Delete a photo from your own Facebook profile
To delete a photo you posted on your own timeline or in an album, open Facebook and navigate to the photo. You can find it by going to your profile, clicking "Photos," then selecting the album where you uploaded it. Once you locate the photo, hover your mouse over it (on desktop) or tap and hold it (on mobile), and a menu will appear with options including "Delete."
Click or tap "Delete," and Facebook will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, the photo is removed from your profile and from any albums it was in. The photo will no longer appear in your timeline, in your friends' feeds, or in search results. If the photo was tagged with a location or date, those tags are also removed.
On mobile, the process is slightly faster: open the Facebook app, go to your profile, tap "Photos," find the image, tap the three dots in the corner, and select "Delete Photo." The confirmation step is the same.
Key Takeaways
- Photos you posted can be deleted from your profile by finding them in your Photos section, tapping or hovering to reveal the menu, and selecting Delete.
- Deleting a photo removes it from your timeline, albums, and other people's feeds, but does not remove comments or reactions that were already made to it.
- If you only want to hide a photo from your timeline without deleting it entirely, you can use the "Hide from Timeline" option instead.
- Photos you are tagged in but did not post can be untagged from your profile without being deleted from the original poster's account.
Delete a photo someone else posted of you
If someone else posted a photo of you and you want it removed from your profile, you have two main options. The first is to untag yourself from the photo. Find the photo on your profile or in your timeline, tap or hover over it, and select "Remove Tag." This removes your name from the photo but does not delete the photo itself — it will still exist on the other person's profile.
The second option is to ask the person who posted it to delete the photo. You can message them directly or, if the photo violates Facebook's policies (for example, if it's a nude or intimate image shared without consent), you can report it to Facebook. Go to the photo, tap the three dots, select "Report Photo," and choose the reason that best describes the issue.
Facebook will review reported photos and may remove them if they break community standards. However, if the photo does not violate policies, Facebook will not force the other person to delete it, even if you ask them to. In that case, your only option is to untag yourself so it does not appear on your own profile.
Recover a photo you deleted by mistake
If you deleted a photo and want it back, Facebook keeps deleted photos in a recovery folder for a limited time. On your profile, click the three dots next to your name and select "Settings and Privacy," then "Settings." Scroll down to "Your Facebook Information" and click "Download Your Information." This tool lets you see what Facebook has stored about you, including recently deleted photos.
However, this method shows you what was deleted but does not restore it directly through that menu. Instead, if you deleted the photo very recently (within a few hours), you may see an "Undo" option appear at the bottom of your screen right after deletion. If you see it, tap "Undo" immediately to restore the photo.
If more time has passed, your best option is to re-upload the photo from your phone or computer if you still have the original file. Facebook does not permanently restore deleted photos after the immediate undo window closes, so keeping backups of important photos on your device is the safest approach.
Delete multiple photos at once
Facebook does not have a built-in feature to select and delete multiple photos in one action. You must delete photos one at a time using the method described above. However, you can speed up the process by opening your Photos section, finding each photo, and deleting them in quick succession rather than navigating away between each deletion.
If you want to delete an entire album instead of individual photos, you can do that more quickly. Go to your profile, click "Photos," find the album, tap the three dots next to the album name, and select "Delete Album." This removes the album and all photos in it at once. Be aware that deleting an album is permanent and cannot be undone after a few seconds.
Hide a photo instead of deleting it
If you are not sure whether you want to permanently delete a photo, you can hide it from your timeline instead. This keeps the photo in your account but removes it from view on your profile and from your friends' feeds. To hide a photo, find it on your timeline, tap or hover over it, and select "Hide from Timeline."
Hidden photos can be unhidden later by going to your profile, clicking the three dots next to your name, selecting "Settings and Privacy," then "Settings," and scrolling to "Your Facebook Information." From there, you can manage hidden posts and photos. This option is useful if you want to keep the photo but do not want it visible to people browsing your profile.
What happens after you delete a photo
Once you delete a photo, it is removed from your timeline, albums, and search results. However, people who saw the photo before deletion may still remember it, and if they took a screenshot, they will have a copy. Facebook does not notify people that a photo has been deleted, so there is no public record of the deletion.
Comments and reactions that were made to the photo before deletion are also removed. If the photo was shared in a group or on someone else's timeline, deleting it from your profile does not delete the copy that was shared elsewhere — you would need to delete it from each location separately.
If the photo was part of a Facebook album that was shared with others, deleting the photo removes it from the shared album as well. People who had access to the album will no longer see that photo when they view it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a photo if someone else is tagged in it?
Yes, you can delete a photo you posted even if other people are tagged in it. When you delete the photo, the tags are also removed, and the photo disappears from the tagged people's profiles as well. They will not receive a notification that the photo was deleted.
What if I delete a photo that was shared in a group?
Deleting a photo from your profile only removes it from your own account. If you posted the photo in a group and then deleted it from your profile, it may still exist in the group. You would need to go to the group post and delete it there separately to remove it completely.
Can I recover a photo I deleted more than a week ago?
Facebook does not restore photos after the immediate undo window (a few seconds after deletion). If you deleted a photo more than a week ago, it cannot be recovered through Facebook. Your only option is to re-upload the photo if you have the original file saved on your device.
Does deleting a photo notify the people who liked or commented on it?
No, Facebook does not send notifications when you delete a photo. People who liked or commented on it will not be told that the photo was deleted, though they will notice it is no longer visible if they try to find it.
Can I delete a photo that someone tagged me in without asking them?
You can untag yourself from a photo without the other person's permission, which removes it from your profile. However, the photo remains on their profile. If you want the photo deleted entirely, you must ask the person who posted it or report it to Facebook if it violates policies.