How to Delete Photos on Your iPhone or iPad: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing photos on your iPhone or iPad involves not just capturing memories but also decluttering your photo library. Whether you need to free up storage space or simply remove unwanted images, knowing how to delete photos efficiently is essential. This guide will walk you through various methods to delete photos on your iPhone or iPad, from removing single images to managing duplicates and recovering accidentally deleted ones.

Deleting a Single Photo

Removing individual photos is straightforward and quick. Here’s how to delete a single photo from your Photos app:

1. Open Photos: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad to access your photo library.
2. Select a Photo: Browse through your albums or the Library tab and tap on the photo you wish to delete.
3. Tap the Trash Icon: Once you’ve selected the photo, look for the trash can icon, usually located at the bottom right corner of the screen. Tap this icon.
4. Confirm Deletion: A confirmation prompt will appear, asking “Delete Photo?”. Tap “Delete Photo” to move the selected image to the Recently Deleted album.

Deleting a single photo on iPhone: Tap the trash icon and confirm

Deleting Multiple Photos

For a more efficient cleanup, you can delete multiple photos at once. Follow these steps to remove several images simultaneously:

1. Open Photos: Start by opening the Photos app on your device.
2. Tap Select: In any album or in the Library view, tap the “Select” button, typically found in the top right corner of the screen.
3. Select Photos: Now, you can tap on each photo you want to delete to select them. Alternatively, you can drag your finger across multiple photos to select a range of images quickly. Selected photos will be indicated with a checkmark.
4. Tap the Trash Icon: After selecting all the photos for deletion, tap the trash can icon at the bottom right corner.
5. Confirm Deletion: Confirm your action by tapping “Delete [Number] Photos” in the prompt that appears. The selected photos will be moved to the Recently Deleted album.

Deleting multiple photos on iPhone: Select photos and tap the trash icon

Managing Duplicate Photos

Duplicate photos can take up unnecessary storage space. iOS and iPadOS offer a built-in feature to identify and merge duplicates:

1. Open Photos: Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Access Duplicates Album: Scroll down to the “Utilities” section and tap on the “Duplicates” album. This album automatically groups together photos that appear to be duplicates. (Note: This feature is available on iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, and later.)
3. Merge Duplicates: Tap “Merge” next to a set of duplicates to combine them. This will keep the highest quality version and move the others to Recently Deleted.
4. Confirm Merge: Tap “Merge [Number] Items” to finalize the merge.

By merging duplicates, you keep your photo library organized and save storage space on your device.

Recovering Deleted Photos

Accidentally deleted a precious photo? Don’t worry, photos deleted from your iPhone or iPad are moved to the “Recently Deleted” album, where they are kept for 30 days before permanent deletion. Here’s how to recover them:

1. Open Photos: Launch the Photos app.
2. Go to Recently Deleted: Scroll down to the “Utilities” section and tap on the “Recently Deleted” album.
3. Unlock if Necessary: On iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, and later, you might need to use Face ID or Touch ID to view this album. Tap “View Album” and authenticate.
4. Select Photos to Recover: Tap “Select” and choose the photos or videos you want to recover.
5. Tap Recover: Tap the “Recover” button at the bottom right. To recover all items, tap “Recover All”.
6. Confirm Recovery: Tap “Recover Photo” to confirm. The recovered photos will be restored to their original albums in your Library.

Permanently Deleting Photos

If you want to permanently remove photos and free up storage immediately, you can delete them from the “Recently Deleted” album:

1. Open Photos: Open the Photos app and go to the “Recently Deleted” album as described in the recovery steps.
2. Unlock if Necessary: Use Face ID or Touch ID if prompted to access the album.
3. Select Photos to Delete Permanently: Tap “Select” and choose the photos or videos you want to permanently delete. To delete all, you can usually find a “Delete All” option.
4. Tap Delete: Tap the “Delete” button, which might be represented by the trash icon or the word “Delete”.
5. Confirm Permanent Deletion: Confirm that you want to permanently delete the selected items. Once deleted from this album, the photos cannot be recovered.

Understanding how to effectively delete and manage photos on your iPhone and iPad is crucial for maintaining an organized photo library and optimizing your device’s storage. Whether it’s removing a single unwanted shot or clearing out duplicates, these steps will help you keep your photos in check. Remember to back up important photos before deleting to avoid any permanent loss.