The fastest way to delete many photos at once

Open the Photos app and tap Select in the top right corner of the Photos or Albums tab. Then tap each photo you want to delete — they'll show a checkmark when selected. You can also swipe across multiple photos to select them faster. Once you've chosen all the photos you want gone, tap the trash icon in the bottom right and confirm the deletion.

If you want to delete photos by date or type instead of picking them one by one, use the Years, Months, or Days view at the bottom of the Photos tab. Tap Select, then tap a whole month or day to select every photo from that time period at once. This is much quicker than individual selection when you're clearing out a large batch.

Key Takeaways

  • Tap Select in the Photos app, then tap each photo you want to delete, and tap the trash icon to remove them all at once.
  • Use the Years, Months, or Days view to select entire time periods instead of individual photos.
  • Deleted photos go to the Recently Deleted album for 30 days before they're permanently removed from your phone.
  • If you delete photos by mistake, open the Recently Deleted album within 30 days and tap Recover to restore them.
  • Clearing out old photos frees up storage space on your iPhone, which can help your phone run faster if storage is nearly full.

Selecting photos by swiping instead of tapping

If you have dozens of photos to delete, tapping each one individually takes time. Instead, tap Select, then tap the first photo you want to delete and hold your finger on it. While holding, swipe across the other photos you want to select — they'll light up with a checkmark as you move across them. This works best when the photos are arranged in a grid and you're deleting a continuous block.

You can also tap one photo, then hold Shift and tap another photo further down the list to select everything in between. This is faster than swiping if the photos aren't next to each other on the screen.

Clearing photos from a specific date or album

If you want to delete all photos from a particular day or month, switch to the Months view in the Photos tab. Tap Select, then tap the month thumbnail — this selects every photo from that entire month at once. Tap the trash icon and confirm. This is much quicker than selecting hundreds of individual photos when you're clearing out a vacation or event.

You can also delete entire albums. Open the album, tap Select, then tap Select All in the top left to choose every photo in that album. Then tap the trash icon. Note that deleting an album doesn't delete the photos themselves if they're also in your main Photos library — it only removes them from that specific album.

Understanding the Recently Deleted album

When you delete photos from your iPhone, they don't disappear when ready. Instead, they move to the Recently Deleted album, which you can find by opening Photos, tapping the Albums tab, and scrolling down. Photos stay in this album for 30 days before your iPhone permanently removes them and frees up the storage space.

This 30-day window gives you time to recover photos if you delete them by mistake. If you realize you deleted something you wanted to keep, open the Recently Deleted album, tap Select, tap the photos you want back, and tap Recover. The photos will return to your main library.

Recovering deleted photos within 30 days

Open the Photos app, go to the Albums tab, and scroll down to find Recently Deleted. Tap it to see all photos and videos you've deleted in the last 30 days. Tap Select in the top right, then tap each photo you want to restore. Once you've selected them, tap Recover in the bottom right. The photos will move back to your main Photos library.

If you want to permanently delete a photo before the 30 days are up — for example, if you're selling your phone and want to make sure sensitive photos are gone — open Recently Deleted, tap Select, tap the photo, and tap Delete Permanently. This removes it from your phone right away instead of waiting 30 days.

How deleting photos affects your iPhone storage

Photos and videos take up a lot of space on your iPhone. If your storage is nearly full, deleting old photos can help your phone run faster and give you room for new apps and updates. However, photos in the Recently Deleted album still count toward your storage until the 30 days are up and they're permanently removed.

If you need storage space right now and don't want to wait 30 days, you can permanently delete photos from the Recently Deleted album when ready. Open Recently Deleted, tap Select, tap Select All, and tap Delete Permanently. This frees up the space right away.

Backing up photos before you delete them

Before you delete a large batch of photos, consider backing them up in case you change your mind later or want to keep them somewhere safe. You can use iCloud Photos, which automatically backs up your entire library to Apple's servers. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on iCloud Photos. Your photos will sync to the cloud, and you can recover them from iCloud.com even after you delete them from your phone.

You can also export photos to your computer using a Mac or Windows PC, or use a third-party service like Google Photos or Amazon Photos. These options give you a copy of your photos stored somewhere other than your iPhone, so you won't lose them if you delete them by mistake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete all my photos at once without selecting them one by one?

Yes. Open the Photos app, tap Select, then tap Select All in the top left corner. This selects every photo on your phone. Then tap the trash icon and confirm. Be careful with this option — it deletes everything, and you'll have to recover photos individually from Recently Deleted if you change your mind.

What happens if I delete a photo that's also in an album?

Deleting a photo from your main library removes it from all albums too. If you only want to remove a photo from one specific album without deleting it entirely, open the album, tap Select, tap the photo, and tap Remove from Album instead of the trash icon. The photo stays in your main Photos library.

Can I recover a photo after the 30 days in Recently Deleted are up?

No. Once the 30-day window closes, the photo is permanently deleted from your iPhone and cannot be recovered through the Photos app. If you backed up your phone to iCloud or your computer before deleting it, you might be able to restore the photo from that backup, but it requires restoring your entire phone.

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

Yes. When you permanently delete a photo from the Recently Deleted album, your iPhone removes it right away and frees up the storage space. Photos that are still in Recently Deleted but haven't been permanently deleted yet still take up space on your phone.

Can I delete photos in bulk from my computer instead of my iPhone?

Yes. Connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC, open the Photos app or file explorer, and delete photos from there. You can also manage your iCloud Photos library from iCloud.com — sign in, open Photos, select multiple photos, and delete them. Changes sync to your iPhone automatically.