first, which shows what is using space before you remove anything.

Check your Apple Account purchase history

If you cannot remember an app name, your purchase history lists every app you downloaded, including free ones. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in, or open the App Store, tap your profile picture and choose Purchased. Use the date to match the app you deleted. Redownload it from the list. The app comes back, but its data returns only if it was saved in iCloud or the app's own account.

Find an app that is not deleted but hidden

Before you assume an app is gone, swipe left past your last Home Screen page to the App Library and search for it. You can also pull down on the Home Screen to use Search. If it is there, you can drag it back to a page. Hidden apps are also listed in the App Library under Hidden. Our guide on how to delete a hidden app explains the difference.