How to Delete Photos on Your iPhone: A Simple Guide

Running out of storage on your iPhone? Or maybe you just want to declutter your photo library? Deleting unwanted photos is a crucial part of iPhone photo management. This guide will walk you through various methods on How To Delete Iphone Photos, from removing single images to managing albums and even recovering accidentally deleted memories.

Deleting a Single Photo from Your iPhone

The most basic way to delete photos from your iPhone is to remove them one by one. Here’s how:

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone. This is the app with the colorful pinwheel icon.

2. Navigate to the photo you wish to delete. You can find photos in your “Library,” “Albums,” or “Search” tabs.

3. Tap on the photo to view it in full screen.

4. Tap the Trash icon located at the bottom right corner of the screen.

   Alt text: Deleting a single photo on iPhone, tap the trash can icon in the Photos app to remove unwanted images.

5. Confirm deletion by tapping “Delete Photo” in the prompt that appears. The photo will be moved to the “Recently Deleted” album.

Deleting Multiple Photos on Your iPhone

If you need to remove multiple photos from your iPhone at once, the process is just as straightforward and efficient:

1. Open the Photos app.

2. Go to the album or date containing the photos you want to delete.

3. Tap the “Select” button at the top right corner of the screen.

4. Tap on each photo you want to delete. A blue checkmark will appear on selected photos. Alternatively, slide your finger across multiple photos to select a range quickly.

   iPhone showing multiple photos selected in the Photos app

   Alt text: Selecting multiple iPhone photos for deletion, tap Select then choose images to remove from the photo library.

5. Tap the Trash icon at the bottom right corner.

6. Confirm deletion by tapping “Delete” in the confirmation message. All selected photos will be moved to the “Recently Deleted” album.

Removing Duplicate Photos to Free Up Space

iPhones have a handy feature to identify and delete duplicate photos, helping you reclaim valuable storage space:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Scroll down to the “Utilities” section and tap on the “Duplicates” album. This album automatically appears if your iPhone detects duplicate photos.
3. Review the duplicate sets. The Photos app groups near-identical photos together.
4. Tap “Merge” to combine duplicates. The iPhone keeps the photo with the highest quality and relevant data and moves the duplicates to “Recently Deleted.”
5. Confirm by tapping “Merge [Number] Items”.

Recovering Recently Deleted Photos on Your iPhone

Accidentally deleted a precious memory? Don’t worry! Photos deleted from your iPhone are moved to the “Recently Deleted” album and kept for 30 days before permanent deletion. Here’s how to recover deleted iPhone photos:

1. Open the Photos app.

2. Scroll down to the “Utilities” section and tap on the “Recently Deleted” album.

3. If you have iOS 16 or later, tap “View Album” and use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock the album for security.

4. Tap “Select” at the top right corner.

5. Choose the photos or videos you want to recover.

6. Tap the “Recover” button at the bottom right corner. Alternatively, tap the “More” button (three dots icon) and then “Recover”.

   Alt text: The “More” button icon on iPhone, used to access additional options like recovering or permanently deleting photos from Recently Deleted album.

7. Confirm recovery by tapping “Recover Photos”. The recovered photos will be restored to their original locations in your library.

Permanently Deleting Photos from Your iPhone

If you want to permanently delete photos from your iPhone and free up storage immediately, you need to empty the “Recently Deleted” album:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Go to the “Recently Deleted” album under “Utilities”.
3. Unlock the album with Face ID or Touch ID if prompted.
4. Tap “Select”.
5. Select the photos you want to permanently delete. To delete all, you can usually find a “Delete All” option.
6. Tap “Delete”.
7. Confirm permanent deletion by tapping “Delete Photo” or “Delete [Number] Photos”. Be aware that this action is irreversible, and these photos cannot be recovered.

Mastering how to delete iPhone photos effectively ensures your photo library remains organized and your device storage is optimized. Regularly reviewing and removing unwanted images, and managing your “Recently Deleted” album, are good practices for any iPhone user.