You can delete your own Instagram photos in two taps from your phone or computer
Open Instagram and go to your profile. Find the photo you want to remove, tap the three dots in the top right corner of the post, and select "Delete." Instagram will ask you to confirm — tap "Delete" again, and the photo is gone. On a computer, the process is identical: click the three dots, choose "Delete," and confirm.
Once you delete a photo, it disappears from your profile, your followers' feeds, and search results. People who already saw it may remember it, but they cannot find it on Instagram anymore. The photo is removed from Instagram's servers, though Instagram may keep a backup copy for a limited time for technical reasons.
You can delete a photo at any time, whether you posted it five minutes ago or five years ago. There is no waiting period, and you do not need to contact Instagram support to remove your own content.
Key Takeaways
- Tap the three dots on your photo, select "Delete," and confirm to remove it from your profile and everyone's feeds.
- Deleted photos disappear from search results and your followers' feeds, though people who saw it may remember it existed.
- You can delete your own photos at any time without waiting or asking Instagram for permission.
- If you want to hide a photo without deleting it, you can archive it instead so only you can see it on your profile.
- Deleting a photo does not remove comments, likes, or messages people sent about it — those stay in their inboxes.
The difference between deleting and archiving a photo
Instagram offers two ways to remove a photo from public view: delete it or archive it. Deleting removes the photo entirely from your profile and everyone else's view. Archiving hides it from your profile and your followers' feeds, but you can still see it in a private archive section that only you can access.
Archive a photo if you might want to see it later or post it again. To archive, tap the three dots on the photo and select "Archive" instead of "Delete." The photo moves to your archive, which you can access by going to your profile, tapping the menu icon (three horizontal lines), and selecting "Archive." You can unarchive a photo anytime to put it back on your profile.
Delete a photo if you do not want to keep it at all. Once deleted, you cannot recover it from Instagram — you would need the original file on your phone or computer to post it again.
What happens to comments and likes when you delete a photo
When you delete a photo, all the comments and likes attached to it disappear from your profile and from the public view. However, people who commented on or liked the photo will still see a record of their own activity in their personal notification history — they will just see that the post no longer exists.
If someone sent you a direct message about the photo, that message stays in your inbox. The photo itself is gone, but the conversation about it remains. Similarly, if someone shared your photo in their own story or post, that share is not affected by your deletion — they would need to remove it themselves.
Deleting photos on Instagram from a computer versus a phone
The steps are the same whether you use Instagram on your phone or on a computer. Open Instagram, navigate to your profile, find the photo, click or tap the three dots, select "Delete," and confirm. The three-dot menu appears in the same location on both versions — in the top right corner of the post.
On a phone, you may find it slightly faster to delete multiple photos in a row because you can swipe between them. On a computer, you can open your profile in a larger view, which makes it easier to see thumbnails of all your photos at once and locate the one you want to delete.
If you accidentally deleted a photo and want it back
Instagram does not offer a way to recover deleted photos through the app or your account settings. Once you confirm the deletion, the photo is gone from Instagram's system. Your only option is to re-upload the original file if you still have it saved on your phone, computer, or cloud storage.
If you deleted a photo by mistake and want to restore it quickly, check your phone's photo library or trash folder — your phone may have kept a copy even though Instagram removed it. If you find the original file, you can post it again as a new photo. You will not be able to restore the original post's comments, likes, or timestamp.
Bulk deleting multiple photos at once
Instagram does not have a built-in feature to delete multiple photos in one action. You must delete each photo individually by opening it, tapping the three dots, and selecting "Delete." If you want to remove many photos, the fastest approach is to delete them one at a time, which typically takes a few seconds per photo.
If you want to hide multiple photos without deleting them, you can archive several photos in a row, which is slightly faster than deletion because you do not have to confirm each one. However, if your goal is to remove them entirely, you will need to go through each photo separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone else delete my Instagram photos?
No. Only you can delete your own photos. Instagram does not allow followers, friends, or even people you have blocked to remove your posts. If someone is harassing you in the comments, you can delete their comments without deleting the photo itself.
Does deleting a photo remove it from Instagram's servers completely?
Instagram removes the photo from public view immediately, but the company may keep backup copies for technical and legal reasons for a limited time. For practical purposes, the photo is gone and cannot be recovered through Instagram. If you are concerned about privacy, deleting is the right step to take.
What if I deleted a photo but someone took a screenshot of it?
You cannot control what people do with screenshots they have already taken. Deleting the photo from Instagram removes it from the platform, but it does not affect copies someone else saved. If you are worried about a specific person sharing a screenshot, you can block them or report the content if it violates Instagram's rules.
Can I delete a photo from someone else's post if I am tagged in it?
No. You can only delete photos you posted yourself. If you are tagged in someone else's photo and want it removed, you can untag yourself so it no longer appears on your profile, but the photo stays on their account. You can ask them to delete it, or report it to Instagram if it violates their policies.