Delete a photo you posted yourself

You can remove any photo you uploaded to Facebook by going to your profile, finding the image, and selecting the delete option. Facebook keeps the photo for a short time in case you change your mind, but after that it is gone from your account and from other people's feeds.

Open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture. Scroll down to find the photo you want to remove. Hover your mouse over the image — a small menu icon (three dots) will appear in the top right corner of the photo. Click that icon and select Delete Photo from the menu that opens. Confirm the deletion when Facebook asks you to.

On a phone or tablet, tap your profile, find the photo, tap the three dots in the top right corner of the image, and tap Delete. The process is the same whether you use the Facebook app or a web browser.

Key Takeaways

  • Photos you posted yourself can be deleted from your profile at any time using the three-dot menu on the image.
  • Deleting a photo removes it from your profile, your timeline, and other people's feeds, though Facebook may keep a backup copy briefly.
  • If someone else posted a photo of you, you can ask them to remove it, or report it to Facebook if it violates their rules.
  • Photos in albums follow the same deletion process as individual photos, and removing a photo does not delete the album itself.
  • Once deleted, a photo cannot be recovered from your Facebook account, so make sure you want it gone before you confirm.

Remove a photo from an album

Albums work the same way as individual photos. Go to your profile, click Photos, then click Albums. Find the album that contains the photo you want to remove, open it, and hover over the image. Click the three dots and select Delete Photo.

Deleting a photo from an album does not delete the album itself — the other photos stay in place. If you want to remove the entire album, you can do that separately by going to the album, clicking the three dots at the top, and selecting Delete Album. Facebook will ask you to confirm before it removes the album and all photos inside it.

Handle photos someone else posted of you

If another person posted a photo of you and you want it removed, your first step is to ask them directly. Send them a message or comment on the photo explaining that you would prefer it not be posted. Most people will take it down if you ask politely.

If the person refuses or if the photo violates Facebook's rules — for example, if it is sexually explicit, shows violence, or is being used to harass you — you can report it to Facebook. Click the three dots on the photo, select Find support or report photo, and choose the reason that best describes the problem. Facebook reviews reports and removes photos that break their community standards.

You can also untag yourself from a photo without asking the person to delete it. Click the three dots, select Remove tag, and your name will no longer appear on the image. The photo stays up, but it is no longer connected to your profile.

What happens after you delete a photo

Once you delete a photo, it disappears from your profile and timeline when ready. People who saw it before will no longer see it in their feeds or in your profile. However, Facebook may keep a copy of the image on its servers for a limited time before permanently removing it.

If the photo was shared or commented on, those comments and shares disappear along with the image. Any likes the photo received are also removed. If you posted the photo to a group or on someone else's timeline, deleting it from your profile does not remove it from that location — you would need to delete it separately from the group or the other person's page.

Recover a deleted photo

Facebook does not provide a way to recover a photo after you delete it from your account. Once it is gone, it is gone. If you think you might want the photo later, read it to your computer or phone before you delete it.

To read a photo before deleting it, click the three dots on the image and select read. Facebook will save the photo to your device's default read folder. You can then delete it from Facebook without losing your copy.

Bulk delete multiple photos at once

If you want to remove many photos, you can delete them one at a time using the method described above, but Facebook does not have a built-in tool to select and delete multiple photos in a single action. The fastest approach is to go through your albums or profile photos and delete each one individually.

Some people delete photos by removing entire albums instead. If all the photos you want gone are in one or two albums, deleting the album removes every photo inside it at once. Go to the album, click the three dots at the top, and select Delete Album. This is faster than deleting photos one by one, but it also removes photos you might want to keep, so be careful.

Photos in memories and archives

Facebook's Memories feature shows you photos from past years on the anniversary of when you posted them. Deleting a photo from your profile also removes it from Memories — you do not need to delete it twice.

If you have archived your profile or hidden certain posts, deleting a photo removes it from those locations as well. Archiving and deletion are different actions: archiving hides a post from your timeline but keeps it in your account, while deletion removes it entirely. If you delete a photo, it will not appear in Memories, archives, or anywhere else on Facebook.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a photo if someone else tagged me in it?

You cannot delete a photo that someone else posted, but you can remove your tag from it. Click the three dots, select Remove tag, and your name will no longer be attached to the image. The photo stays on Facebook, but it is no longer linked to your profile. If you want the photo deleted entirely, you need to ask the person who posted it to remove it.

What if I deleted a photo by accident?

Facebook does not restore deleted photos through your account. If you deleted it recently, you might be able to contact Facebook support through the Help Center, but they rarely recover individual photos. The best protection is to read photos you care about before deleting them, so you have a backup on your computer or phone.

Does deleting a photo remove it from search results?

Yes. Once you delete a photo from Facebook, it no longer appears in search results, in other people's feeds, or anywhere on the platform. It may take a few hours for search engines like Google to update their index and stop showing the photo in web search results.

Can I delete a photo I posted years ago?

Yes, you can delete any photo you posted, no matter how old it is. Go to your profile, scroll back to find the photo, click the three dots, and select Delete Photo. There is no time limit on deletion — you can remove photos from any point in your account history.

What if the photo is in a shared album?

If you posted a photo to a shared album, deleting it removes it from the shared album as well. Everyone who has access to that album will no longer see the photo. If someone else posted the photo to the shared album, you cannot delete it — you can only ask them to remove it.