Does Deleting an App Delete Your Data? Where It Lives and How to Back It Up

The short answer

Before deleting an app, many people pause and wonder what will happen to everything inside it. There is no single answer, because it depends on the app and its settings. So check two things first: where the data is stored, and how you would get it back. Once you know both, you can decide for yourself whether it is safe to delete.

Three places data can live

Broadly, app data sits in one of three places.

• On the device: stored on the phone itself, and may disappear along with the app
• In the cloud: stored on the service's servers and tied to your account with that service
• In exported files: copies taken out of the app, such as a PDF or a CSV (a plain-text table format)

One app can use more than one of these. For example, an app might sync the main content to the cloud while keeping drafts or settings only on the device. The app's settings screen or help pages should tell you what is kept where.

Offload versus Delete on iPhone

On iPhone there are two similar-looking options. According to Apple, offloading an app frees the space used by the app itself but keeps its documents and data. Deleting an app removes the app and its related data. If all you need is space, offloading may suit you better.

Both act only on the iPhone. Data stored in the cloud, and the account itself, may be handled separately, so check that service's own guidance. Apple also notes that deleting an app does not automatically cancel an in-app subscription. Menu names can differ between iOS versions and languages.

Signing in is not the same as restoring

Being able to sign in to your account does not mean your data will come back. Anything that lived only on the device may not return when you sign in again.

Sync, which keeps the same state across devices and the cloud, needs care too, because it also syncs deletions. Apple explains that with iCloud Photos, deleting a photo on one device deletes it from other devices signed in to the same account.

A backup is a separate copy of things as they were at a point in time, and every backup has conditions: what it covers, when it was taken, and how it is restored. On iPhone, Apple notes that turning off iCloud Backup for an app removes that app's data from iCloud. The difference between sync and backup is covered in more depth in "Cloud sync is not a backup."

Open the exported file and look inside

Exporting is one way to keep a copy in your own hands. Do not stop at the export itself: open the file and check that the number of items, the dates and any attached images are all there.

Check the format as well. A PDF is good for reading but may be hard to edit again in another app. If you might want to edit the data later, look for a format the app can import back, such as plain text or CSV. Google, for example, explains that its data export uses formats such as HTML, CSV or JSON depending on the data type, and that changes made after you request the export may not be included.

Before you delete

For example, before deleting a notes app, check whether your notes sync to the cloud or stay only on the phone, whether the same notes appear on another device or on the web, and whether an exported copy opens with its text and images intact.