Want to clear out your Google Photos but keep your originals? This guide provides step-by-step instructions on How To Delete All Photos In Google Photos without deleting them from your phone, computer, or other devices. We’ll cover methods for both mobile and desktop, explain Google Photos’ syncing behavior, and offer tips to prevent accidental deletions.
Why Delete Your Google Photos?
There are several reasons why you might want to delete your photos from Google Photos:
- Privacy Concerns: Google has access to your uploaded photos and metadata, including location data and facial recognition information. While you can disable some features, Google still retains access according to its data policies.
- Broken Promises: Google initially offered unlimited storage for high-quality photos but later introduced limitations and charges.
- AI Integration: Features like “Ask Photos” raise concerns about how Google uses AI to analyze your images. While Google claims not to use personal photos for AI training beyond Google Photos without consent, concerns remain.
Deleting Google Photos Without Erasing Device Originals
Here are two ways to delete photos from Google Photos while preserving them on your devices:
Deleting via the Google Photos App (Android and iOS)
- Disable Backup: Open the Google Photos app, tap your profile picture, go to “Backup,” and disable “Backup photos & videos.” This crucial step prevents synced deletion across your devices. Remember to disable backups on all devices where you want to keep your photos.
- Delete Photos: Return to the main photo view. Google doesn’t offer a “select all” option, making bulk deletion tedious. A workaround is to enable “Stack similar photos” and set the layout to “Month,” allowing you to select all photos within each month. Tap the trash icon, then “Move to trash.”
- Empty Trash: Navigate to “Library” -> “Trash.” Tap “Select,” then “Delete all” and confirm with “Empty Trash.” Photos remain in the trash for 60 days before automatic deletion.
Deleting via Google Photos on Desktop (Browser)
- Disable Backup (on all devices): As with the app method, first disable backup on all your devices.
- Access Google Photos: Open your browser and go to photos.google.com.
- Select Photos: Select photos individually or use Shift-click to select multiple photos in a row. To select all, select the most recent photo, scroll to the very bottom ensuring all thumbnails are loaded, hold Shift, and click the earliest photo.
- Delete: Click the trash icon and confirm with “Move to trash.”
- Empty Trash: Go to the “Trash” section and click “Empty trash” to permanently delete the photos.
Understanding Google Photos Sync
Google Photos automatically syncs photos across devices linked to your Google account. Key takeaways:
- Synced Deletions: Deleting a photo from Google Photos will remove it from all synced devices unless backup is disabled. Even with backup disabled on a device, deleting a photo will still sync that deletion to the cloud and other enabled devices.
- Disabling Backup: Disabling backup prevents new photos from uploading to Google Photos and allows you to delete photos from Google Photos without affecting local copies.
Preventing Accidental Deletions
- Avoid “Free Up Space”: This option deletes device photos older than 30 days that have been backed up. If backup is disabled and you’ve already deleted from Google Photos, using this option will result in permanent photo loss.
- Disable Smart Storage (Pixel Phones): On Pixel phones, Smart Storage automatically deletes backed-up photos older than 60 days. Disable this feature in the Files app under “Clean” -> Storage details.
Stop Using Google Photos Completely
To entirely remove Google Photos, uninstall it on iOS devices. On Android, where it’s often pre-installed, go to Settings -> Apps -> Google Photos -> Disable -> Disable App -> Force Stop. Then, revoke all permissions under “Permissions.”
Consider Private Alternatives
Explore privacy-focused cloud storage solutions like Proton Drive, which offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring only you can access your photos.
