How to reset an app on iPhone

If you’re using an iPhone, chances are you’ve installed a lot of apps. Over time, it’s possible that some apps start acting up, running slowly, or not working as they should, so you may wonder how to reset the apps on your iPhone. Or maybe you want to start fresh with a specific app or game. While there’s no built-in way to fully reset an app on iPhone without deleting it, there are a few effective workarounds. Read this guide to find out how to reset an app on an iPhone using different approaches:

Can you reset an iPhone app without deleting it?

Let’s be clear right from the start: no, there’s no official way to reset an app on iPhone without deleting it. Unlike Android, iOS doesn’t let users erase an app’s stored data while keeping the app installed. The only exception to this rule is Safari, which has the option to Clear History and Website Data. You can learn more about this from my guide on clearing the cache on your iPhone. Whether to fix an issue or start over from scratch, you must remove the app from your device and reinstall it if you want your iPhone to forget the data from one app entirely. However, not every issue requires a full reset.

How to reset apps on iPhone by quitting and reopening them

If an app is glitching, unresponsive, or frozen, a simple force quit might solve the problem without touching the app’s data. First, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and keep your finger on the display afterward (or double-press the Home button on models that have one) to see all your open apps. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause Next, swipe left and right to find the problematic app in the App Switcher, shown below. Swipe the app up to close it. How to reset an app on iPhone without deleting it Reopen the app to see if the issue has been resolved. If it persists, it’s worth trying to restart your iPhone. For help with that, check out my guide on turning an iPhone on or off. The instructions in this chapter don’t reset the app’s data but can resolve bugs without deleting anything. If the app still isn’t behaving properly after that, it’s time to consider more permanent solutions.

How to reset an app on iPhone by deleting and reinstalling it

If you want to know how to reset apps on an iPhone and start completely fresh, the most reliable method is to delete and reinstall them. However, if an app stores information in your iCloud space on Apple’s servers, you need to delete that data as well to reset it completely. This usually happens with games rather than other apps. That being said, let’s go over the required steps.

Step 1. Remove the app you want to reset

On your iPhone’s Home Screen, find the app you want to reset. Touch and hold its icon until the contextual menu appears, and then tap Remove App. Tap Remove App in the contextual menu In the pop-up window, tap Delete App. Choose to Delete App in the pop-up Finally, press Delete to confirm your decision. Confirm deleting the app and the data it stores on your iPhone TIP: Did you know there are several other ways to uninstall apps on iOS? To learn them all, read my tutorial on deleting apps on an iPhone.

Step 2. Delete the app’s data in iCloud

Before downloading the app from the App Store and installing it again on your iPhone, check whether it stores data in iCloud. If it did, you should also delete that data to fully reset the app on your iPhone. First, open the Settings app and tap your Apple Account profile at the top. The Apple Account entry in an iPhone's Settings On the Apple Account screen, tap iCloud. Tap iCloud That brings you to your iPhone’s iCloud screen. Tap the first entry, Storage. Access Storage on the iCloud screen Scroll down and inspect the app list on the Manage Storage screen. If you can’t find the app you want to reset, it doesn’t store any data in iCloud, so feel free to skip to the last step. However, if the app is on the list, it means it has data saved in your iCloud, data that you must delete to reset the app completely. In this case, tap on the app’s name. Tap the app you want to reset on your iPhone The only thing of interest on the next screen is the Delete Data From iCloud button. Tap it to remove any data your app stored in iCloud. Delete Data From iCloud for the app you are resetting In the pop-up at the bottom, tap Delete to confirm your action. Tap Delete at the bottom Finally, tap Permanently Delete to confirm once more. Tap Permanently Delete to remove the app's iCloud data Removing the content saved in iCloud may take a few seconds, depending on your device, connection, and the amount of data being deleted. When it’s done, the app is removed from the app list on the Manage Storage screen.

Step 3. Reinstall the app on your iPhone

The final step to complete the reset of an app on your iPhone is to download it from the App Store. Open the App Store on your iPhone, search for the app (or game), and install it again. Reinstall the app you removed on your iPhone The app is now reset, and you can set it up as if it were brand new. TIP: If the issue persists, you can also try resetting your iPhone to truly wipe the slate clean.

Why did you want to reset an app on your iPhone?

Resetting an app on your iPhone is not a straightforward process. Apple doesn’t offer a simple reset option in iOS, so the only real way to start over is by deleting the app, removing any saved data, and reinstalling it. Is there a particular reason you needed to reset an app on your iPhone? Perhaps you’d like to restart a game and remove your saved progress? Or is it something else? Let me know what brought you here in the comments below.