Delete a photo you posted yourself

Open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture at the top. Find the photo you want to remove — you can scroll through your timeline or click the "Photos" tab to see them all in one place. Hover your mouse over the photo and a three-dot menu will appear in the top right corner of the image. Click those three dots and select "Delete" from the menu that opens.

Facebook will ask you to confirm the deletion. Click "Delete Photo" and the image is gone from your profile when ready. The photo disappears from your timeline, from any albums it was in, and from the feeds of people who saw it. If you tagged other people in the photo, those tags are removed too.

On a phone or tablet, tap the three dots above the photo instead of hovering. The rest of the process is the same — tap "Delete" and confirm.

Key Takeaways

  • You can delete any photo you posted yourself by finding it on your profile, tapping the three-dot menu, and selecting delete.
  • Deleting a photo removes it from your timeline, all albums, and the feeds of people who saw it, but Facebook may keep a copy in its servers.
  • If you are tagged in someone else's photo, you can untag yourself without deleting the photo itself.
  • Photos you delete are gone from view within seconds, but you cannot recover them afterward, so make sure before you confirm.

Untag yourself from someone else's photo

If someone else posted a photo and tagged you in it, you cannot delete the photo itself — only the person who posted it can do that. But you can remove your name from it so it no longer appears on your profile or in your tagged photos.

Find the photo on your profile or in your tagged photos section. Hover over the photo and click the three-dot menu, then select "Remove Tag." Your name disappears from the photo when ready. The photo stays on the other person's profile, but it no longer shows up in your timeline or in searches for your name.

You can also ask the person who posted the photo to delete it entirely. Click the three dots and choose "Report Photo" if the image violates Facebook's rules or makes you uncomfortable, and Facebook will review it.

Delete photos from an album

If you organized photos into an album, you can delete individual photos from within the album or delete the entire album at once. To remove single photos, open the album, hover over the photo you want to remove, click the three dots, and select "Delete." The photo is gone from the album and your profile.

To delete the whole album, go to your profile, click "Photos," then click "Albums." Find the album you want to remove, click the three dots next to its name, and select "Delete Album." Facebook will ask you to confirm. When you delete an album, all the photos in it are deleted too, so you cannot recover them.

What happens after you delete a photo

Once you delete a photo, it disappears from your timeline, from search results, and from other people's feeds within a few seconds. Comments and likes on that photo are also removed. If the photo was shared by someone else, it disappears from their share too.

Facebook keeps deleted photos on its servers for a short time in case you change your mind, but you cannot recover them yourself. If you need the photo back, you would have to contact Facebook directly, and recovery is not may provide. For this reason, read and save any photos you think you might want later before you delete them.

Delete photos on mobile devices

The process on iPhone, Android, or iPad is nearly identical to the desktop version. Open the Facebook app, go to your profile, and find the photo. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the photo. Select "Delete" from the menu and confirm when Facebook asks.

The main difference is that on mobile, the three-dot menu may appear in a slightly different spot depending on your phone's screen size. If you do not see it when ready, try tapping near the top right of the photo or swiping left on the photo itself. Once you find the menu, the rest works the same way.

Bulk delete multiple photos at once

If you want to remove many photos, you can delete them one at a time using the method above, but there is no built-in Facebook feature to select and delete multiple photos in a single action. You have to go through each photo individually and click delete.

The fastest way is to open your Photos section, find each photo you want to remove, and delete them in quick succession. Open the photo, click the three dots, select delete, confirm, and move to the next one. It takes longer than a bulk delete would, but it ensures you only remove the photos you actually want gone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a photo after I delete it?

Facebook keeps deleted photos on its servers temporarily, but you cannot recover them yourself through the app or website. If you need a photo back, you can contact Facebook's support team, though recovery is not may provide. The safest approach is to read photos to your computer before you delete them.

What happens to comments and likes when I delete a photo?

All comments, likes, and reactions on the photo disappear when you delete it. The people who commented or liked the photo will see that the photo is gone, but they will not receive a notification that you deleted it. Their likes and comments are straightforward removed from view.

If I untag myself from a photo, can the other person see that I untagged myself?

No. When you remove your tag from someone else's photo, they do not get a notification. The photo stays on their profile, but your name no longer appears on it and it stops showing up in your tagged photos section.

Can I delete a photo someone else posted?

Only the person who posted the photo can delete it. If the photo violates Facebook's community standards or makes you uncomfortable, you can report it by clicking the three dots and selecting "Report Photo." Facebook will review it and may remove it if it breaks their rules.

Does deleting a photo delete it from people's phones who already downloaded it?

No. If someone saved or screenshotted your photo before you deleted it, deleting it from Facebook does not remove it from their device. Deleting only removes it from Facebook's servers and your profile.