The fastest way depends on where your photos live

If your photos are on your phone, computer, or cloud storage, the method to delete them all at once is different for each place. You cannot delete everything from your phone the same way you delete everything from Google Photos. The steps also depend on whether you want to empty the trash afterward — deleting and permanently removing are two separate actions on most devices.

Before you start, understand that "delete" usually means the photos go to a trash or recycle bin where you can still recover them for 30 days or more. Permanent deletion is harder to undo and is what you want if you are selling a device or closing an account. This guide covers both.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhones, open Photos, tap Select, then Edit in the top left, then Select All, then Delete All to move photos to Recently Deleted — you must delete them again from that folder to remove them permanently.
  • On Android phones with Google Photos, open the app, tap your profile icon, go to Photos settings, then scroll to Storage, then select Delete all photos to send them to Trash, where they stay for 60 days.
  • On Windows, open File Explorer, navigate to your Pictures folder, select all files with Ctrl+A, press Delete, then empty the Recycle Bin to remove them permanently.
  • On Mac, open Finder, go to Pictures, select all with Command+A, drag to Trash, then empty Trash from the Dock to permanently remove them.
  • Deleting from your phone does not delete copies stored in cloud services like iCloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive — you must delete from each service separately.

Deleting all photos from an iPhone

Open the Photos app and tap the Select button in the top right corner. Then tap Edit in the top left, which opens a menu with the option Select All. Tap Select All, and every photo and video in your library will be highlighted in blue. Now tap Delete in the bottom right, and the Photos app will ask you to confirm. Tap Delete [number] Items, and the photos move to the Recently Deleted album.

The photos are not gone yet. Open the Photos app again, tap the Albums tab at the bottom, scroll down to Recently Deleted, and open that album. Tap Select in the top right, then tap Edit, then Select All again. Tap Delete in the bottom right and confirm. Now the photos are permanently removed from your iPhone and cannot be recovered through the Photos app.

If you use iCloud Photos, deleting from your iPhone also deletes the copies stored in iCloud. If you use iCloud Photo Library but want to keep the originals in iCloud while removing them from your phone, turn off iCloud Photos in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos before you delete.

Deleting all photos from an Android phone with Google Photos

Open the Google Photos app and tap your profile icon in the top right corner. Tap Photos settings, then scroll down to the Storage section. You will see an option that says Delete all photos. Tap it, and Google Photos will ask you to confirm that you want to move all photos to Trash. Tap Delete all photos again.

The photos now sit in your Trash folder for 60 days. If you want to permanently delete them before that time, open Google Photos, tap your profile icon, tap Photos settings, scroll to Trash, and open it. Tap Select all, then tap Delete forever. The photos are now permanently removed and cannot be recovered.

If you also use Google Drive or Google One backup, deleting from Google Photos does not delete copies stored elsewhere in your Google account. You will need to delete those separately through Google Drive or your backup settings.

Deleting all photos from a Windows computer

Open File Explorer and navigate to your Pictures folder, which is usually in C:\Users\[Your Username]\Pictures. Select all files in the folder by pressing Ctrl+A on your keyboard. All files will be highlighted in blue. Press the Delete key, and Windows will move the files to the Recycle Bin.

To permanently remove them, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin. Windows will ask you to confirm, and once you do, the photos cannot be recovered through normal means.

If your photos are stored in OneDrive or another cloud service, deleting them from your Pictures folder may not delete the cloud copies. Open OneDrive on your computer, navigate to your photos, select all, delete them, then empty the OneDrive recycle bin as well. The steps are the same: select all, delete, then empty the recycle bin.

Deleting all photos from a Mac

Open Finder and click Pictures in the sidebar. Select all files by pressing Command+A. All files will be highlighted in blue. Press Command+Delete or drag the selected files to the Trash in your Dock. The photos move to Trash.

To permanently remove them, right-click the Trash icon in your Dock and select Empty Trash. Mac will ask you to confirm. Once you do, the photos are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered through Finder.

If you use iCloud Photos on your Mac, deleting from your Pictures folder also deletes from iCloud. If you use iCloud Photo Library but want to keep originals in iCloud, turn off iCloud Photos in System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos before you delete.

Deleting all photos from cloud storage services

Cloud services store copies of your photos separately from your devices. Deleting from your phone or computer does not automatically delete the cloud copies. You must delete from each service.

Google Photos: Open Google Photos in a web browser, tap your profile icon, go to Photos settings, scroll to Storage, and select Delete all photos. Confirm twice. Photos go to Trash for 60 days.

iCloud Photos: Go to iCloud.com in a web browser, sign in, open Photos, select all photos with Command+A or Ctrl+A, press Delete, and confirm. Photos go to Recently Deleted for 30 days. To permanently delete them, open Recently Deleted, select all, and delete again.

OneDrive: Go to OneDrive.com, navigate to your photos folder, select all files, click Delete, and confirm. Files go to the OneDrive recycle bin for 93 days. To permanently delete them, open the recycle bin, select all, and delete again.

Amazon Photos: Open Amazon Photos in a web browser or app, select all photos, click Delete, and confirm. Photos go to the Trash folder for 30 days. To permanently delete them, open Trash, select all, and delete again.

What happens if you delete photos from a shared album or shared folder

If you delete photos from a shared album on iCloud or Google Photos, the photos are deleted for everyone who has access to that album, not just for you. Before you delete, make sure no one else needs those photos. If you want to remove your own copies without affecting others, read the photos first, then delete them from the shared album.

If you delete photos from a shared OneDrive or Google Drive folder, the same rule applies — the deletion affects everyone with access. If you are the owner of the folder, you can delete freely. If you are a collaborator, ask the owner first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover photos after I empty the trash or recycle bin?

Once you empty the trash, recovery is very difficult and usually requires paid data recovery software. Some recovery tools can retrieve photos if the storage space has not been overwritten with new data, but there is no may provide. The safest approach is to be certain before you empty the trash.

Will deleting photos from my phone also delete them from my cloud backup?

It depends on your backup service. If you use iCloud Photos or Google Photos, deleting from your phone deletes from the cloud. If you use a backup service like Backblaze or Carbonite, deleting from your phone does not delete the backup — you must delete from the backup service separately.

How do I delete photos without deleting videos?

Most devices do not have a built-in filter to select only photos and exclude videos. You will need to select manually or use a third-party app designed for this task. On a computer, you can sort by file type in File Explorer or Finder, then select only the photo files you want to delete.

What if I want to delete all photos but keep a few?

Select all photos first, then deselect the ones you want to keep by clicking them again while holding Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac). On phones, you can select individual photos by tapping them one at a time instead of using Select All. This takes longer but gives you more control.

Do I need to delete photos before selling my phone or computer?

Deleting and emptying the trash removes photos from the file system, but data recovery software can sometimes retrieve them. For maximum security before selling a device, use the factory reset or find erase feature built into your device — this overwrites the storage space and makes recovery much harder.