How Can You Delete All Photos from iPhone? A Comprehensive Guide
Deleting all photos from your iPhone can be necessary for various reasons—freeing up storage space, preparing for a sale, or simply starting fresh. This guide will walk you through several methods, answering common questions along the way. We'll cover deleting photos from your iPhone's library, iCloud Photo Library, and also address concerns about recovery.
How do I delete all photos from my iPhone's photo library?
This is the most straightforward method for removing photos only stored on your device.
- Open the Photos app: Locate and tap the Photos app icon on your iPhone's home screen.
- Select Albums: At the bottom of the screen, tap "Albums."
- Choose "All Photos": Find and tap the "All Photos" album. This displays all the images and videos stored locally on your iPhone.
- Select Photos (One by One or Multiple): You can tap individual photos to select them or use the "Select" button in the upper right corner to select multiple photos at once. For a complete deletion, the easiest approach is to tap "Select" then tap the small circle next to the first photo. Then tap the little "circle" next to the very last photo. This should highlight every photo in that album.
- Delete: After selecting your photos, tap the trash can icon in the lower right corner. Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Important Note: This method only deletes photos from your iPhone's local storage. If you use iCloud Photo Library, these photos may still exist in your iCloud account.
How do I delete all photos from iCloud Photo Library?
Deleting photos from iCloud Photo Library removes them from all your Apple devices and from iCloud storage. This is a more permanent solution.
Method 1: Deleting from iPhone (Recommended):
- Open the Settings app: Find and tap the Settings app icon.
- Tap your Apple ID: Tap your name at the top of the screen.
- Select "iCloud": Tap "iCloud".
- Tap "Photos": Select "Photos".
- Turn off "iCloud Photos": Toggle the "iCloud Photos" switch to the OFF position. You will be prompted to choose whether you want to keep your photos on your iPhone, delete them from your iPhone, or keep them in iCloud. Choose the option that best suits your needs. If you want to remove everything you should choose "Delete from My iPhone". This is irreversible unless you previously backed up your photos.
Method 2: Deleting from a computer (using iCloud.com):
- Access iCloud.com: Log in to your iCloud account using your Apple ID and password from your computer's web browser.
- Open Photos: Select "Photos" from the available iCloud services.
- Select Photos: Similar to the iPhone method, select all the photos you wish to delete. A bulk selection tool will usually be available.
- Delete: Tap the delete option. Confirm your action.
What happens to deleted photos?
Deleted photos are moved to the "Recently Deleted" album in your Photos app for 30 days. After 30 days, they are permanently removed. You can recover them from the "Recently Deleted" album within this timeframe. Beyond that, recovery becomes significantly more difficult and may require professional data recovery services.
How to permanently delete all photos from my iPhone and iCloud?
The method above, turning off iCloud Photos and deleting from your iPhone, achieves this permanent deletion after the 30-day grace period in the "Recently Deleted" album. Remember, once they are permanently deleted, recovery is exceedingly difficult and likely impossible without specialized tools.
Can I recover deleted photos from my iPhone?
Yes, you can recover photos from the "Recently Deleted" album for 30 days after deletion. Beyond that, recovery depends on whether you have backups (iCloud Backup or iTunes/Finder backups) and the extent of overwriting of the deleted data. Third-party data recovery tools exist but are not guaranteed to recover every photo.
By following these steps and understanding the implications, you can effectively delete all photos from your iPhone while managing your iCloud storage and minimizing data loss. Remember to back up your photos if you need to retain them before proceeding with any deletion process.
