How to Delete All Photos from Your Macbook: A Step-by-Step Guide

Managing photos on your Macbook can become overwhelming over time. Whether you’re freeing up storage space, decluttering your digital life, or preparing your Macbook for a new user, knowing how to delete all photos is essential. This guide provides you with clear, step-by-step instructions to remove your photos effectively from your Macbook.

There are several methods to delete photos from your Macbook, and the best approach depends on where your photos are stored and your intended outcome. We’ll cover the most common scenarios to ensure you can confidently manage your photo library.

Method 1: Deleting Photos Directly from the Photos App

For users who utilize the Apple Photos app to manage their images, this is the most straightforward method.

1. Open the Photos App: Locate the Photos app in your Applications folder or by using Spotlight search (Command + Spacebar and type “Photos”).

2. Select All Photos: Once the Photos app is open, navigate to the “Library” section. To select all photos, use the keyboard shortcut Command + A. This will highlight all the images and videos in your library.

3. Delete the Selected Photos: With all photos selected, press the Delete key on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can right-click (or Control-click) on any selected photo and choose “Delete [Number] Photos”.

4. Empty the Recently Deleted Album: Deleted photos are moved to the “Recently Deleted” album for 30 days, allowing for recovery if needed. To permanently delete them and free up space immediately, navigate to the “Recently Deleted” album in the sidebar of the Photos app.

5. Delete from Recently Deleted: Click on “Delete All” in the top right corner of the “Recently Deleted” album. Confirm your action when prompted. This will permanently remove the photos from your Macbook.

Method 2: Deleting Photos from the Finder (If Stored Locally)

If you manually manage your photos and store them in folders on your Macbook outside of the Photos app, you can delete them directly using Finder.

1. Open Finder: Click on the Finder icon in your Dock.

2. Locate Your Photo Folders: Navigate to the folders where your photos are stored. This could be in your “Pictures” folder, “Downloads”, or any custom folder you’ve created.

3. Select Photos and Folders: You can select individual photos, multiple photos (by holding Shift or Command while clicking), or entire folders containing photos.

4. Move to Trash: Drag the selected photos and folders to the Trash icon in your Dock. Alternatively, you can right-click (or Control-click) on the selected items and choose “Move to Trash”. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command + Delete.

5. Empty the Trash: To permanently delete the photos and reclaim storage space, right-click on the Trash icon in your Dock and select “Empty Trash”. Confirm your action when prompted.

Important Considerations Regarding iCloud Photos

If you are using iCloud Photos, deleting photos from your Macbook can have implications for your iCloud Photo Library and other devices synced with the same Apple ID.

• iCloud Sync Enabled: If iCloud Photos is turned on, deleting photos from your Macbook’s Photos app will also delete them from iCloud and any other devices (iPhones, iPads, other Macs) connected to the same Apple ID and iCloud Photo Library. This is designed to keep your photo library consistent across all your devices. If your goal is to remove photos from your Macbook only, and keep them in iCloud or on other devices, you should disable iCloud Photos before deleting.

• Turning Off iCloud Photos (Temporarily): To delete photos from your Macbook without affecting iCloud and other devices, you can temporarily turn off iCloud Photos.

  1. Open the Photos app and go to Photos > Preferences (or Photos > Settings in newer macOS versions).
  2. Click on the iCloud tab.
  3. Uncheck the box next to iCloud Photos.
  4. You will be asked if you want to download a copy of your iCloud Photos to your Mac before disabling. Choose “Download Originals to this Mac” if you want to keep a local copy of everything before proceeding with deletion. If you already have the photos locally or don’t need them, you can choose “Remove from Mac”.
  5. After turning off iCloud Photos, you can proceed to delete photos using Method 1 or Method 2. The deletions will only affect your Macbook.
  6. You can re-enable iCloud Photos later if desired.

Verifying Deletion and Freeing Up Space

After deleting your photos using any of the methods above, it’s good practice to check your storage to ensure the space has been freed up.

1. Check Storage: Go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage. This will give you an overview of your storage usage. After deleting photos and emptying the Trash and Recently Deleted album, you should see an increase in available storage space.

Conclusion

Deleting all photos from your Macbook is a straightforward process, whether you manage them through the Photos app or directly in Finder. However, if you use iCloud Photos, it’s crucial to understand the syncing behavior to avoid unintended deletions from your iCloud Photo Library and other devices. By following these steps and considering the implications of iCloud Photos, you can effectively manage your photo library and free up valuable storage space on your Macbook.

References:

• Set up and use iCloud Photos – Apple Support
• Change preferences in Photos on Mac – Apple Support
• System Photo Library overview for Photos on Mac – Apple Support