Deleting photos backed up to Google Photos without removing them from your device can be tricky. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to do it:
Deleting Backed Up Photos from Google Photos
After disabling backup, you need to delete photos from the Google Photos website, not the mobile app. Follow these steps:
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Turn Off Backup: On all devices where you want to keep the photos, ensure Google Photos backup is turned off. This prevents future uploads.
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Access Google Photos on Web: Go to photos.google.com/login on your computer or mobile browser. Using the website is crucial for this process.
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Delete Photos: Select the backed-up photos and videos you wish to remove from Google Photos and delete them.
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Refresh App (Mobile): On your iPhone or iPad, connect to Wi-Fi, close the Google Photos app, and reopen it. This refreshes the app to reflect the changes.
You might still see deleted photos in your Photos view. These are local copies on your device. To confirm a photo’s backup status, tap the photo, select “More,” and scroll down to “Details.” Look for the backup status indicator. To prevent future backups and deletion of local copies, keep backup off.
Important Considerations
Leaving backup off means losing the benefits of automatic backups and storage. For information on backup benefits, visit: Learn about the benefits of backup.
If you want to re-enable backups, you can. Instructions can be found here: Learn how to turn on backup. However, be aware that turning backup back on might re-upload previously deleted photos or potentially delete the local copies on your device.
Ensure you understand these implications before re-enabling the backup feature. Deleting Google backup photos requires careful attention to these steps to avoid unintended data loss.
