Delete photos from Google Photos on your phone or computer

To delete a photo in Google Photos, open the app or website, tap or click the photo you want to remove, then tap the trash or delete icon. On a phone, this is usually a trash can icon at the bottom of the screen. On a computer, look for a trash icon in the toolbar at the top. The photo moves to your Trash folder, where it stays for 60 days before Google deletes it permanently.

If you want to delete multiple photos at once, tap and hold the first photo until it's selected (you'll see a checkmark), then tap the other photos you want to remove. Once you've selected all the photos, tap the trash icon. This method works the same way on both Android and iPhone.

Photos you delete from Google Photos are gone from your Google Photos library, but they may still exist in other places — like your phone's camera roll or a cloud backup service. Deleting from Google Photos does not automatically delete the original file from your device.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleted photos go to Trash for 60 days, then disappear permanently — you can recover them during that window by opening Trash and selecting Restore.
  • Deleting a photo from Google Photos does not delete it from your phone's camera roll or other backup services you may use.
  • You can select multiple photos at once by tapping and holding the first one, then tapping others, before deleting them all together.
  • Permanently deleting your Google account removes all photos stored in Google Photos, but this action cannot be undone.
  • Photos backed up from your phone to Google Photos can be deleted from Google Photos without affecting the originals on your device.

Recover a deleted photo from your Trash folder

When you delete a photo, it goes to Trash instead of disappearing right away. You have 60 days to change your mind. Open Google Photos, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines), and select Trash. Find the photo you want to keep, tap it, then tap the Restore button. The photo goes back to your main Google Photos library.

After 60 days, Google automatically and permanently deletes everything in your Trash. There is no way to recover a photo once this happens. If you think you might want a photo later, restore it before the 60-day window closes.

Delete all photos by removing your Google account

If you want to delete your entire Google Photos library at once, you need to delete your Google account. This removes not just your photos, but your Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube history, and everything else tied to that account. Google gives you a 30-day window to change your mind before the deletion becomes permanent.

Go to myaccount.google.com, click "Delete your account and data" on the left side, then follow the steps to confirm. You'll need to enter your password and verify your identity. Google will ask you to download your data if you want to keep copies of your photos before the account is deleted.

This is a drastic step and should only be done if you're certain you want to remove your entire Google account. If you just want to clear out old photos, deleting them one by one or in batches is a safer choice.

Remove photos from a shared album

If someone else created a shared album and added your photos to it, you can remove your photos from that album without deleting them from your own library. Open the shared album, find your photo, tap it, then tap the remove icon (usually a minus sign or trash can). Your photo disappears from the shared album, but it stays in your Google Photos library.

If you created the shared album yourself, you can delete the entire album. Open the album, tap the menu icon, and select Delete Album. This removes the album and all photos in it from everyone's view, but the original photos in your library remain unless you delete them separately.

Stop backing up photos to Google Photos

If you don't want new photos to upload to Google Photos automatically, turn off backup on your device. On Android, open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, go to Photos settings, and toggle off "Backup and sync." On iPhone, open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, tap Photos settings, and turn off "Backup and sync."

Turning off backup does not delete photos that are already in Google Photos — it only stops new photos from uploading. If you want to delete existing photos, you still need to remove them manually from your Google Photos library or Trash.

Delete photos from Google Drive or Gmail

Photos stored in Google Drive or attached to Gmail messages are separate from Google Photos. To delete a photo in Google Drive, right-click it and select Delete, or select it and press the Delete key. The file moves to Drive's Trash, where it stays for 30 days before permanent deletion.

Photos attached to Gmail messages can be deleted by opening the email, right-clicking the image, and selecting Delete. This removes the image from that specific email but does not affect the original file in Google Drive or Google Photos.

What happens to photos when you uninstall Google Photos

Uninstalling the Google Photos app from your phone does not delete any photos. Your photos stay in your Google account and remain accessible through the Google Photos website or by reinstalling the app. Uninstalling only removes the app from your device — it's like deleting a shortcut to your photos, not the photos themselves.

If you had backup and sync turned on, your photos are stored on Google's servers. If you had it turned off, your photos exist only on your phone's camera roll or wherever else you saved them. Uninstalling the app changes nothing about where your photos are stored.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a photo after 60 days in Trash?

No. After 60 days, Google permanently deletes everything in your Trash, and there is no way to get it back. If you think you might want a photo, restore it from Trash before the 60-day window closes.

Does deleting from Google Photos delete the photo from my phone?

No. Deleting a photo from Google Photos removes it only from your Google Photos library. The original file stays on your phone's camera roll unless you delete it there separately. The two are independent.

What's the difference between deleting and archiving a photo?

Archiving hides a photo from your main library but keeps it in Google Photos — you can find it by searching or by opening your Archive folder. Deleting moves it to Trash. If you might want to see a photo again but don't want it cluttering your main view, archive it instead of deleting it.

If I delete my Google account, can I get my photos back?

You have 30 days after requesting account deletion to cancel the request and keep your account and photos. After 30 days, the deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. If you only want to delete photos, not your entire account, delete them individually instead.

Do photos deleted from Google Photos also delete from Google Drive?

No. Google Photos and Google Drive are separate services. A photo in Google Photos is a backup of your phone's camera roll, not a file in Drive. Deleting it from Google Photos does not affect Drive, and vice versa.