Google Photos is a popular cloud storage platform that helps you store and organize your photos effortlessly. Due to its compatibility with Androids, computers, iOS, and Chromebooks, users can easily access and manage their data across different platforms.
Since Google Photos is a Google service, it uses the same storage space as Gmail and Google Docs. This can fill up your cloud storage quickly. Whether you’re on the free 15GB tier or a paid plan, deleting old photos can help free up space.
There are several ways to delete photos, depending on whether you want to remove them from Google Cloud Storage, your phone, or both. In this guide, you’ll learn a step-by-step method to permanently delete photos from Google Photos on different devices.
What You Should Know Before Deleting Photos from Google Photos?
Before jumping into the deleting process, here are some important things to keep in mind;
- If your Backup and Sync are enabled, deleting a photo from Google Photos erases it from your cloud storage and all synced devices.
- Deleting a photo from Google Photos doesn’t remove it instantly, it moves to Trash (Bin) and stays there for 60 days before being permanently erased.
- If you want more storage without losing it from Google Photos, use the “Free up space” option instead of deleting them manually.
- Once you empty the Trash (Bin) in Google Photos, all deleted photos are gone forever and cannot be restored.
Now that you understand these points, let’s move on to how to delete photos from Google Photos the right way.
Effective Methods to Delete Photos in Google Photos
Follow the below methods to delete photos from Google Photos on different devices.
Method 1: Delete Single or Multiple Photos from Google Photos
On Android and iPhone
- Open the Google Photos on your iPhone or Android and ensure you log into the correct account where you store your photos.
- Navigate to the photos you want to delete or use the search bar to find them by date, person, or album.
- Hold single or multiple photos that you want to delete until a checkmark appears.
- Tap the trash icon located at the bottom or top of the screen, and confirm it by tapping “Move to Bin.”
On Desktop
If you’re using Google Photos on your desktop, follow these steps to delete a single or multiple photos;
- Open any browser on your laptop or computer and search for Google Photos.
- Log in with your account if you’re not already signed in.
- Locate the image that you want to delete through your albums, recent photos, or by using the search bar.
- A gray checkmark will appear in the top left corner of each image. Click on it to select the photo.
- If you want to select multiple photos in a row, hold the Shift key and click on the first and last photo.
- After selecting all unwanted pictures, simply tap the Trash (Bin) icon at the top to delete them.
- When a pop-up appears to move to the trash, click on it to finalize the process.
These actions will send your selected photos to the Trash ( Bin), but they have not been permanently deleted yet. These photos will now be stored in the trash for 60 days before being deleted permanently.
Need to get your deleted photos back? Simply go to the trash option, select the photos you want back, and tap on restore. You’ve successfully restored them from the Trash (Bin).
“According to Google Photos Help, if you delete any photo, it will go to the Trash Bin for 60 days.”
Method 2: How to Permanently Delete Photos from Google Photos
Deleted photos don’t disappear instantly, they remain in the trash for 60 days. If you want them gone for good immediately, you need to empty the trash.
Steps to Empty Trash Bin
- Open Google Photos on your smartphone or desktop.
- Tap on the menu or library section and select Trash ( Bin).
- Select photos that you want to remove permanently from Google Photos.
- Tap on “Empty Trash” and confirm deletion.
Make sure you don’t delete anything important. Once you delete photos from the trash, they can’t be recovered.
Method 3: How to Delete Photos from Google Photos but Keep Them on Your Device
Want to delete photos from Google Photos but keep them on your device? You need to disable backup & sync before deleting the images.
- Open Google Photos on your mobile and go to settings.
- Tap on Backup & Sync and toggle it off.
- Now, delete the images that you don’t want in Google Photos.
- Since the backup is off, your photos will remain on your device.
Method 4: How to Delete Photos from Your Device But Keep Them in Google Photos
If your phone’s storage is full but you want to keep images in Google Photos. Use the Free Up Space feature, to remove local copies while keeping your cloud backup safe.
- Open Google Photos on your mobile phone.
- On the top right corner, tap on your profile image.
- Tap on Free Up Space. Google Photos will scan for backup photos and show how much storage you can free up with a single tap.
- Select “Delete” to remove these photos from your phone, but they’ll still be stored safely in Google Photos.
Your photos are now secure in Google Photos without using space on your device.
The Closing Note
To keep your photo 📸 gallery organized and maximize cloud storage, managing your Google Photos is crucial. With various methods depending on whether you want to remove images from Google Cloud, your device, or both is trouble-free across devices.
It is essential to understand that deleted photos move to Trash (Bin), where they remain for 60 days before removing permanently. But If you want to keep your photos on your device and clear up cloud storage, just disable Backup & Sync.
