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PZ Matthews
Original Poster
Jan 28, 2019

Will pictures in photos be deleted if they are deleted from device gallery

I want to delete pictures from my phone but want them saved to my photos, if I delete them from gallery will they be removed from photos and drive?
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Lobalobo
Product Expert Alumni
Jan 29, 2019
Good question and good to be cautious.  Once an image captured on your phone (or tablet or similar device) is backed up to the cloud in Google Photos, you can safely remove that image from the phone (or similar device) without deleting it from the cloud or Albums (including Shared Albums) but only in one of the following three ways:
  • Free Up Space within the Google Photos App: found by selecting Menu in upper-left of screen, then Settings .
  • Delete Device Copy within the Google Photos App: found in  Albums view of Google Photos App, reached by selecting images in Albums that appear below Photos on Device and then by tapping More Options More Optionson the right hand side of blue Selected bar that appears).
  • Delete from Camera Gallery outside the Google Photos App.
Free Up Space will remove all images (photos or videos) from your phone that have already been backed up to Google Photos (photos.google.com); Delete Device Copy will do the same but with selected images; deletion from Camera Gallery software, or any software other than the Google Photos App, will have no effect on images backed up to Google Photos.

By contrast, for images backed to Google Photos after being captured on your phone, if you simply Delete from within your Google Photos App, by tapping Trash , e.g., the images will be deleted from the cloud as well and will no longer be available in Google Photos (unless restored from the Trash within 60 days of deletion).

Let me know if this helps (and if it does please select the Recommend button below this post so that others can more easily find the solution to similar problems).
Platinum Product Expert Kojo Eghan recommended this
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All Replies (5)
Lobalobo
Product Expert Alumni
Recommended Answer
Jan 29, 2019
Good question and good to be cautious.  Once an image captured on your phone (or tablet or similar device) is backed up to the cloud in Google Photos, you can safely remove that image from the phone (or similar device) without deleting it from the cloud or Albums (including Shared Albums) but only in one of the following three ways:
  • Free Up Space within the Google Photos App: found by selecting Menu in upper-left of screen, then Settings .
  • Delete Device Copy within the Google Photos App: found in  Albums view of Google Photos App, reached by selecting images in Albums that appear below Photos on Device and then by tapping More Options More Optionson the right hand side of blue Selected bar that appears).
  • Delete from Camera Gallery outside the Google Photos App.
Free Up Space will remove all images (photos or videos) from your phone that have already been backed up to Google Photos (photos.google.com); Delete Device Copy will do the same but with selected images; deletion from Camera Gallery software, or any software other than the Google Photos App, will have no effect on images backed up to Google Photos.

By contrast, for images backed to Google Photos after being captured on your phone, if you simply Delete from within your Google Photos App, by tapping Trash , e.g., the images will be deleted from the cloud as well and will no longer be available in Google Photos (unless restored from the Trash within 60 days of deletion).

Let me know if this helps (and if it does please select the Recommend button below this post so that others can more easily find the solution to similar problems).
Platinum Product Expert Kojo Eghan recommended this
Jacques Lourens
Nov 7, 2019
Good day.'

So if i understand correctly, if i delete a photo from my device's Gallery it will still reside on google photos?

So basically Google Photos must become your default Photo management app, as to what to keep and what not.

Thank you
User 5003735167244594289
Nov 8, 2019
Sorry, but I did not understand the part below:

"By contrast, for images backed to Google Photos after being captured on your phone, if you simply Delete from within your Google Photos App, by tapping Trash , e.g., the images will be deleted from the cloud as well and will no longer be available in Google Photos (unless restored from the Trash within 60 days of deletion)."

I mean... all of my images are backed to GP after being captured. In this case (and correct me if I'm wrong),  the third choice (Delete from Camera Gallery outside the Google Photos App) is useless, since it will also discard the pictures stored in GP, right?
Last edited Nov 8, 2019
Jonathan Ventresca
Jan 12, 2020
My phone was stolen and I want to erase everything off my phone remotely. Just to confirm this will not affect my backed up google photos correct?
Marlbethjoy Tagupa
Jan 28, 2020
My camera someonre tag me, so my camera have hiding nude how i delete
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