use
tutorials
How to Remove a PWA from Your Device

How to Remove a PWA from Your Device

🚀 Quick Start Guide

Need to remove a Progressive Web App from your device? Here’s the complete removal process for all major platforms:

  1. Android (Chrome) (2 min) - Remove from home screen and clear data
  2. iOS (Safari) (2 min) - Delete from home screen and clear website data
  3. Windows (Edge/Chrome) (3 min) - Uninstall from Start menu and clear browser data
  4. macOS (Safari/Chrome) (3 min) - Remove from Dock and clear application data
  5. Linux (Chrome) (2 min) - Delete from applications menu

Total Time: ~2-3 minutes per device

📖 Why Remove a PWA?

In the last article https://tmfnk.com/use/tutorials/convert-webpage-to-pwa/ we installed a PWA. Although Progressive Web Apps offer great benefits, there are several reasons you might want to remove one:

Common Reasons:

  • Storage Space: PWAs can accumulate cached data over time
  • Privacy Concerns: Want to clear browsing data and cached content
  • App Management: Too many installed PWAs cluttering your device
  • Performance Issues: Problematic PWA affecting device performance
  • No Longer Needed: App is no longer useful or relevant
  • Testing Purposes: Need to reinstall for testing or updates

What Gets Removed:

  • App icon from home screen/dock
  • Cached website data and offline content
  • Service worker registration
  • Push notification permissions
  • App-specific settings and preferences

📚 Table of Contents

📱 Android Removal

Method 1: Remove from Home Screen (Quick)

On Android (Chrome/Samsung Internet/Other browsers):

  1. Locate the PWA icon on your home screen or app drawer
  2. Long-press the app icon until options appear
  3. Tap “Remove” or “Uninstall” (may show trash can icon)
  4. Confirm removal when prompted

Alternative Method:

  1. Open your browser (Chrome/Samsung Internet)
  2. Tap the menu button (three dots) in the top-right corner
  3. Select “Bookmarks” or “History”
  4. Find the PWA website and tap the menu next to it
  5. Select “Remove from home screen”

Method 2: Clear Browser Data (Complete Removal)

In Chrome:

  1. Open Chrome browser
  2. Tap menu button (three dots) → Settings
  3. Scroll down → Privacy and security
  4. Tap “Clear browsing data”
  5. Select time range (All time for complete removal)
  6. Check boxes for:
    • Browsing history
    • Cookies and site data
    • Cached images and files
  7. Tap “Clear data”

In Samsung Internet:

  1. Open Samsung Internet
  2. Tap menu button → Settings → Privacy
  3. Tap “Delete browsing data”
  4. Select data to delete (check all options)
  5. Tap “Delete”

Method 3: Uninstall from App Info (System Level)

For Android 8.0+:

  1. Long-press the PWA icon
  2. Tap “App info” or “i” icon
  3. Tap “Uninstall”
  4. Confirm removal

For Android 7.0 and below:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Downloaded
  2. Find the PWA (may appear as website name)
  3. Tap “Uninstall”
  4. Confirm removal

🍎 iOS Removal

Method 1: Remove from Home Screen (Quick)

On iOS (Safari):

  1. Locate the PWA icon on your home screen
  2. Touch and hold the app icon until it jiggles
  3. Tap the minus (-) button in the top-left corner of the icon
  4. Tap “Delete” to confirm removal
  5. Press the home button (or swipe up on iPhone X+) to stop jiggling

Alternative Method:

  1. Open Safari browser
  2. Tap the bookmarks icon (open book) in the toolbar
  3. Tap “Edit” in the bottom-right corner
  4. Find the PWA website in your bookmarks
  5. Tap the minus (-) button next to it
  6. Tap “Delete” to confirm

Method 2: Clear Website Data (Complete Removal)

In Safari Settings:

  1. Open Settings app
  2. Scroll down → Safari
  3. Scroll down → Advanced
  4. Tap “Website Data”
  5. Find the PWA website in the list
  6. Swipe left on the website entry
  7. Tap “Delete” to remove its data

Alternative: Clear All Website Data:

  1. Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data
  2. Tap “Clear History and Data”
  3. Confirm (this removes all website data, not just the PWA)

Method 3: Reset Safari (Nuclear Option)

If the above methods don’t work:

  1. Settings → Safari
  2. Scroll to bottom → Advanced → Experimental Features
  3. Disable “Web App Installation” (if available)
  4. Go back → Clear History and Website Data
  5. Restart your device

🪟 Windows Removal

Method 1: Uninstall from Start Menu (Quick)

On Windows 10/11 (Edge/Chrome):

  1. Click Start button
  2. Find the PWA in your apps list (may appear under website name)
  3. Right-click the app
  4. Select “Uninstall”
  5. Confirm removal in the dialog box

Alternative Method:

  1. Right-click the PWA icon on desktop or taskbar
  2. Select “Uninstall” or “Remove from this device”**
  3. Confirm removal

Method 2: Remove from Browser (Complete)

In Microsoft Edge:

  1. Open Edge
  2. Click menu button (three dots) → Settings
  3. Click “Cookies and site permissions” on the left
  4. Click “Cookies and data stored”
  5. Find the PWA website → Click the three dots → Remove

In Chrome:

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Click menu button (three dots) → Settings
  3. Click “Privacy and security” → Cookies and other site data
  4. Click “See all cookies and site data”
  5. Search for the PWA website
  6. Click the trash icon to remove its data

Method 3: Clear App Data (System Level)

Using Settings App:

  1. Open Settings (Win + I)
  2. Go to Apps → Apps & features
  3. Search for the PWA (may appear as website name)
  4. Click it → Uninstall
  5. Confirm removal

Using PowerShell (Advanced):

# List installed apps
Get-AppxPackage | Select Name, PackageFullName

# Uninstall specific PWA (replace with actual package name)
Remove-AppxPackage -Package "PackageFullName"

💻 macOS Removal

Method 1: Remove from Dock/Applications (Quick)

On macOS (Safari/Chrome):

  1. Locate the PWA icon in your Dock or Applications folder
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) the app icon
  3. Select “Move to Trash”
  4. Empty the Trash to complete removal

Alternative Method:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Go to Applications folder
  3. Find the PWA (may appear as website name)
  4. Drag it to Trash
  5. Empty Trash

Method 2: Clear Browser Data (Complete)

In Safari:

  1. Open Safari
  2. Safari menu → Preferences → Privacy tab
  3. Click “Manage Website Data”
  4. Find the PWA website in the list
  5. Select it → Click “Remove”
  6. Click “Done”

In Chrome:

  1. Open Chrome
  2. Click menu button (three dots) → Settings
  3. Click “Privacy and security” → Cookies and other site data
  4. Click “See all cookies and site data”
  5. Search for the PWA website
  6. Click the trash icon to remove its data

Method 3: Terminal Removal (Advanced)

For stubborn PWAs:

# Find PWA app bundle
find /Applications -name "*PWAName*" -type d

# Remove the app bundle
sudo rm -rf /Applications/PWAName.app

# Clear associated data
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/PWAName
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/PWAName

🐧 Linux Removal

Method 1: Remove from Applications Menu (Quick)

On Linux (Chrome/Chromium):

  1. Open your applications menu (varies by desktop environment)
  2. Find the PWA in the applications list
  3. Right-click the icon
  4. Select “Remove” or “Uninstall”
  5. Confirm removal

Alternative Method:

  1. Open file manager
  2. Navigate to ~/.local/share/applications/
  3. Find the PWA .desktop file
  4. Delete the file

Method 2: Clear Browser Data (Complete)

In Chrome/Chromium:

  1. Open Chrome/Chromium
  2. Click menu button (three dots) → Settings
  3. Click “Privacy and security” → Cookies and other site data
  4. Click “See all cookies and site data”
  5. Search for the PWA website
  6. Click the trash icon to remove its data**

Method 3: Terminal Removal (Advanced)

For Ubuntu/Debian:

# Find PWA desktop files
find ~/.local/share/applications -name "*pwa*" -o -name "*webapp*"

# Remove desktop file
rm ~/.local/share/applications/pwa-name.desktop

# Clear Chrome data (replace with actual profile)
rm -rf ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Service\ Worker/
rm -rf ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/IndexedDB/

🔧 Advanced Removal

Clear Service Worker Registration

In Browser DevTools:

  1. Open browser DevTools (F12)
  2. Go to Application tab (Chrome) or Storage tab (Firefox)
  3. Click “Service Workers” on the left
  4. Find the PWA’s service worker
  5. Click “Unregister”
  6. Go to “Storage” → Clear storage
  7. Check all boxes → Clear site data

Remove Push Notification Permissions

In Browser Settings:

  1. Open browser settings
  2. Go to Site Settings → Notifications
  3. Find the PWA website
  4. Click it → Remove permission or set to “Block”

Clear Cache and Cookies (Nuclear Option)

Complete Browser Reset:

  1. Open browser in incognito/private mode
  2. Clear all browsing data (all time range)
  3. Restart browser
  4. Test if PWA still appears

Registry Cleanup (Windows Only)

Using Command Prompt:

# Clear browser cache
RunDll32.exe InetCpl.cpl,ClearMyTracksByProcess 8

# Reset browser settings (use with caution)
# Chrome: chrome://settings/reset
# Edge: edge://settings/reset

🛠️ Troubleshooting

PWA Won’t Uninstall

IssueSolution
Icon remains after removalRestart device, clear browser cache
App still opens websiteClear browser data, unregister service worker
Notifications persistRevoke notification permissions in browser settings
Storage space not freedClear browser cache and offline data

Common Error Messages

“App could not be uninstalled”

  • Try clearing browser cache first
  • Restart device and try again
  • Use browser’s reset function

“Service worker still active”

  • Open DevTools → Application → Service Workers
  • Unregister the service worker manually
  • Clear all site data

“Cannot delete app”

  • Close all browser windows first
  • Try removing from system settings instead of browser
  • Use terminal/command prompt for force removal

Recovery Options

If PWA becomes corrupted:

  1. Clear all browser data for the website
  2. Unregister service worker
  3. Restart browser/device
  4. Reinstall PWA if needed

If removal fails completely:

  1. Use browser’s reset function
  2. Clear all browsing data
  3. Restart in safe mode (if available)
  4. Contact browser support

🛠️ Tools & Resources

Removal Tools

ToolPurposeLink
CCleanerSystem cleanup toolccleaner.com
BleachBitLinux cleanup toolbleachbit.org
Browser Reset ToolsReset browser settingsBuilt into browsers

Browser-Specific Guides

System Cleanup Resources

General System Cleanup:

Browser Cleanup Tools:

Storage Cleanup:

Privacy & Security:

Command-Line Tools:

# macOS: Clean system caches
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/*
sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/*

# Windows: Clean temp files
cleanmgr /sagerun:1

# Linux: Clean package cache
sudo apt clean && sudo apt autoclean  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo pacman -Sc  # Arch Linux

🔍 Quality & Trustworthiness

  • Platform Coverage: Comprehensive removal guides for all major operating systems
  • Multiple Methods: Basic and advanced removal options for each platform
  • Safety First: Conservative approach prioritizing data safety
  • Troubleshooting: Solutions for common removal issues and edge cases
  • Regular Updates: Instructions tested and updated for latest OS versions

Key Insights

“Sometimes the best way to fix a problem is to start fresh. PWA removal gives you that clean slate.” - Web App Developer Wisdom

“PWAs are meant to be ephemeral - easy to install, easy to remove. That’s their strength.” - PWA Expert

Crepi il lupo! 🐺