# Can I uninstall and reinstall the Gmail app? — Adinand Email Cleaner Last reviewed: October 1, 2026. HTML version: https://adinandemail.com/answers/uninstall-and-reinstall-gmail **Yes on iPhone, and on Android usually only if Gmail did not come with the phone. Either way, your email is not stored in the app.** It lives in your Google Account, which is why Google counts "Gmail messages and attachments, which includes your Spam and Trash folders" against your account's storage rather than your phone's ([*How your Google storage works*](https://support.google.com/googleone/answer/9312312), read 1 October 2026). Delete the app and sign back in later, and the mailbox is where you left it. ## What can be lost

The things that only ever lived on the phone. Google does not list what uninstalling Gmail removes; its Play help page on deleting apps gives the steps and is silent on app data ([*Delete apps on your Android device*](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/13627402), read 1 October 2026). The closest Google comes is its warning about clearing the Gmail app's storage on Android, which "can erase your" message drafts, signature, ringtone and other settings ([*Fix sync errors with the Gmail app (Android)*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6383854?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid), read 1 October 2026). Apple is direct about its side: "Deleting an app removes it and its data from your iPhone." ([*Remove or delete apps from iPhone*](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iph248b543ca/ios), read 1 October 2026). So before you uninstall: send or copy out any draft you care about, and note your mobile signature.

## On Android: uninstall, or only disable

If you installed Gmail yourself, it comes off like any app: Play Store, your **Profile** icon, **Manage apps & devices**, **Manage**, select it, **Uninstall** (the *Delete apps* page above). If it came with the phone, Google's answer is different: "You can’t delete some system apps that came pre-installed on your Android phone. But on some phones, you can turn them off", and for how, it says to contact the manufacturer ([*Disable apps that came with your Android device*](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/13627571), read 1 October 2026).

Getting it back is the same screen in reverse: Manage, then **This device**, **Not installed** if it is not listed, then **Install** or **Enable** ([*Reinstall & re-enable apps*](https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/113410?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid), read 1 October 2026).

## On iPhone

Touch and hold the Gmail icon, tap **Remove App**, then **Delete App**. Do not stop at **Remove from Home Screen**: Apple says that only moves the app to App Library, and "it isn’t deleted" (the *Remove or delete apps* page above). To reinstall, open the App Store, tap your picture, then **Apps & Purchase History**, **Your Apps**, and redownload Gmail from the list ([*Redownload apps from Apple*](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102417), read 1 October 2026). Then sign in again, so have your password and second step to hand before you start.

## Will reinstalling fix the problem?

Often it is not the step Google reaches for. Its sync troubleshooter for the Android app runs from a manual refresh and an app update, through a restart, the connection, sync settings and both kinds of storage, and ends with clearing the app's storage; reinstalling Gmail is not on the list ([*Fix sync errors with the Gmail app (Android)*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6383854?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid), read 1 October 2026). If the app is slow rather than broken, the cheaper steps on [why the Gmail app is slow](https://adinandemail.com/answers/why-is-my-gmail-app-slow) come first. If a reinstall is what you want anyway, it is safe for your mail; just mind the drafts.

Related: [Why is the Gmail app slow?](https://adinandemail.com/answers/why-is-my-gmail-app-slow) · [Why is Gmail not syncing?](https://adinandemail.com/answers/gmail-not-syncing) · [Removing Gmail from a phone](https://adinandemail.com/answers/remove-gmail-account-from-phone)