Deleting photos backed up to Google Photos without removing them from your device can be done. Follow these steps to remove photos and videos from Google Photos while keeping them on your phone or computer.
Turn Off Back Up & Delete from Google Photos
First, ensure that backup is off on all devices where you want to keep the photos or videos. This prevents future uploads.
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Access Google Photos: On your computer or mobile browser, go to photos.google.com/login.
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Delete Photos/Videos: Select the backed-up photos and videos you want to remove from Google Photos and delete them.
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Refresh App (Mobile): On your iPhone or iPad, wait a few minutes, ensure you’re connected to Wi-Fi, close and reopen the Google Photos app. This refreshes the content to reflect the changes.
Verify Deletion and Backup Status
Deleted photos might still appear in your Photos view. These are local copies on your device. To confirm a photo’s backup status:
- Select the Photo: Tap the photo.
- Check Details: Tap the “More” icon (three vertical dots) and scroll down to “Details.” Here you can see if the photo is still backed up.
To prevent Google Photos from backing up the local copies again, leave the backup setting off.
Important Considerations
Keeping backup off means losing the benefits of automatic photo and video storage and syncing. Learn more about the benefits of backing up to Google Photos.
If you re-enable backup, deleted photos and videos might be backed up again, or the local copies on your device might be deleted. Learn how to turn on backup.
By following these steps, you can manage your photos and videos effectively, keeping what you want on your devices and removing what you no longer need from Google Photos.
