Delete a photo you posted on your own account
You can remove any photo you posted to your own Instagram feed in about 30 seconds. Open Instagram on your phone or computer, find the post, and tap or click the three dots in the top right corner of that post. A menu will appear with the option to delete — tap it, and Instagram will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, the photo is gone from your feed and your followers can no longer see it.
The photo disappears immediately from your profile and from the feeds of people following you. Instagram does not notify your followers that you deleted it. If someone already saved or screenshot the image before you deleted it, they will still have their own copy, but it will no longer appear on your account.
You can delete a photo at any time after posting it, whether it was uploaded five minutes ago or five years ago. There is no time limit. If you change your mind after deleting, you cannot recover the original post — you would need to upload the photo again as a new post.
Key Takeaways
- Tap the three dots on any of your own posts, then select delete to remove it from your feed permanently.
- Deleted photos disappear immediately from your profile and your followers' feeds, but people who already saved or screenshotted the image will still have their own copy.
- You cannot recover a deleted post, so if you want to keep the photo, save it to your phone first.
- If someone else posted a photo of you that you want removed, you can report it to Instagram or ask the person who posted it to delete it themselves.
Save the photo to your phone before deleting
If you want to keep a copy of the photo for yourself before removing it from Instagram, download it to your phone first. On the Instagram app, open the post, tap the three dots, and select "Save" — this stores a copy in your saved posts folder within Instagram, but does not download it to your phone's camera roll.
To actually save the image file to your phone, you will need to take a screenshot or use a different method depending on your device. On iPhone, open the photo and press the side button and volume up button at the same time to screenshot. On Android, press the power button and volume down button together. The screenshot will appear in your phone's photo gallery.
If you want the original photo without the Instagram interface visible, you can also download it using your computer. Go to Instagram.com, find the post, right-click on the image, and select "Save image as" to download it to your computer's files.
Remove a photo someone else posted of you
If another person posted a photo of you on Instagram and you want it taken down, you have two main options. The first is to ask the person directly to delete it themselves — they can do this using the same three-dot menu on their own post. This is often the fastest way if you have a direct relationship with them.
If the person will not delete it or you do not feel comfortable asking, you can report the photo to Instagram. Tap the three dots on the post, select "Report," and choose the reason that best fits your situation. Instagram offers options like "It's inappropriate" or "It's spam," but you can also report it as something that violates your privacy or dignity. Instagram reviews reported content and may remove it if it breaks their community guidelines.
Instagram does not remove photos simply because you do not want to be in them — the person who posted it has the right to share photos they took. However, if the photo shows you in a state of undress, contains your private information, or is being used to harass or threaten you, Instagram is more likely to remove it after you report it.
Recover a deleted photo if you change your mind
Once you delete a post from Instagram, you cannot recover it through the app itself. However, if you deleted it very recently — within the last day or two — you may be able to retrieve the original photo file from your phone's trash or recently deleted folder.
On iPhone, open the Photos app, tap "Albums" at the bottom, scroll down, and tap "Recently Deleted." You will see photos you deleted from your phone in the last 30 days. Select the photo and tap "Recover" to restore it to your camera roll. On Android, open Google Photos, tap the menu icon, select "Trash," find the photo, and tap "Restore."
Once you have the photo file back on your phone, you can upload it to Instagram again as a new post. It will not restore the original post with its old comments and likes — it will be a completely new post with a new timestamp.
Delete multiple photos at once
Instagram does not have a built-in feature to delete multiple posts in one action. You will need to delete each photo individually by tapping the three dots and selecting delete. If you have many photos to remove, this takes time, but there is no faster way through the Instagram app itself.
If you want to remove your entire account rather than individual photos, you can deactivate or delete your whole Instagram profile. Deactivation hides your profile temporarily — you can reactivate it later. Deletion is permanent and removes all your posts, followers, and account data after 30 days. To do either, go to Settings, select "Account," and choose the option you want.
What happens to comments and likes when you delete a photo
When you delete a post, all the comments people left on it disappear as well. Any likes the photo received are also removed. People who commented on the photo will not see a notification that the post was deleted — the comment will simply no longer appear on their profile or in their activity feed.
If someone tagged you in a comment on that photo, the tag disappears when the post is deleted. However, if someone tagged you in the photo itself using Instagram's tagging feature, and you untag yourself before deleting the post, the photo may still appear in their tagged photos section if they saved it or if Instagram's systems retained a copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone see that I deleted a photo?
No. Instagram does not send notifications when you delete a post. Your followers will simply notice the photo is no longer on your profile if they go looking for it, but they will not receive an alert that you removed it.
What if I delete a photo but someone already shared it?
If someone shared your photo to their own story or saved it before you deleted it, they will still have their copy. Deleting your original post does not remove copies that other people have saved or downloaded. You would need to ask them directly to remove their version.
Does deleting a photo affect my follower count?
No. Deleting photos does not change how many followers you have or how many people follow you. It only removes that specific post from your feed and your profile grid.
Can I delete a photo from someone else's tagged photos of me?
You cannot delete a photo that someone else posted, but you can untag yourself from it. Open the photo, tap the three dots, and select "Remove me from post." This removes your tag but leaves the photo on their account. If you want the photo removed entirely, you need to report it or ask the person who posted it to delete it.
What if I accidentally deleted a photo I wanted to keep?
If you deleted it from Instagram more than a few minutes ago, you cannot recover the original post. However, if you still have the photo file on your phone, you can upload it again as a new post. It will have a new timestamp and will not have the old comments and likes.