Delete a photo you posted yourself
Open Facebook and go to your profile. Click or tap the photo you want to remove — it will open in a larger view. Look for the three dots (called a menu icon) in the top right corner of the photo and click it. A list of options will appear. Select "Delete" from that list.
Facebook will ask you to confirm. Click "Delete Photo" again, and the photo is gone from your profile and from anywhere else you posted it on Facebook. The photo disappears when ready — you cannot undo this after you confirm, so make sure it is the right one.
If you posted the photo in an album (like "Vacation 2024" or "Family Photos"), deleting it removes it from the album too. The album itself stays, but that specific photo is gone.
Key Takeaways
- Photos you posted yourself can be deleted from your profile by opening the photo, clicking the three-dot menu, and selecting Delete.
- Deleting a photo removes it from your profile, any album it was in, and any place you shared it on Facebook.
- You cannot undo a photo deletion after you confirm, so double-check before you click Delete Photo a second time.
- If someone else posted a photo of you, you can ask them to remove it, or you can report it to Facebook if it violates their rules.
- Photos you delete from your phone's camera roll do not automatically delete from Facebook — you must delete them through Facebook itself.
Remove a photo someone else posted of you
If another person posted a photo that includes you, you have two options. The first is to ask them directly to delete it. Send them a message or call and explain why you want it removed. Many people will take it down without any fuss once they know you are uncomfortable with it.
If you do not want to ask them, or they refuse, you can report the photo to Facebook. Open the photo, click the three-dot menu, and choose "Report Photo." Facebook will ask why you are reporting it. Select the reason that fits — for example, "It's a photo of me that I don't want shared" or "It's abusive or harmful." Facebook reviews reports and may remove the photo if it breaks their rules, though they do not always act on every report.
Reporting does not tell the person who posted it that you reported them, but Facebook may contact them if the photo is removed. This process takes longer than deleting your own photo — Facebook may take a few days to review.
Delete photos from an album
Albums are folders where you group photos by topic — "Vacation," "Birthday Party," "Home Renovations," and so on. To delete a photo from an album, click on the album name from your profile. The photos inside will appear as a grid. Click the photo you want to remove.
Once the photo opens, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner and select "Delete." Confirm by clicking "Delete Photo." The photo disappears from the album and from your profile everywhere.
If you delete all the photos from an album, the album itself may stay on your profile as an empty folder, or Facebook may remove it automatically. If you want to delete the entire album instead of individual photos, go to the album, click the three-dot menu at the top of the album page, and select "Delete Album." This removes the album and every photo in it at once.
Bulk delete multiple photos at once
If you want to remove many photos quickly, Facebook does not have a built-in tool to select and delete multiple photos in one action. You must delete them one at a time using the three-dot menu method described above. This takes longer if you have dozens of photos to remove, but it is the only way Facebook allows.
A faster approach is to delete an entire album if all the photos you want gone are in the same album. Open the album, click the three-dot menu at the top, select "Delete Album," and confirm. This removes every photo in that album in one step instead of clicking through each photo individually.
If your photos are spread across multiple albums or your profile, you will need to go through them one by one. Set aside time to do this if you have a lot to remove, because it can take a while.
What happens after you delete a photo
Once you delete a photo, it no longer appears on your profile, in albums, or in your friends' feeds. Comments and likes on that photo disappear too. The photo is removed from Facebook's servers, though Facebook may keep a backup copy for a short time for technical reasons.
If you shared the photo with a specific group of people (like "Friends Only" or a private message), deleting it removes it from all those places. If someone took a screenshot of the photo before you deleted it, that screenshot exists on their device, and deleting the original does not remove their copy.
You cannot recover a deleted photo through Facebook after you confirm the deletion. If you need the photo back, you will have to re-upload it from your phone or computer if you still have the original file.
Manage your photo privacy settings
Before you delete photos, you might want to change who can see them instead. Open a photo, click the three-dot menu, and select "Edit Post." A window will appear showing who can currently see the photo — it might say "Public," "Friends," "Friends Except," or "Only Me." Click that setting to change it.
Choosing "Only Me" means only you can see the photo on your profile. "Friends" means only people you are friends with can see it. "Public" means anyone on the internet can see it. You can also create a custom list to share with specific people. This way, you keep the photo but control who views it.
Changing privacy settings is useful if you want to keep a photo but do not want it visible to everyone. Deleting is the right choice if you do not want the photo on Facebook at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a photo I was tagged in?
You cannot delete a photo someone else posted, but you can untag yourself from it. Open the photo, click the three-dot menu, and select "Remove Tag." Your name will no longer appear on the photo, and it will not show up in your tagged photos section. The photo stays on the other person's profile, but your name is no longer attached to it.
What if I deleted a photo by accident?
Facebook does not have an undo button for deleted photos. Once you confirm the deletion, the photo is gone. If you still have the original photo file on your phone or computer, you can re-upload it to Facebook. Otherwise, the photo cannot be recovered.
Does deleting a photo remove it from Facebook Messenger?
If you shared a photo in a Messenger conversation, deleting it from your profile does not remove it from the message thread. The photo will still appear in the conversation. You would need to delete the message itself to remove the photo from Messenger.
Can I see a list of all my photos before I delete them?
Yes. Go to your profile and click "Photos" in the menu. You will see all photos you have posted, organized by date. From there, you can click any photo to open it and delete it using the three-dot menu.
What if Facebook won't let me delete a photo?
This is rare, but it can happen if Facebook is experiencing a technical problem or if the photo is part of an active report or legal hold. Try again in a few minutes. If the problem continues, you can report it to Facebook through their Help Center, though response times vary.