Delete a photo you posted yourself
Open Facebook and go to your profile. Click or tap the Photos section, then find the album labeled Photos of You or Your Photos depending on your device. Locate the photo you want to remove.
Hover your mouse over the photo (on a computer) or long-press it (on a phone). A menu will appear with options. Click or tap the three dots or the trash icon, then select Delete Photo. Facebook will ask you to confirm — click Delete again. The photo disappears from your profile, your timeline, and any albums it was in.
If you posted the photo in a specific album — like a vacation folder or event album — you can also delete it from within that album. Open the album, find the photo, and use the same menu to delete it.
Key Takeaways
- Photos you posted yourself can be deleted from your profile, timeline, or albums using the three-dot menu or trash icon on the photo.
- Deleting a photo removes it everywhere it appears on Facebook, including from other people's posts if you untag yourself first.
- If someone else posted a photo of you, you can ask them to delete it or untag yourself so it no longer appears on your profile.
- Deleted photos cannot be recovered after you confirm the deletion, so make sure you want to remove it before you finish.
- Photos in your archive or backup folders follow the same deletion process as photos in regular albums.
Remove yourself from a photo someone else posted
If another person posted a photo that includes you, you have two options: untag yourself or ask the person to delete it.
To untag yourself, open the photo and look for your name tagged in it. Click or tap your name, then select Remove Tag. The photo stays on Facebook and on the other person's profile, but your name no longer appears and it stops showing up on your own profile.
If you want the photo deleted entirely, click the three dots on the photo and select Report Photo, or message the person who posted it and ask them to delete it. Facebook does not delete photos just because you ask — only the person who posted it or Facebook itself (if the photo violates their rules) can remove it.
Delete multiple photos at once
If you want to remove several photos quickly, go to your profile and open the Photos section. Click or tap Your Photos or the album containing the photos you want to delete.
On a computer, hover over each photo and click the checkbox that appears in the corner. Select all the photos you want to remove. Once you have chosen them, look for a Delete button or menu option at the top or bottom of the screen. On a phone, long-press the first photo, then tap the other photos you want to delete, and look for a delete option.
Confirm the deletion when Facebook asks. All selected photos will be removed at once. This is faster than deleting them one by one, especially if you are clearing out old albums or removing many photos from an event.
Understand what happens when you delete a photo
When you delete a photo, it disappears from your profile, your timeline, and any albums it was in. Comments and likes on that photo are also removed. People who saw the photo before you deleted it may remember it, but they cannot find it on Facebook anymore.
If the photo was shared or reposted by someone else, deleting your original does not remove their copy. You would need to ask them to delete their version, or report it to Facebook if it violates their policies.
Deleted photos cannot be recovered through Facebook. If you change your mind later, you cannot get the photo back from Facebook itself — you would need to re-upload it from your device or computer if you still have the original file.
Delete photos from a specific album
Open your profile and go to Photos, then select the album you want to edit. You can delete individual photos from within the album using the three-dot menu, or delete the entire album at once.
To delete the whole album, click or tap the three dots next to the album name and select Delete Album. Facebook will warn you that all photos in the album will be deleted. Confirm if you want to proceed. This removes the album and every photo in it from your profile.
If you only want to remove some photos from an album, delete them individually rather than deleting the whole album. The album itself stays, but it will have fewer photos in it.
Handle photos in your archive or backup
Facebook lets you archive photos so they stop appearing on your timeline but stay in your account. Archived photos are hidden from your profile and from other people's feeds, but they are not deleted.
If you want to permanently remove an archived photo, go to your profile, find the Photos section, and look for an Archive folder or section. Open it, find the photo, and use the three-dot menu to delete it. Deleting an archived photo removes it completely — it no longer stays hidden, it is gone.
Some phones and computers back up photos to Facebook automatically through apps like Facebook Photos or Memories. Photos in these backups can be deleted the same way as regular photos: find them in your profile or in the backup folder, and use the delete option from the menu.
Prevent photos from being posted in the first place
You can control who can post photos of you on Facebook by adjusting your privacy settings. Go to Settings, then Privacy, and look for an option about who can post on your timeline or tag you in photos.
You can set it so that only you can post photos on your timeline, or so that posts from others must be approved by you before they appear. This does not stop people from posting photos elsewhere on Facebook, but it keeps them off your own profile until you allow them.
You can also turn off the ability for others to tag you in photos without your permission. This means any tag someone tries to add has to be approved by you first. These settings take time to adjust but save you from having to delete unwanted photos later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a photo after I delete it?
No. Once you confirm the deletion, Facebook permanently removes the photo. If you still have the original file on your phone or computer, you can upload it again, but Facebook does not store deleted photos where you can retrieve them.
What if I delete a photo but someone else shared it?
Deleting your original photo does not remove copies that other people shared or reposted. You would need to ask them to delete their version, or report it to Facebook if it breaks their rules about harassment or privacy.
Does deleting a photo remove the comments and likes?
Yes. When you delete a photo, all comments, likes, and reactions to that photo are also removed. People who commented will not see their comments anymore, and the photo will not appear in their activity history.
Can I delete a photo if someone else is tagged in it?
Yes, you can delete any photo you posted, even if other people are tagged in it. The photo disappears from everyone's view, including the tagged people. They will not be notified that you deleted it.
How do I delete photos from my phone that synced to Facebook?
If your phone automatically backed up photos to Facebook, deleting the photo from Facebook removes it from your Facebook account but not from your phone. To remove it from both places, delete it from your phone separately, then delete it from your Facebook profile.