Are you eager to know how to delete photos from your iPhone permanently?

Whether it’s duplicates, blurry shots, or simply photos you no longer need, it’s time to declutter your device and regain control over your precious memories. 

In this article, you will learn about the step-by-step process of permanently deleting photos from your iPhone.

 

How to Permanently Delete Photos from Your iPhone


Before clearing the data permanently make sure:

  • To Back Up Your Photos

It is important to take backups for your data if required, you can do the same on different backup options (iCloud, iTunes, third-party apps).

  • Reviewing and Selecting Photos to Delete

Review and select the photos that you want to delete permanently from your iPhone. Once done, they are irrecoverable.

Further, there are five ways to clear your iPhone memory permanently. Let us go through them one by one.

  1. Using AnyTrans Software
  2. Permanently Delete Photos via Recently Deleted Album
  3. Delete the Entire Photo Album.
  4. Delete Photos Stored in iCloud.
  5. Delete Photos Stored in iTunes Backup

deleting photos from iphone

Using AnyTrans Software


To permanently delete photos from your iPhone using AnyTrans, follow these step-by-step instructions:

using anytrans software

  1. Download and install AnyTrans on your computer (compatible with both Mac and Windows).
  2. Launch AnyTrans and connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.
  3. On the AnyTrans main interface, click on the “Device Manager” option and select “Photos.
  4. You will be presented with a preview of all the photos on your iPhone. From here, you can choose to delete individual photos or select multiple photos at once.
  5. To delete individual photos, simply click on the photo you want to remove, and a checkmark will appear. Then, click on the “More” option and tap on the delete icon to permanently remove the selected photo.
  6. If you want to delete multiple photos simultaneously, click on the “Select All” button to select all the photos on your device. Then, click on the “Delete” button, and all the selected photos will be permanently deleted from your iPhone.

Permanently Delete Photos via Recently Deleted Album


The “Recently Deleted” album is a built-in feature in the Photos app on your iPhone, designed to act as a safety net before permanently erasing photos. When you delete photos from your iPhone, they are moved to the Recently Deleted album, where they remain for 30 days before being automatically removed from your device.

To permanently delete photos from the Recently Deleted album, follow these steps:

recently deleted

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and tap on the “Albums” tab at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Scroll down until you find the “Recently Deleted” album and tap on it.
  3. Inside the Recently Deleted album, you will see all the photos that were recently deleted from your iPhone. Tap on the “Select” button in the upper right corner of the screen.
  4. To delete individual photos, tap on each photo you want to remove to select it, and a blue checkmark will appear. If you want to delete all the photos, tap on the “Select All” option.
  5. Once you have selected the photos you want to permanently delete, tap on the “Delete” button. A confirmation pop-up will appear. Tap on “Delete Photos” to permanently remove the selected photos from your iPhone.

It’s important to note that once you confirm the deletion, the photos will be immediately and irreversibly erased from your device, bypassing the 30-day retention period.

Delete the Entire Photo Album


If you have photo albums on your iPhone that contain multiple images you want to delete, you can remove entire albums to eliminate the photos in bulk.

To delete whole photo albums on your iPhone, follow these steps:

delete entire album

  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and go to the “Albums” tab.
  2. Scroll through the list of albums and locate the album you want to delete.
  3. Tap on the blue “See All” button located at the upper right corner of the screen. This will display all the photos within the selected album.
  4. To delete the entire album, tap on the “Edit” button in the upper right corner.
  5. A red minus (“-“) icon will appear next to each album. Tap on the minus icon next to the album you want to delete.
  6. A confirmation message will appear asking if you want to delete the album. Tap on “Delete Album” to remove the album and all the photos it contains from your iPhone.

Delete Photos Stored in iCloud


If you have enabled iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone and have photos synced to iCloud, deleting them from your iCloud storage is necessary to achieve permanent removal from your iPhone.

To permanently delete photos stored in iCloud, follow these steps:

delete photos from icloud

  1. Visit the iCloud website by opening a web browser on your computer and navigating to www.icloud.com.
  2. Enter your Apple ID and password to sign in to your iCloud account. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, you may need to enter the verification code sent to your trusted device.
  3. Once you are signed in, click on the “Photos” icon to access all the images stored in your iCloud library.
  4. Browse through your photos and select the ones you want to delete by clicking on them. Selected photos will be highlighted.
  5. After selecting the desired photos, click on the trash can icon (Delete) located in the toolbar.
  6. A confirmation message will appear, asking if you want to delete the selected photos. Click on “Delete” to permanently remove the photos from iCloud. They will be removed from all devices connected to your iCloud account.

Delete Photos Stored in iTunes Backup


If you have previously synced your iPhone with iTunes and have photos stored in the iTunes backup, you need to delete them from the backup to ensure their permanent removal.

To delete photos stored in an iTunes backup, follow these steps:

delete photos from iTunes

  1. Install and launch the latest version of iTunes on your computer.
  2. Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.
  3. Once your device is detected by iTunes, click on the iPhone icon in the upper left corner of the iTunes window.
  4. In the sidebar on the left side of the iTunes window, click on the “Photos” option.
  5. Tick the box next to “Sync Photos” if it is not already selected.
  6. Choose “Choose Folder” or “All Folders” from the drop-down menu next to “Copy photos from.”
  7. Click on the “Apply” button at the bottom right corner of the iTunes window to save the changes and remove the photos stored in the iTunes backup.

Frequently Asked Questions


Here are some FAQs for you:

Will deleting photos using AnyTrans software erase other data on my iPhone?

No, AnyTrans is designed to selectively delete photos without compromising any other data on your iPhone. It ensures that only the selected photos are permanently removed, while the rest of your device’s data remains intact.

Can I recover photos deleted from iCloud or iTunes backups?

Once photos are deleted from iCloud or iTunes backups, they cannot be recovered. It’s crucial to exercise caution when deleting photos from these backup sources, as they are permanently removed without the possibility of retrieval.

Will deleting photos from iCloud or iTunes backups affect photos on my iPhone?

Deleting photos from iCloud or iTunes backups will not impact the photos stored directly on your iPhone. The removal process only affects the backup copies of your photos stored in these services, ensuring that they are permanently deleted.

Is it necessary to delete photos from both the Recently Deleted album and iCloud to ensure permanent removal?

No, deleting photos from the Recently Deleted album is sufficient to achieve permanent removal from your iPhone. Once you confirm the deletion from the Recently Deleted album, the photos are immediately and irreversibly erased from your device. However, if you have previously synced your photos to iCloud, it’s recommended to delete them from iCloud as well to ensure they are permanently removed from all associated devices.

Can I delete photos from my iPhone without connecting it to a computer?

Yes, you can delete photos from your iPhone directly using the built-in Photos app. The methods mentioned, such as deleting photos from the Recently Deleted album or removing entire photo albums, can be performed solely on your iPhone without the need for a computer or additional software.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

I hope this guide helped you understand how to delete photos from your iPhone 🙂

 

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