The fastest way to clear all photos at once

The quickest method is to use the Photos app's built-in selection tool. Open Photos, tap "Select" in the upper right corner, then tap "Select All" at the bottom of the screen. This highlights every photo and video in your library. Tap the trash icon (usually at the bottom right), then confirm the deletion. On most iPads, deleted photos move to a "Recently Deleted" folder where they stay for 30 days before permanent removal.

If you have thousands of photos, this can take a few seconds to process. The app may briefly show a loading indicator while it counts your library. Once you confirm deletion, the photos are gone from your main library when ready, though you can still recover them from Recently Deleted during that 30-day window.

Key Takeaways

  • Use the Photos app's "Select" button, then "Select All", then tap the trash icon to delete your entire library in one action.
  • Deleted photos sit in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days, so you can recover them if you change your mind.
  • If you want permanent deletion without the 30-day window, you can empty Recently Deleted when ready after deleting.
  • Deleting photos from the Photos app does not automatically free up storage space until you also empty Recently Deleted.
  • If your iPad is synced to iCloud Photos, deleting photos here will delete them from all your devices and iCloud.

Emptying the Recently Deleted folder for permanent removal

After you delete photos, they move to Recently Deleted rather than disappearing forever. To permanently remove them and free up storage space, open the Photos app, tap "Albums" at the bottom, scroll down, and tap "Recently Deleted". Tap "Select" in the upper right, then "Select All", then tap "Delete" to empty the folder entirely.

Once you confirm this second deletion, the photos are gone permanently and cannot be recovered. This step is necessary if you want to reclaim storage space when ready rather than waiting 30 days. If you do nothing, the photos will automatically delete themselves after 30 days.

What happens if your iPad uses iCloud Photos

If you have iCloud Photos turned on, your iPad syncs with Apple's servers. When you delete photos on your iPad, they delete from iCloud and from every other device signed into the same Apple ID. This means if you use an iPhone, Mac, or another iPad with the same account, those photos disappear there too.

You can check whether iCloud Photos is on by going to Settings, tapping your name at the top, then iCloud, then Photos. If "iCloud Photos" is toggled on (shown in green), your deletions sync across devices. If you want to delete photos only on your iPad without affecting other devices, you would need to turn off iCloud Photos first — but this is a more involved process and affects your entire photo library.

Deleting photos by album or date instead of all at once

If you do not want to delete everything, you can delete smaller groups. In the Photos app, tap "Albums" at the bottom to see folders like "Recents", "Favorites", or custom albums you created. Open any album, tap "Select", then tap individual photos or use "Select All" to choose every photo in that album only. Tap the trash icon to delete just those photos.

You can also organize by date. Tap "Library" at the bottom, then choose "Years", "Months", or "Days" to view photos grouped by when they were taken. Select a time period, tap "Select", then delete all photos from that period. This approach is useful if you want to keep recent photos but clear out old ones.

Freeing up storage space after deletion

Deleting photos does not when ready free up storage space on your iPad. The space is only reclaimed once you empty the Recently Deleted folder. After you permanently delete photos, go to Settings, tap "General", then "iPad Storage" to see how much space is now available. The number should increase once the deletion is complete.

If you are trying to free up space quickly, emptying Recently Deleted is the step that actually matters. straightforward moving photos to Recently Deleted leaves them taking up storage for 30 days. If your iPad is running low on space and you need room right away, delete the photos, then when ready empty Recently Deleted.

Recovering photos if you deleted them by mistake

If you deleted photos and regret it, you have 30 days to recover them. Open the Photos app, tap "Albums", scroll down, and tap "Recently Deleted". Find the photos you want to keep, tap "Select", choose the ones you need, then tap "Recover". They move back to your main library in their original location.

After 30 days, photos in Recently Deleted are gone permanently and cannot be recovered from the iPad itself. If you use iCloud Photos and deleted photos from there, you may be able to recover them through iCloud.com on a computer, but this depends on your iCloud backup settings and how long ago the deletion occurred.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting photos from my iPad delete them from my iPhone too?

Only if you use iCloud Photos and both devices are signed into the same Apple ID. If iCloud Photos is on, deletions sync across all your devices. If you use only local storage or a different backup method, deleting on your iPad does not affect your iPhone.

Can I delete photos without emptying Recently Deleted?

Yes. Photos move to Recently Deleted automatically, and you can leave them there for up to 30 days. They will delete themselves after that time. However, they still take up storage space until you manually empty Recently Deleted or the 30 days pass.

What if I want to keep some photos but delete most of them?

Use the selection tool to pick individual photos instead of using "Select All". Tap each photo you want to delete, or open an album and delete only photos in that album. You can also delete by date range by switching to "Months" or "Years" view in the Library tab.

Does deleting photos from Recently Deleted free up space when ready?

Yes. Once you empty Recently Deleted, the storage space is reclaimed right away. You can check Settings > General > iPad Storage to see the change. The space does not free up until this step is complete.

Can I undo a deletion after I empty Recently Deleted?

No. Once you empty Recently Deleted, those photos are permanently gone from your iPad. If you use iCloud Photos, you may have other backup options, but local deletion cannot be undone after Recently Deleted is emptied.