Delete photos & videos

Backed up photos and videos you delete will stay in your trash for 60 days before they are
permanently deleted forever. Photos and videos that were permanently deleted can’t be restored. Learn how to turn on backup.

Before you delete photos & videos

Learn where photos and videos do and don’t get removed.

Items you delete from Google Photos are also removed from:

• Android devices, iPhones, and iPads with Google Photos installed and backup turned on.
• Google Photos albums.
• Shared albums and conversations you added them to.
• Some Google Photos highlight videos. Learn more about deleted photos in highlight videos.
• Local storage when files are downloaded to iPhones and iPads, and some devices on Android 11 or later.

Items you delete aren't automatically removed from:

• Blogger
• Drive
• Gmail
• YouTube

Before you get started

Download and install the Google Photos app.

Delete photos & videos

You can delete up to 1,500 photos and videos from your Google Photos library or your camera roll at a time.

Important: Deleting photos and videos from the Google Photos app deletes the same items from your device. If these items are backed up, the same content will be deleted on all devices with backup turned on. Learn how to remove backed up photos and videos from Google Photos but not your device.

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Photos app .
2. Sign in to your Google Account.
3. Touch and hold a photo or video that you want to move to the trash. You can select multiple photos and videos.
4. At the top, tap Delete .

Tip: Some photos save space when deleted. If you delete a photo that saves storage space in your Google Account, you may get an estimate of the recovered storage.

Learn what happens to photos & videos you've deleted

• If you delete a photo or video that’s backed up in Google Photos, it will stay in your trash for 60 days.
• If you permanently delete a photo or video from your iPhone or iPad without it being backed up in Google Photos, it will stay in your trash for 30 days, then be deleted forever. Learn how to turn on backup.

Tip: Deleted photos and videos might stay on a removable memory card. To delete them permanently, use your device’s gallery app.

Delete photos & videos permanently

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Photos app .
2. Sign in to your Google Account.
3. At the bottom, tap Library Trash Select.
4. Choose the photo or video that you want to delete permanently.
5. At the top, click Select .
6. Tap Delete Delete.

Tip: You may still find items permanently deleted from Google Photos on your iPhone or iPad in the recently deleted folder in Apple Photos.

Remove an item from your device

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Photos app .
2. Sign in to your Google Account.
3. Select the photo or video that you want to delete from your iPhone or iPad.
4. At the top, tap More Delete from device.

Learn how to free up space on your device.

Remove backed up photos & videos from Google Photos but not your device

1. On your iPhone or iPad, in the Google Photos app, turn off backup.
   • Turn off backup on all devices where you want the photo or video to stay.
2. On your computer or in your mobile browser, go to photos.google.com/login.
3. Delete your selected backed up photos and videos from Google Photos.
4. On your iPhone or iPad, wait a few minutes and make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi.
5. Close and reopen the app.
   • Deleted photos may still be in your Photos view. These photos are only local copies. To check the backup status of the photo, tap the photo More . Scroll down to "Details."

To ensure that your photo or video isn't backed up to Google Photos again and your local copy isn't deleted, leave backup off.

Tips:

• If you leave backup off, you lose the benefits of backup. Learn about the benefits of backup.
• If you want your photos and videos to save to your Google Account again, you can turn on backup. Learn how to turn on backup.
• If you turn on backup, sometimes:
  • The deleted photo or video may be backed up again once backup is re-enabled.
  • The device copy of the deleted photo or video may be deleted once backup is re-enabled.