Delete a photo you posted yourself
To remove a photo you uploaded to your Facebook profile, open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture in the top left. Find the photo you want to delete — you can scroll through your timeline or click the "Photos" tab to see all your pictures in one place.
Click or tap the photo to open it. In the top right corner of the photo, you'll see three dots (called a menu icon). Click those dots, then select "Delete" from the list that appears. Facebook will ask you to confirm — click "Delete Photo" again, and the image is gone from your profile.
The photo disappears immediately from your timeline and from the album where it was stored. Anyone who previously saw it won't see it anymore, though Facebook keeps a record of deleted content for a period of time for security reasons.
Key Takeaways
- You can only delete photos you uploaded yourself — you cannot remove photos that other people posted of you without asking them first.
- Open the photo, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner, and select "Delete" to remove it permanently from your profile.
- Deleted photos disappear from your timeline and albums right away, though Facebook retains deleted content temporarily for security.
- If someone else posted a photo of you that you want removed, you can ask them to delete it, or report it to Facebook if it violates their policies.
Remove a photo someone else posted of you
If another person posted a photo that includes you, you cannot delete it directly from your account. Your first step is to contact the person who posted it and ask them to remove it. Most people will take down a photo if you explain why you'd prefer it not to be there.
If the person won't delete it or you can't reach them, you can report the photo to Facebook. Open the photo, click the three-dot menu, and select "Report Photo." Choose the reason that best fits your situation — for example, "It's inappropriate" or "I'm in this photo and I'm not comfortable with it being posted." Facebook reviews reports and may remove content that violates their community standards.
You can also untag yourself from the photo so it no longer appears on your profile or in your tagged photos section. Click the three-dot menu on the photo and select "Remove Tag." This removes the photo from your tagged section but does not delete it from the other person's profile.
Delete photos from a specific album
If you want to remove multiple photos at once, go to your profile and click the "Photos" tab. Select "Albums" to see all your photo collections. Click the album that contains the photos you want to delete.
Once you're inside the album, you can delete photos one at a time using the three-dot menu on each image, or you can select multiple photos and delete them together. To select multiple photos, look for a checkbox or selection option (this varies depending on whether you're using Facebook on a computer or phone). After you've selected the photos you want to remove, look for a "Delete" button and confirm your choice.
Deleting photos from an album removes them from that album and from your entire profile. If a photo appears in multiple albums, deleting it removes it from all of them.
What happens to photos after you delete them
When you delete a photo, it stops showing on your timeline, in your albums, and in search results. People who viewed the photo before you deleted it won't see it anymore when they visit your profile. However, Facebook does not immediately erase the image from its servers — the company keeps deleted content for a limited time for security and legal reasons.
If you shared the photo with a specific group of people (like a private message or a closed group), those people may have already saved or downloaded it. Deleting the photo from Facebook does not remove copies that others have saved outside of Facebook.
If you want to be thorough about removing your image from the internet, consider also searching for the photo on other platforms where it might have been shared, such as Instagram, Twitter, or other social media sites.
Recover a photo you deleted by mistake
Facebook does not offer a built-in way to recover deleted photos through your account settings. Once you delete a photo, it's gone from your profile immediately. However, if you deleted it very recently, you might be able to contact Facebook's support team to ask about recovery options, though they cannot may provide they can restore it.
Your best option is to re-upload the photo if you still have the original file on your computer or phone. Check your device's photo library or downloads folder to see if the image is still there. If you find it, you can upload it to Facebook again and add it back to the same album.
To avoid losing photos in the future, consider downloading copies of your photos to your computer or cloud storage. You can download all your Facebook photos at once by going to your settings, clicking "Download Your Information," and following the prompts to request a copy of your photos and other data.
Delete photos from your mobile phone
The process on the Facebook mobile app is nearly identical to the desktop version. Open the Facebook app, tap your profile picture or name to go to your profile, and find the photo you want to delete. Tap the photo to open it.
Look for the three dots in the top right corner of the photo and tap them. Select "Delete" from the menu, then confirm by tapping "Delete Photo" again. The photo is removed from your profile immediately.
If you're using an iPhone, make sure you're deleting the photo from Facebook and not accidentally deleting it from your phone's camera roll. The Facebook app only removes the photo from your Facebook profile — it does not touch the original file on your device.
Troubleshooting common problems
If you don't see a delete option when you click the three-dot menu, you may not have permission to delete that photo. This happens if someone else posted the photo or if it's part of a shared album where you don't have full control. In that case, contact the person who posted it or the album owner and ask them to delete it.
If the delete button appears grayed out or won't respond when you click it, try refreshing the page or closing and reopening the Facebook app. Sometimes a temporary glitch prevents the button from working. If the problem continues, try using a different browser or device to see if the issue is specific to your current setup.
If you're having trouble finding a photo you want to delete, use the search function on your profile. Click the search icon and type a keyword related to the photo, or scroll through your timeline using the date filter to narrow down when the photo was posted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a photo that someone tagged me in?
You cannot delete a photo that someone else posted, but you can untag yourself from it. Click the photo, select the three-dot menu, and choose "Remove Tag." The photo stays on their profile, but it no longer appears in your tagged photos section or on your timeline.
What if I delete a photo but it still shows up in search results?
Search engines like Google sometimes cache old versions of web pages, including photos you've deleted. This is temporary — the cached version will disappear over time as search engines update their records. You can request faster removal by using Google's URL removal tool in Google Search Console.
Does deleting a photo also delete the comments and likes on it?
Yes. When you delete a photo, all comments, likes, and reactions attached to that photo are deleted as well. Anyone who commented on the photo will no longer see their comment on your profile.
Can I delete a photo from a memory or throwback that Facebook created?
No, but you can hide it. When Facebook shows you a memory or throwback post, tap the three dots and select "Hide This Memory." This prevents that particular memory from showing up again, though the original photo remains on your profile.
If I delete my profile picture, what shows up instead?
If you delete your profile picture, Facebook displays a generic silhouette icon in place of your photo. You can upload a new profile picture at any time by clicking on your current profile picture and selecting "Upload Photo."