How to Delete Photos on Your iPhone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Managing photos on your iPhone is crucial, whether you’re freeing up storage space or simply decluttering your photo library. Knowing how to delete photos efficiently, whether individually or in batches, is a fundamental skill for any iPhone user. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about deleting photos on your iPhone, including how to recover them if you change your mind and how to handle duplicate photos.

Deleting a Single Photo or Video

If you need to remove just one photo or video from your iPhone, the process is quick and simple. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Photos App: Locate and tap the Photos app icon on your iPhone’s home screen.

2. Select the Photo or Video: Browse through your albums (like “Recents” or specific albums you’ve created) and tap on the photo or video you wish to delete.

3. Tap the Trash Icon: Once you have the photo or video open, 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 from the bottom of the screen. Tap “Delete Photo” (or “Delete Video”) to confirm your choice.

iPhone showing Delete Photo option

This action will move the selected photo or video to the “Recently Deleted” album.

Deleting Multiple Photos and Videos

For those times when you need to delete a large number of photos or videos, iOS offers a convenient way to select and delete multiple items at once. Here’s how:

1. Open the Photos App: Just like deleting a single photo, start by opening the Photos app.

2. Navigate to the Album: Go to the album containing the photos and videos you want to delete.

3. Tap “Select”: In the top right corner of the screen, you’ll see the “Select” option. Tap it.

4. Select Multiple Items: Now you can tap on each photo or video you want to delete. Alternatively, you can drag your finger across multiple photos to select them more quickly. Selected items will usually be indicated with a checkmark.

iPhone showing multiple photos selected in the Photos app

5. Tap the Trash Icon: Once you have selected all the items you wish to delete, tap the trash can icon at the bottom right corner.

6. Confirm Bulk Deletion: A confirmation prompt will appear, indicating the number of items you are about to delete. Tap “Delete [Number] Photos/Videos” to confirm.

These selected photos and videos will now be moved to the “Recently Deleted” album.

Recovering Deleted Photos and Videos

Accidentally deleted a photo or video? Don’t worry! iOS provides a 30-day window to recover items from the “Recently Deleted” album. Here’s how to get them back:

1. Open the Photos App: Open the Photos app on your iPhone.

2. Go to “Albums” Tab: At the bottom of the screen, tap the “Albums” tab.

3. Scroll Down to “Utilities” and Tap “Recently Deleted”: You’ll find the “Recently Deleted” album under the “Utilities” section. Tap on it. You may be required to use Face ID or Touch ID to access this album for security reasons.

4. Select Photos or Videos to Recover: Tap “Select” in the top right corner, and then choose the photos or videos you want to recover.

5. Tap “Recover”: At the bottom right, tap “Recover”. If you want to recover all items in the album, you may see a “Recover All” option.

6. Confirm Recovery: Tap “Recover [Number] Photos/Videos” to confirm the recovery.

The recovered photos and videos will be restored to their original albums in your library. Remember that items in “Recently Deleted” will be permanently deleted after 30 days.

Permanently Deleting Photos and Videos

If you want to permanently remove photos and videos from your iPhone and not wait for the 30-day automatic deletion, you can manually empty the “Recently Deleted” album. Be absolutely sure you want to do this, as this action is irreversible.

1. Open the Photos App and Go to “Recently Deleted”: Follow steps 1-3 from the “Recovering Deleted Photos and Videos” section to access the “Recently Deleted” album.

2. Select Photos or Videos to Permanently Delete: Tap “Select” and choose the items you want to permanently delete. Or, if you want to delete everything in the album, you might see a “Delete All” option.

3. Tap “Delete”: Tap the “Delete” option at the bottom left.

4. Confirm Permanent Deletion: A confirmation prompt will appear warning you that this action is permanent and cannot be undone. Tap “Delete [Number] Photos/Videos” to permanently delete them.

Once you confirm, these photos and videos will be permanently removed from your iPhone and cannot be recovered.

Deleting Duplicate Photos to Save Space

iPhones with iOS 16 and later have a built-in feature to detect and merge duplicate photos, helping you free up storage space and organize your library. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open the Photos App and Go to “Albums”: Open the Photos app and tap on the “Albums” tab.

2. Scroll Down to “Utilities” and Tap “Duplicates”: Look for the “Duplicates” album under the “Utilities” section. If your iPhone has detected duplicates, this album will appear. If you don’t see it, your iPhone hasn’t found any duplicates yet.

3. Review Duplicates: Tap on the “Duplicates” album. You will see groups of duplicate photos and videos.

4. Tap “Merge”: For each set of duplicates, tap “Merge”. This will combine the duplicates, keeping the highest quality version and moving the others to “Recently Deleted”.

5. Confirm Merge: Tap “Merge [Number] Items” to confirm.

iPhone showing multiple photos selected in the Photos app

By merging duplicates, you can efficiently clean up your photo library and reclaim valuable storage space on your iPhone.

Understanding iCloud Photos and Deletion

If you use iCloud Photos, deleting photos on your iPhone has implications for all your devices connected to the same Apple ID. When you delete a photo on your iPhone that is synced with iCloud Photos, it will also be deleted from iCloud and any other devices (like iPads and Macs) using the same iCloud Photos library.

Important Considerations for iCloud Photos:

• Synchronization: Deletions are synced across all devices. Be mindful when deleting photos if you want to keep them on other devices.
• Recently Deleted in iCloud: The “Recently Deleted” album is also synced with iCloud. If you permanently delete photos from “Recently Deleted” on one device, they are permanently deleted everywhere.
• Shared Photo Library: In iOS 16.1 and later, using iCloud Shared Photo Library means that anyone with access can delete, edit, or add photos. Deleting a photo in a shared library affects everyone. Only the person who added the photo can permanently delete it from “Recently Deleted” in a shared library.

Before deleting photos, especially if you use iCloud Photos, ensure you understand how it works to avoid unintentionally losing photos you want to keep. Consider backing up your photos separately if needed before performing major deletions.

Conclusion

Deleting photos on your iPhone is a straightforward process, whether you’re removing a single image or managing your entire photo library. By understanding the different methods for deleting, recovering, and permanently removing photos, as well as how iCloud Photos affects the process, you can effectively manage your iPhone’s storage and keep your photo collection organized. Regularly reviewing and deleting unwanted photos is a good practice to keep your iPhone running smoothly and your photo library clutter-free.