Running out of storage on your iPhone? Or perhaps you’re concerned about privacy and want to ensure those ‘deleted’ photos are truly gone? Many iPhone users are unaware that simply deleting photos from the Photos app doesn’t remove them permanently right away. Instead, they are moved to a “Recently Deleted” album, acting like a recycle bin for your images. This is a great safety net for accidental deletions, but it also means those photos are still taking up space on your device and are retrievable for up to 30 days. If you’re looking to truly clear deleted photos from your iPhone and reclaim storage or enhance your privacy, this guide will walk you through the process step-by-step.
Understanding the “Recently Deleted” Album on Your iPhone
When you delete a photo or video from your iPhone’s Photos app, it isn’t immediately erased from your device. Apple provides a recovery period by moving these items to a hidden album called “Recently Deleted.” This album acts as a temporary holding space, giving you a 30-day window to recover any photos or videos you might have deleted by mistake. Think of it like the trash bin on your computer – items are moved there before permanent deletion, offering a chance to restore them.
However, after 30 days, these photos and videos are automatically and permanently deleted from your iPhone and iCloud Photos if you’re using it. Until then, they still occupy storage space on your device. Therefore, if your goal is to free up space or ensure complete removal for privacy reasons, you need to manually clear the “Recently Deleted” album.
Steps to Permanently Delete Photos from the “Recently Deleted” Album
Clearing photos from the “Recently Deleted” album is a straightforward process. Here’s how you can permanently remove photos from your iPhone:
Accessing the Recently Deleted Album
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Open the Photos App: Locate and tap the Photos app icon on your iPhone’s home screen.
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Navigate to Albums: At the bottom of the Photos app, you’ll see several tabs. Tap on the “Albums” tab.
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Scroll Down to Utilities: Scroll down the Albums screen until you find the “Utilities” section. Within this section, you will see the “Recently Deleted” album.
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Open Recently Deleted: Tap on the “Recently Deleted” album. You might be required to use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock this album for security reasons, especially if you are running iOS 16.1 or later. This security feature prevents unauthorized access to your recently deleted items.
iPhone showing Recently Deleted album under Utilities in Photos app
Permanently Deleting Photos Individually
Once you’ve opened the “Recently Deleted” album, you can choose to delete photos individually:
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Tap “Select”: In the top right corner of the “Recently Deleted” album screen, tap the “Select” option.
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Choose Photos: Tap on each photo or video you want to permanently delete. A blue checkmark will appear on each selected item.
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Tap “Delete”: After selecting the photos, tap the “Delete” option located at the bottom left corner of the screen.
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Confirm Deletion: A confirmation prompt will appear, asking “Delete [Number] Photos?”. Tap “Delete” to confirm and permanently remove the selected photos from your iPhone.
Permanently Deleting All Photos at Once
If you want to clear out the entire “Recently Deleted” album quickly, you can delete all items at once:
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Open Recently Deleted Album: Follow steps 1-4 in the “Accessing the Recently Deleted Album” section above to open the album.
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Tap “Select”: Tap the “Select” option in the top right corner.
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Tap “Delete All”: Instead of selecting individual photos, look at the bottom left corner. You will see the option “Delete All”. Tap on “Delete All”.
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Confirm Deletion: A confirmation prompt will appear: “Delete All [Number] Items?”. Tap “Delete All” to permanently delete all photos and videos currently in the “Recently Deleted” album.
iPhone showing Delete All option in Recently Deleted album in Photos app
Managing iCloud Photos and Deleted Items
If you use iCloud Photos, it’s important to understand how deleting photos works in conjunction with iCloud. When you delete a photo on your iPhone that is synced with iCloud Photos, it will also be deleted from iCloud and all other devices logged in with the same Apple ID. Similarly, when you clear photos from the “Recently Deleted” album on your iPhone, these changes are also reflected across your iCloud Photos library and connected devices.
This synchronization is convenient for keeping your photo library consistent across devices. However, it also means that permanently deleting a photo on one device will permanently delete it everywhere. Be mindful of this if you intend to keep photos on some devices but remove them from others. In such cases, you might need to manage photos separately or consider alternative backup solutions for specific devices.
Why Regularly Clear Your “Recently Deleted” Album?
There are several compelling reasons to make clearing your “Recently Deleted” album a regular practice:
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Free Up Storage Space: Even though photos are deleted from your main library, they continue to consume storage in the “Recently Deleted” album for up to 30 days. Permanently deleting them frees up valuable storage on your iPhone, which can improve device performance and allow you to store more new photos, videos, apps, and other data.
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Enhance Privacy: For privacy-conscious users, simply deleting photos and leaving them in “Recently Deleted” might not be enough. If you are selling, giving away, or even just lending your iPhone to someone else, permanently clearing deleted photos ensures that these images cannot be easily recovered by others within that 30-day window.
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Organize Your Photo Library: Regularly clearing out unwanted photos, including those in “Recently Deleted,” helps maintain a cleaner and more organized photo library. This makes it easier to find the photos you actually want to keep and reduces clutter.
Tips for Efficiently Managing Deleted Photos
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Review Before Deleting: Before permanently deleting photos from the “Recently Deleted” album, take a moment to quickly review them. Ensure you are not accidentally deleting photos you might want to recover later.
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Regular Maintenance: Incorporate clearing the “Recently Deleted” album into your routine iPhone maintenance. Perhaps do it weekly or monthly, depending on how frequently you delete photos.
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Check Storage Settings: Periodically check your iPhone storage settings (Settings > General > iPhone Storage) to see how much space photos are consuming and if clearing deleted photos could significantly free up space.
Conclusion
Clearing deleted photos from your iPhone is an essential step in managing your device’s storage and ensuring your privacy. By understanding the “Recently Deleted” album and following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively and permanently remove unwanted photos and videos from your iPhone. Make it a habit to regularly clear your “Recently Deleted” album to keep your iPhone running smoothly and your photo library well-organized.
