Deleting a single photo or video
Open Google Photos on your phone or computer and find the photo or video you want to remove. Tap or click on it to open it full-screen. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a trash icon — it looks like a bin. Tap or click it once. The photo moves to your Trash folder when ready.
On a computer, the trash icon appears at the bottom center of the full-screen view. On a phone, swipe up slightly if you do not see the icons at first — they hide after a few seconds of stillness. The photo is gone from your main library right away, but you can still recover it for 60 days by opening Trash and selecting Restore.
Deleting multiple photos at once
If you need to remove several photos, select them all before deleting. In the main Photos view, tap and hold on the first photo you want to delete. Other photos will show a small circle in the corner. Tap each additional photo you want to remove — the circle fills in when selected. Once you have chosen all the photos, the trash icon appears at the bottom. Tap it to delete them all together.
On a computer, click the first photo, then hold Shift and click the last photo in a sequence to select everything between them. Or hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click individual photos one at a time. The trash icon will appear once you have selected at least one photo. Click it to send all selected photos to Trash.
Key Takeaways
- A single photo deletes when you open it full-screen and tap or click the trash icon at the bottom.
- Multiple photos delete faster if you select them all first by tapping and holding, then tapping additional photos before hitting delete.
- Deleted photos stay in your Trash folder for 60 days and can be restored during that time.
- Photos deleted from Trash permanently are gone and cannot be recovered.
- Deleting a photo from Google Photos does not delete it from your phone's camera roll unless you also remove it there separately.
Emptying your Trash folder
Deleted photos do not take up storage space while they sit in Trash, but they do stay there for 60 days before Google removes them automatically. If you want to delete them sooner and free up space when ready, open the menu (three horizontal lines) and select Trash. You will see all photos and videos you have deleted recently.
Tap or click the three dots at the top right of the Trash view and select Delete all. Google will ask you to confirm — this action is permanent and cannot be undone. Once you confirm, every photo in Trash is gone for good. If you only want to delete some photos permanently, select them individually first, then tap or click the trash icon again.
Recovering a deleted photo before 60 days
Open the menu and tap or click Trash. Scroll through to find the photo or video you want back. Tap or click on it, then look for the Restore button — on phones it appears at the bottom, on computers it is near the top. The photo returns to your main library and to the album it was in before deletion.
If you have already emptied your Trash or the 60 days have passed, the photo cannot be recovered through Google Photos. However, if the photo was synced from your phone's camera roll, it may still exist there. Check your phone's Photos app or Gallery app to see if a copy remains.
Understanding the difference between deleting and removing from albums
Removing a photo from an album is not the same as deleting it. When you remove a photo from an album, it stays in your main Photos library — only the album loses it. Open the album, tap or click the photo, and look for a Remove from album option. The photo disappears from that album but remains everywhere else in Google Photos.
Deleting a photo removes it from your entire Google Photos account, including all albums. If you only want to hide a photo from one album or collection, use Remove instead. If you want it gone completely, use Delete and send it to Trash.
What happens to photos stored on your phone
Google Photos backs up photos from your phone's camera roll, but deleting them in Google Photos does not automatically delete them from your phone. The backup and your phone's storage are separate. If you delete a photo in Google Photos and want it off your phone too, you must delete it a second time from your phone's native Photos or Gallery app.
The reverse is also true: deleting a photo from your phone does not remove it from Google Photos unless you turn off backup or manually delete it there. This separation means you can clean up your phone's storage without losing the backup, or remove something from your Google account while keeping a local copy.
Turning off backup to prevent future uploads
If you want to stop Google Photos from backing up new photos automatically, open the menu and go to Settings. Look for Backup and sync and toggle it off. New photos taken after this point will not upload to Google Photos, though photos already backed up stay there unless you delete them.
You can also choose which folders or apps back up to Google Photos. In Settings, find Backup device folders and select which folders on your phone should sync. This lets you back up your camera roll but exclude screenshots, downloads, or other folders you do not want in the cloud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a photo after I empty the Trash?
No. Once you empty Trash or the 60-day window closes, the photo is permanently deleted from Google Photos and cannot be recovered. If the photo was on your phone before backup, check your phone's native Photos app — it may still be there.
Does deleting a photo in Google Photos delete it from my phone?
No. Google Photos is a backup service separate from your phone's storage. Deleting in Google Photos removes only the backup copy. To delete from your phone, open your phone's Photos or Gallery app and delete it there as well.
What if I delete a photo by accident?
Open the menu, go to Trash, find the photo, and tap or click Restore. You have 60 days to restore it. After 60 days, it is gone permanently from Google Photos, though a copy may still exist on your phone or other devices.
Can I delete photos without them going to Trash first?
No. All deleted photos go to Trash first, where they stay for 60 days. You must empty Trash separately to permanently remove them. This delay gives you time to recover something deleted by accident.
If I delete a photo from an album, does it delete from Google Photos?
No. Removing a photo from an album only removes it from that album. The photo stays in your main library. To delete it completely from Google Photos, open it and use the trash icon, not the remove-from-album option.