How to Delete Pictures on an iPhone

To delete a picture on your iPhone, open Photos, open the picture, tap the Trash button, then tap Delete Photo. To remove several at once, tap Select, tap each picture you want gone, then tap the Trash button and confirm. Deleted pictures wait in Recently Deleted for 30 days, so you can still get them back.

Applies to: iPhone with a current version of iOS, where the Photos app has a Collections tab, as shown in Apple’s current instructions. Checked against Apple Support on October 7, 2026.

Before you delete anything

Deleting is easy to do and, for the first 30 days, easy to undo. Two things are worth checking first, because they change what a deletion actually removes.

• iCloud Photos. If you use iCloud Photos, your library is the same on every device signed in to your Apple Account. Apple states that when you delete a photo or video on one device, it is deleted on all the others too. Your iPad, Mac and iCloud.com do not keep a spare copy.
• A backup of anything you want to keep. Apple’s advice is to back up the photos and videos you still want before you delete. Copy them to a computer or another storage service first if you only want them off the phone.

Delete one picture

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap the photo or video you want to remove so it opens full screen.
3. Tap the Trash button. A confirmation appears.
4. Tap Delete Photo. The picture leaves your library and moves to Recently Deleted.

Delete several pictures at once

Use this method when you are clearing out screenshots, bursts of near-identical shots or a whole day of pictures.

1. Open Photos.
2. Tap Select.
3. Tap each picture you want to delete. To pick up a run of pictures quickly, slide your finger across them instead of tapping one at a time.
4. Tap the Trash button, then confirm that you want to delete the items. They all move to Recently Deleted together.

Clear out duplicate pictures

The Photos app can find exact copies for you, which is often the quickest way to shrink a crowded library without choosing pictures one by one. Apple lists this feature for iOS 16 and later.

1. Open Photos and tap Collections at the bottom of the screen.
2. Swipe up and tap Duplicates under Utilities.
3. Tap Merge to combine one set of duplicates. To handle many sets, tap Select, then Select All.
4. Tap Merge [Number] Items to confirm.

Merging keeps one version with the highest image quality and the relevant data, and moves the extra copies to Recently Deleted.

Get a deleted picture back

You have 30 days to recover a picture from the Recently Deleted album. After that it is removed for good.

1. Open Photos and tap Collections.
2. Swipe up and tap Recently Deleted under Utilities.
3. Tap View Album, then unlock the album with Face ID or Touch ID.
4. Tap Select and tap the picture you want back.
5. Tap the More button, then tap Recover. To restore everything in the album, choose Recover All.
6. Tap Recover to confirm. The picture returns to your library.

Apple’s current instructions describe the Photos app with a Collections tab. If your iPhone runs an older version such as iOS 17 and your Photos app looks different, find the Recently Deleted album in the app’s list of albums instead. If the picture is no longer there, our guide to recovering deleted photos from an iPhone covers the other places to look.

Delete pictures permanently

Warning: Apple is clear that when you delete a photo or video from the Recently Deleted album, you cannot get it back. Only do this for pictures you are sure about.

1. Open Photos and tap Collections.
2. Swipe up and tap Recently Deleted under Utilities.
3. Tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.
4. Tap Select, then tap the pictures you want to remove for good.
5. Tap the More button, then tap Delete. To empty the whole album, choose Delete All.
6. Confirm. Depending on your setup, the confirmation reads Delete from All Devices or Delete Photos I Added.

If you do nothing, the album empties itself: each picture is removed permanently 30 days after you deleted it.

Delete pictures from iCloud.com

If you use iCloud Photos and your iPhone is not at hand, you can delete from a web browser. The result is the same as deleting on the phone, because the library is shared across your devices.

1. Sign in at icloud.com/photos with your Apple Account.
2. Select the photos or videos you want to delete.
3. Tap or click the Delete button.
4. Tap or click Delete to confirm.

How to confirm it worked

The picture should be gone from your library and present in Recently Deleted. If you are deleting to save space, check the totals afterward: go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see how much room is left on the phone and which apps use the most. For iCloud, Apple notes that items in Recently Deleted do not count toward your iCloud storage, so you do not need to empty that album to get your iCloud space back.

Troubleshooting

The Trash button is gray

Pictures that were copied to your iPhone by syncing with a computer cannot be deleted directly in the Photos app. Apple’s fix is to stop syncing them from the computer. On a Mac, connect the iPhone, select it in the Finder sidebar, open the Photos tab, deselect Sync Photos, click Remove photos, then click Apply. To drop only some albums, choose the selected-albums option there and deselect the ones you no longer want.

Recently Deleted will not open

Face ID or Touch ID is required by default to view both the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums. If you would rather not unlock them each time, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Photos and turn off Use Face ID. Be aware that this also leaves the Hidden album unlocked for anyone using your phone.

You cannot recover or permanently delete a shared picture

In an iCloud Shared Photo Library, every member can add, edit and delete items. However, only the person who added a photo or video can recover it or permanently delete it from Recently Deleted. Ask that person to do it.

A picture disappeared from your other devices

This is how iCloud Photos is designed to behave. Recover the picture from Recently Deleted within 30 days and it returns to your iCloud Photos library.

Frequently asked questions

How long do deleted pictures stay on an iPhone?

They stay in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. During that time you can recover them; afterward they are permanently deleted.

Does deleting a picture on my iPhone delete it from iCloud?

Yes, if iCloud Photos is turned on. The deletion applies to every device signed in with the same Apple Account, and to iCloud.com.

Can I delete every picture at once?

Apple’s instructions describe selecting pictures by tapping or sliding across them, rather than a single button that removes the whole library. Sliding across rows after tapping Select is the quick way to gather a large batch.

Can I undo a permanent deletion?

Not from the Photos app. Once a picture is deleted from Recently Deleted, Apple says you cannot get it back, which is why a separate backup matters for pictures you care about.

Does deleting an Apple-identified duplicate lose quality?

No. Merging keeps the version with the highest image quality and moves only the spare copies to Recently Deleted.

For the full reference, see Apple’s page on how to delete photos on your iPhone or iPad. Next, open Duplicates under Utilities: it is usually the fastest safe cleanup in a large library.