How to Remove Apps From Facebook (Computer, Android, iPhone)

Most of us have logged into something with Facebook once and forgotten about it: a quiz, a game, a scheduling tool, a photo app. Years later it's still sitting there with a connection to your account. If you use Facebook for work, a tidy list of connected apps is a sensible bit of housekeeping.

Here are the steps Facebook's Help Centre gives for computers and phones, what happens after you remove an app, and what it can't undo. Where phone menus differ, I'll say so rather than invent button names.

Where to find the apps connected to your Facebook account

Facebook's help page for finding the apps and games you've added says to do this on a computer:

1. Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
2. Select Settings & privacy, then click Settings.
3. Click Apps and Websites in the left side menu.

That screen is the list of everything you've added. It's worth reading all the way down before you remove anything, because some of the names will be ones you've forgotten and others will be tools you rely on.

How to remove apps from Facebook on a computer

From the Apps and websites screen, Facebook's steps are:

1. Go to the app or game you want to remove.
2. Next to its name, click Remove.
3. If you like, select the option to allow Facebook to notify the app or game that your login connection was removed. Facebook says they may offer you another way to log in.
4. Click Remove again to confirm.

How to remove apps from Facebook on Android

Facebook's Android help page gives these steps after you've opened your settings:

1. Scroll down to the Your activity section and tap Apps and websites.
2. Tap the app or game you want to remove.
3. Below its name, tap Remove.
4. If you wish, choose the option to let Facebook notify the app or game that your login connection was removed.
5. Tap Remove again to confirm.

The first steps, opening the menu and getting to Settings, didn't come through on the version of the page I read, and the menu names change between app versions. Open the main menu in the Facebook app, find Settings & privacy and Settings, then scroll to Your activity.

How to remove apps from Facebook on iPhone and iPad

The iPhone and iPad version is almost word for word the same as Android. Scroll down to the Your activity section, tap Apps and websites, tap the app or game, tap Remove below its name, choose whether to notify the app, and tap Remove again to confirm. As with Android, how you reach Settings can vary slightly with your app version.

Removing a connected account from a Facebook app or game

Some apps connect more than your login. Facebook's page says that if you connected accounts with an app or game, such as a loyalty scheme or a news service, you can remove each connection separately. On a computer click Remove next to the connected account, and on a phone tap Remove next to it. This is useful if you want to keep the app but cut one link.

What happens after you remove an app from Facebook

The help page makes two points worth noticing. First, once you've removed the app or game, it should no longer post to your timeline. If you still see a past post it made, you can remove that post yourself.

Second, and this surprises people, removing the app doesn't wipe what it already collected. Facebook says the app or game may have stored information from when you were using it. If you want that gone, you can contact the developer and ask them to delete any information they may still have. That's a request to the app's owner, not something Facebook can do for you.

Should you notify the app when you remove it from Facebook?

The notify option is up to you. If you tick it, Facebook tells the app that your login connection was removed, and the app may offer you another way to log in. That's handy if you want to keep using it with an email and password instead. If you're removing something you no longer use, there's no need to tick it.

Choosing which Facebook apps to remove

A simple way to decide is to look at each one and ask three questions. Do I still use it? Do I know who made it? Does it need a link to my Facebook account at all? Games and quizzes you've outgrown are easy removals. Be more careful with tools you use for work, such as a scheduling tool for your Page, and check how you'll log in once the link is gone before you remove it.

While you're in your settings, it's a good moment to review wider privacy questions. My explainer on whether Facebook tracks your location covers one of the biggest, and whether Facebook has a watch history covers another.

If a removed Facebook app still shows up

If you can still see an old post from a removed app, remove the post as Facebook's page suggests. If an app seems to be back after you removed it, it's worth checking that you removed the right entry and that nobody else is using your login on another device. Keep an eye on the Apps and websites list over the coming weeks, and if you see something you don't recognise, remove it and change your password in Facebook's security settings.

I keep every related walkthrough in the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remove apps from Facebook on a computer?

Click your profile picture, go to Settings & privacy, then Settings, then Apps and Websites. Click Remove next to the app or game and click Remove again to confirm.

How do I remove apps from Facebook on my phone?

Open Settings in the Facebook app, scroll to Your activity, tap Apps and websites, tap the app, tap Remove and confirm. Menu names vary between app versions.

Will removing an app stop it posting on my timeline?

Facebook says that once you've removed the app or game, it should no longer post to your timeline. You can remove any past post it made.

Does removing a Facebook app delete the information it has?

No. Facebook says the app may have stored information from when you used it. You can contact the developer and ask them to delete it.

Can I remove one connected account but keep the app?

Yes. If you connected accounts with an app or game, Facebook says you can remove each connection separately by choosing Remove next to it.

What does the notify option do when I remove an app?

It lets Facebook tell the app your login connection was removed. Facebook says the app may then offer you another way to log in.