How to Hide Apps in the iPhone or iPad Purchased List

Make sure no one knows which apps you've downloaded

by
Daniel Nations
Daniel Nations
Writer
Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, The Spruce, and other publications.
our editorial process
Daniel Nations
Updated on December 16, 2020

What to Know

  • In the App Store, tap your profile picture > Purchased > All. Locate the app you want to hide, swipe left, and then tap Hide.
  • To view a hidden app: Tap your profile picture > your name > Hidden Purchases. Reinstall any app by tapping the Cloud icon.
  • Note: You can't delete apps you purchased from the Purchased list, you can only hide those apps.

This article explains how to hide apps you previously purchased on an iPhone or iPad. Instructions apply to iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. These instructions will likely work on earlier versions of those operating systems, although menu names and commands (and their locations) may be different.

How to Hide an App in the Purchased List

To hide an app in the Purchased list on your iOS or iPadOS device, complete the following steps:

  1. Tap App Store.

    The App Store app on an iPad

  2. In the App Store, in the upper right corner, tap your profile picture.

    Tap your profile picture on the Today tab

  3. On the Account screen, tap Purchased to view the apps you've downloaded.

    Account page in App Store on iPad

    If you've set up Family Sharing, the first screen you see will be All Purchases. To view your purchases, tap My Purchases.

  4. Tap the All tab.

    Use the tabs at the top of the list to view all apps or only those apps not currently installed on your device. You can also search for a particular app by typing its name in the Search box.

    Locate the app you want to hide, swipe left, and then tap Hide.

    A screenshot of the App Store on iPad with the hide button highlighted

How to View a Hidden App in the Purchased List

To view an app you've hidden in the Purchased list, complete these steps:

  1. In the App Store, tap your profile picture.

  2. On the Account screen, tap your name.

    Account menu in the App Store on iPad

    You may be prompted to sign in with your Apple ID.

  3. Under ITUNES IN THE CLOUD, tap Hidden Purchases. Every purchase you've hidden appears on the Hidden Purchases screen.

    The Hidden Purchases option in the App Store on iPad

  4. From the list of hidden purchases, reinstall any app by tapping the Cloud icon to its right.

    If you don't see the app you're looking for, tap iPad Apps in the upper-left corner of the Hidden Purchases screen, and then tap iPhone Apps (or vice versa depending on which device you're on).

    Hidden Purchases screen in the App Store on iPad

    You can also view hidden purchases by tapping Purchase History on the Account Settings screen. By default, this screen show purchases only from the past 90 days, but you can view your entire account purchase history by year by tapping Last 90 Days beneath DATE RANGE.

Was this page helpful?