Keeping your App Store purchase history tidy is important for both privacy and usability. With just a few taps, you can remove apps from your list so that only your current favorites are visible.
Here‘s how to delete App Store history in 3 quick steps on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Why Delete App Store History?
There are a few key reasons you may want to delete parts of your App Store history:
- Privacy – If others use your device, you likely don‘t want them seeing everything you‘ve ever downloaded. Hiding old apps keeps your activity private.
- Security – Apps you no longer use but remain in your history could be out of date and vulnerable to security issues. Removing them reduces this risk.
- Usability – A lengthy history packed with apps you no longer need makes it harder to find your current apps. Decluttering streamlines your experience.
- Save Money – Deleting old app purchases can highlight redundant subscriptions or expensive impulse downloads from the past. This knowledge can help limit future spending.
Step 1: Find Your Purchase History
First, open the App Store on your iPhone, iPad or Mac and tap on your profile icon in the top right. This will show your Apple ID account page.
Under your name, tap on Purchase History. This will display a list of every app you‘ve ever acquired on any device using your Apple ID.
Note: You can view your purchase history but can‘t edit, delete or hide apps from this section.
Step 2: Locate Your Main App History
To access the list of apps you can edit, go back to your account page and this time tap Purchased instead of Purchase History.
This will display apps you currently have installed as well as previously purchased apps. Toggle between All and Not on this device to view complete or partial history.
Apps still on your device will have an Open button while those deleted will have a cloud download icon to reinstall them.
Step 3: Delete Apps From Your History
To remove an app from your Purchased history:
- Long press on the app icon
- Tap Hide in the pop-up menu
This will immediately remove the selected app from your history. The app will still function if installed; hiding it only deletes the record.
Repeat this for each individual app you want to remove from your App Store history. There is no "select all" function, so unfortunately deleting the full history must be done one app at a time.
Additional Tips
- Check Purchase History occasionally for unwanted app records that need removing from Purchased.
- Manage subscriptions under your account for additional control over recurring App Store charges.
- Turn off automatic updates and customize notifications to further tweak your App Store experience.
While you can‘t erase your entire App Store history with one click, following the steps above makes it easy to delete your old app downloads for a tidy, optimized experience going forward.