Skip to Content

Log in / Sign up

wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow

How to Turn Off Offload Unused Apps: Step-by-Step Guide

Download Article

This setting is why your apps keep uninstalling!

Co-authored by Kyle Smith Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: February 28, 2023 Fact Checked

Download Article

Turning off Offload Unused Apps

|

Offloading Apps Manually

|

Tips

Turning off the Offload Unused Apps feature is easily done through the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. This feature deletes apps that you haven’t opened in a while, meaning you would need to redownload them. Turning off the feature prevents this from happening. You can manually offload apps if needed. This wikiHow guide will show you how to turn off the Offload Unused Apps feature and how to manually offload apps on your Apple device.

Things You Should Know

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Go to App Store > Offload Unused Apps.
Toggle off the “Offload Unused Apps” feature to turn it off.
Manually offload apps by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Tap an app and select Offload App.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Turning off Offload Unused Apps

Download Article

{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/75\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/75\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-1.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

This is the gray gears icon on your iPhone or iPad home screen.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-2.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

It’s next to an icon with a white “A” on a blue background.

Advertisement
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-3.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

3
Tap the toggle next to “Offload Unused Apps”. This will turn off the Offload Unused Apps feature for your iPhone or iPad. The toggle should be gray and in the left position.
- If you want to get rid of a few apps, check out how to delete an iPhone app. You can always redownload them from the iPhone App Store .

Advertisement

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Offloading Apps Manually

Download Article

{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/71\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/71\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-4.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

This is the gray gears icon on your iPhone or iPad home screen. ^{[1]
X
Research source}
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a7\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a7\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-5.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

This option has a light gray gear icon on a dark gray background.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7e\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7e\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-6.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

This will open a new page showing your device's storage capacity and distribution. Note that this button will be called iPad Storage if you're on an iPad.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/ae\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-7.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

This will open a page showing the app's details.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7b\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7b\/Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-8.jpg\/v4-728px-Turn-Off-Offload-Unused-Apps-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

This will offload the app from your device. The app itself will be deleted, giving you more storage space, but its data and documents will remain installed. This allows you to reinstall the app later and retain the same settings and data.

Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Advertisement

Tips

You can easily unhide apps on your iPhone . You can also find and delete hidden apps as needed.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Advertisement

References

↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201656

About This Article

Reviewed by:

Professional Technologist

This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Kyle Smith . Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. This article has been viewed 52,838 times.

How helpful is this?

Co-authors: 2

Updated: February 28, 2023

Views: 52,838

Categories: Apple iOS

In other languages

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 52,838 times.

Is this article up to date?

Advertisement

Keep up with tech in just 5 minutes a week!

You're all set!

X

-

-

470

.mwimg a.image{display:none}#header_logo{display:none}#cse-search-box{display:none}#cse-search-box-noscript{display:block !important}#cse-search-box-noscript .cse_q{color:#FFF;background-color:#B3CE9C}.wh_search .cse_q{width:88%}#mw-mf-main-menu-button{display:none;visibility:hidden}.header .search{display:none}#search_footer .cse_sa{background-image:url(/extensions/wikihow/mobile/images/white_mag.png);background-size:22px}.related_box{display:block;background:#EEE;border:5px solid #FFF;vertical-align:bottom;width:127px;background-size:180px;float:left;height:120px;position:relative}.related_box p{line-height:15px !important;font-size:13px;background-color:rgba(67,95,44,.4);color:#FFF;font-weight:bold;padding:8px;margin:0 !important;position:absolute;bottom:0}#noscript_header_logo{display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle;background-position:50% 77%;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-image:url(/extensions/wikihow/mobile/images/wikihow_logo_230.png);background-size:105px;width:auto;height:51px;padding:0 14px}.articleinfo{display:none}#iorg_free_data{z-index:50;width:100%;position:fixed}#ara_recommendations{display:none}

Design a Mobile Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: