How to delete photos from iCloud (everywhere, or just iCloud, or just your iPhone)

The short answer#

To delete photos from iCloud, delete them in the Photos app on any device that uses iCloud Photos, or at icloud.com/photos. Select the photos, tap the Delete button, then confirm. With iCloud Photos on, the photos disappear from iCloud and from every device signed in to your Apple Account.

They then sit in Recently Deleted for 30 days. To free up iCloud storage right away, or to make sure they're gone, delete them from Recently Deleted too.

Before you start, decide which of these you actually want, because each one works differently:

Delete photos from iCloud everywhere#

On iPhone or iPad

1. 1

   Open Photos and go to your Library

   Make sure you're viewing your own library, not a Shared Library.
2. 2

   Select the photos

   Tap Select, then tap the photos and videos you want to delete.
3. 3

   Tap the Delete button

   Then tap Delete Photo or Delete Video to confirm.

On iCloud.com (any computer or phone)

1. 1

   Sign in

   Go to icloud.com/photos and sign in with your Apple Account.
2. 2

   Select the photos

   On a phone or iPad, tap Select. On a Mac, hold Command and click; on Windows, hold Control and click. To select everything, tap Select All, or press Command-A or Control-A.
3. 3

   Delete

   Tap or click the Delete button, then Delete to confirm.

On a Mac

Open Photos, select the photos and videos, press the Delete key, then click Delete to confirm.

Empty Recently Deleted

Deleted photos wait in Recently Deleted for 30 days and don't count towards your iCloud storage while they're there. To remove them for good: open Photos, go to Collections, then Utilities, tap Recently Deleted, unlock it, tap Select, choose the photos (or Delete All), then tap Delete.

Delete photos from iPhone but not iCloud#

With iCloud Photos on, you can't delete a photo from just your iPhone: the deletion syncs everywhere. You have two options.

Option 1: let iCloud manage your iPhone's storage. If you're deleting to free up space, you may not need to delete at all. Open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Photos, and choose Optimize iPhone Storage. Your iPhone keeps smaller versions and downloads full-size originals from iCloud when you open them.

Option 2: stop syncing this iPhone. This removes the photos from your iPhone while keeping them in iCloud.

1. 1

   Open iCloud Photos settings

   Open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos.
2. 2

   Turn off Sync this iPhone

   Your iPhone stops syncing with iCloud Photos.
3. 3

   Choose Remove from iPhone

   The photos stay in iCloud, where you can still see them on iCloud.com and your other devices. Choose Download Photos & Videos instead if you want to keep copies on the iPhone.

After this, new photos, edits and deletions on this iPhone no longer sync with iCloud.

Delete photos from iCloud but not iPhone#

To keep photos on your iPhone while removing them from iCloud, first make sure the iPhone has full copies, then stop it syncing.

1. 1

   Download your originals

   In Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos, choose Download and Keep Originals. Check you have enough free space, and wait for the download to finish.
2. 2

   Turn off Sync this iPhone

   On the same screen. When asked, choose Download Photos & Videos so the iPhone keeps everything.
3. 3

   Delete in iCloud

   Now delete the photos at icloud.com/photos, or remove everything with Turn Off and Delete Photos (below). The iPhone is no longer syncing, so its copies stay.

Delete all photos from iCloud#

To remove your whole photo library from iCloud and stop using iCloud Photos:

1. 1

   Download what you want to keep

   Download originals to a device or computer first. If you own a Shared Photo Library, delete it before continuing.
2. 2

   Open iCloud storage

   Open Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, then Storage (Manage Account Storage on iOS 17 or earlier).
3. 3

   Tap iCloud Photos

   Then tap Turn Off and Delete Photos (Turn Off & Delete from iCloud on iOS 17 or earlier).

Apple deletes your photos from iCloud 30 days after you do this. Until then, you can tap Undo Delete if you change your mind.

How to view your iCloud photos#

• On iPhone, iPad or Mac: with iCloud Photos on, the Photos app shows your whole iCloud library. To check it's on, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Photos, and look at Sync this iPhone.
• On any browser: go to icloud.com/photos and sign in with your Apple Account.
• On Windows: install iCloud for Windows, turn on Photos, then open File Explorer and click iCloud Photos in the sidebar.

If photos you expect aren't there, check the Hidden album, Recently Deleted, and that you're signed in to the right Apple Account. Our guide to recovering deleted photos covers each of these.

Why can't I delete photos from iCloud?#

• They're in a Shared Library or shared album. Only some participants can delete items, and shared albums work differently. Switch to your Personal Library to delete your own photos.
• The photos were synced from a computer. Photos added from a Mac or PC with Finder or iTunes can't be deleted on the iPhone. Remove them from the sync on the computer.
• iCloud Photos is off on that device. Deleting on a device that isn't syncing doesn't affect iCloud. Delete them at icloud.com/photos instead.
• Your storage didn't drop. Deleted photos only stop counting once they're out of Recently Deleted, and your iCloud backups and other data also use storage.

Deleting private photos from iCloud#

If you're deleting photos because they're private, remember that hiding a photo doesn't remove it from iCloud: the Hidden album syncs like the rest of your library. To keep private photos out of iCloud Photos entirely, move them somewhere that isn't part of it. A photo vault like VaultShield stores them in their own encrypted space on your iPhone, with an optional encrypted backup instead of iCloud Photos. Then delete the originals from Photos and empty Recently Deleted. See how to hide photos on iPhone for every option.

Frequently asked questions#

Do photos stay on iCloud if deleted from iPhone?

Not if iCloud Photos is on: deleting on your iPhone deletes from iCloud and your other devices too. If iCloud Photos is off on that iPhone, deleting there doesn't affect iCloud.

How do I delete thousands of photos from iCloud?

On iCloud.com on a computer, click Photos, press Command-A (Mac) or Control-A (Windows) to select everything in view, then click Delete. To remove the entire library, use Turn Off and Delete Photos instead.

How do I free up space on iCloud Photos?

Delete photos and videos you don't need, then empty Recently Deleted. Large videos and screenshots are usually the quickest wins. You can also keep your library and buy more iCloud+ storage.

How long does iCloud keep deleted photos?

30 days in Recently Deleted. If you use Turn Off and Delete Photos, Apple keeps your library for 30 days before deleting it.

Does deleting photos from iCloud delete them from my iPhone?

Yes, if your iPhone uses iCloud Photos. To keep them on your iPhone, download the originals and turn off Sync this iPhone first.

Can I delete photos from an iCloud backup?

If iCloud Photos is off, your photos are part of your iCloud Backup. Apple suggests saving them to a computer, then turning off Photos in your backup settings, or upgrading your storage.

The bottom line#

Deleting a photo from iCloud is easy: delete it in Photos or on icloud.com/photos, then empty Recently Deleted. The part to plan is where else it goes: with iCloud Photos on, it disappears from every device. To keep photos in one place but not the other, download your originals and turn off Sync this iPhone first.