How to Delete Photos from Your iPad: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing photos on your iPad is essential, whether you’re freeing up storage space or simply decluttering your digital life. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about how to delete photos from your iPad, covering single photos, multiple selections, and even recovering accidentally deleted memories.

Before you begin deleting, it’s always a good idea to back up your important photos and videos. If you utilize iCloud Photos, remember that deleting a photo on your iPad will remove it from all devices linked to the same Apple ID. To understand more about managing your iPad storage and iCloud Photos, you can explore Apple’s resources on managing device photo storage and deleting photos and videos in iCloud Photos. To check your iPad’s available storage, navigate to Settings > General > iPad Storage.

When you delete photos and videos from your iPad, they are not immediately gone forever. They are moved to the “Recently Deleted” album for 30 days, providing a safety net in case you change your mind. After this 30-day period, the items are permanently deleted.

It’s important to note that if your photos were added to your iPad by syncing from your computer, you cannot delete them directly from the Photos app on your iPad. The delete option will appear grayed out. In this situation, you’ll need to stop syncing photos from your computer. You can learn how to stop syncing photos from your computer through Apple’s support documentation.

Deleting a Single Photo or Video from Your iPad

Deleting individual photos is a straightforward process, perfect for removing those occasional unwanted shots.

Screenshot of an iPad displaying the Photos app with the Delete Photo option highlighted.

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPad.
2. Find and select the specific photo or video you wish to delete.
3. Tap the Trash icon located at the bottom of the screen.
4. Confirm your decision by tapping Delete Photo. The selected item will then be moved to the Recently Deleted album.

Deleting Multiple Photos and Videos from Your iPad

For a more efficient cleanup, you can delete multiple photos at once. This is ideal for removing large batches of similar or unwanted images.

Screenshot of an iPad displaying the Photos app with multiple photos selected for deletion.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPad.
2. Tap Select in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Tap on each photo or video you want to delete, or drag your finger across multiple items to select them quickly. Selected items will be indicated with a checkmark.
4. Once you’ve selected all the items for deletion, tap the Trash icon.
5. Confirm the deletion by tapping Delete. All selected items will be moved to the Recently Deleted album.

If you are using iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, or later, you might be utilizing the iCloud Shared Photo Library. In a shared library, up to five other people can add, edit, and delete content. If someone deletes a photo from the shared library, it will disappear from everyone’s view. However, only the person who originally added the photo can permanently delete it from the “Recently Deleted” folder or recover it. Remember, you have 30 days to recover items from the “Recently Deleted” album.

Removing Duplicate Photos and Videos on Your iPad

Duplicate photos can unnecessarily consume storage space. iPads running iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, and later offer a built-in feature to identify and merge duplicates.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the Utilities section.
3. Locate and tap the Duplicates album under Utilities.
4. Review the identified duplicates and tap Merge to combine them.
5. Confirm by tapping Merge [Number] Items.

When you merge duplicates, your iPad intelligently keeps the version with the highest image quality and relevant data, moving the other duplicates to the Recently Deleted album. The duplicate detection process is automatic and may take some time to complete. You can learn more about the Duplicates album on Apple’s support page.

Recovering Deleted Photos and Videos on Your iPad

Accidentally deleted a precious memory? Don’t worry! You can recover photos and videos from the Recently Deleted album within 30 days.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Swipe up to find the Recently Deleted album under Utilities.
3. If you are using iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later, tap View Album. You may be prompted to use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock the album for security.
4. Tap Select, and then choose the photos or videos you want to restore.
5. Tap the More button (represented by three dots in a circle), and then tap Recover. To restore everything in the album, tap Recover All.
6. Confirm your action by tapping Recover. The recovered items will be returned to your main Photos Library.

If you’re missing photos or videos that you cannot find in Recently Deleted, you can explore further troubleshooting steps provided by Apple on missing photos or videos.

For added privacy, especially if you share your iPad, the Recently Deleted album is locked by default using Face ID or Touch ID in iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, and later. If you prefer to have the Recently Deleted album unlocked by default:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Toggle Use Face ID off. This will also unlock the Hidden album by default. You can learn more about hiding photos if needed.

Permanently Deleting Photos and Videos from Your iPad

If you want to immediately and permanently remove photos from your iPad and not wait for the 30-day automatic deletion, you can empty the Recently Deleted album. Be absolutely sure you want to do this, as permanently deleted photos cannot be recovered.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Swipe up to access the Recently Deleted album.
3. If using iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, or later, tap View Album and use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock it.
4. Tap Select, then choose the photos or videos you wish to permanently delete.
5. Tap the More button, and then tap Delete. To permanently delete everything in the album, tap Delete All.
6. Confirm the permanent deletion by tapping Delete Photo. Once deleted from this album, the photos are gone and cannot be recovered.

Deleting photos from your iPad is a simple process, whether you’re tidying up your library or freeing up space. By understanding these steps, you can effectively manage your photos and videos on your iPad.