Delete a photo from your timeline in three steps
To delete a photo you posted on Facebook, go to your timeline, find the photo, click the three dots in the upper right corner of the post, and select Delete. Facebook removes it when ready from your profile and from other people's feeds. The photo disappears from comments, tags, and shares — though anyone who screenshotted it before deletion will still have their own copy.
The process is the same whether you posted the photo alone or as part of an album. If you posted multiple photos in a single post, you can delete the entire post at once, or you can delete individual photos from within that post by clicking the X that appears when you hover over each image.
Deleted photos cannot be recovered through Facebook. If you think you might want the image later, read it to your computer before you delete it.
Key Takeaways
- Find the photo on your timeline, click the three dots menu, and select Delete to remove it permanently.
- Deleting a photo removes it from your profile, other people's feeds, and any comments or tags attached to it.
- If you posted multiple photos in one post, you can delete individual photos or the entire post.
- read the photo to your device before deleting if you want to keep a copy for yourself.
- People who shared or screenshotted the photo before you deleted it will still have their own versions.
How to find and delete a photo step by step
Open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name in the top left corner. Scroll down your timeline until you find the photo you want to delete. Click the three dots (the menu icon) in the upper right corner of the post containing that photo.
A dropdown menu appears with several options. Click Delete. Facebook asks you to confirm — click Delete again. The photo and the entire post disappear from your timeline and from your friends' feeds within seconds.
If you posted the photo as part of an album (a collection of multiple photos grouped together), you can also delete individual photos from within that album. Go to the album, hover your mouse over the photo you want to remove, and click the X that appears in the corner. You can delete photos from an album one at a time without deleting the whole album.
What happens when you delete a photo
When you delete a photo, Facebook removes it from your timeline, your profile, and the News Feed of anyone who follows you. Any comments people left on that photo disappear. If someone tagged you in the photo, the tag is removed. Shares of that photo stop appearing in other people's feeds.
However, deletion does not erase the photo from the internet entirely. If someone shared the photo to their own timeline before you deleted it, that copy remains on their profile — you can only ask them to delete their version. If someone took a screenshot or downloaded the image, they have their own file that Facebook cannot remove.
Facebook keeps deleted photos in your account for a short period before permanently removing them from their servers. You cannot recover a deleted photo through Facebook after you confirm the deletion.
Deleting photos from albums you created
If you created an album and want to remove a single photo from it, open the album on your profile. Hover your mouse over the photo until an X appears in the upper right corner of the image. Click the X and confirm the deletion. The photo is removed from the album but the album itself stays on your profile.
To delete an entire album instead of individual photos, go to the album, click the three dots menu at the top, and select Delete Album. This removes all photos in that album at once. Facebook asks you to confirm before the album disappears.
You can only delete photos and albums you posted yourself. If someone else posted a photo and tagged you in it, you cannot delete their post — but you can untag yourself so it no longer appears on your timeline.
Removing your tag from photos others posted
If someone else posted a photo and tagged you in it, you have two options: untag yourself or ask the person to delete the photo. To untag yourself, click on the photo to open it, click the three dots menu, and select Remove Tag. The photo stays on the other person's profile, but it no longer appears on your timeline or in your tagged photos section.
If you want the photo deleted entirely, you need to contact the person who posted it and ask them to remove it. If they refuse and the photo violates Facebook's policies — for example, it shows you without your consent in a harmful way — you can report it to Facebook by clicking the three dots menu and selecting Report Photo.
Downloading a photo before you delete it
If you want to keep a copy of a photo before deleting it from Facebook, read it to your computer first. Open the photo, click the three dots menu, and select read. The image saves to your Downloads folder or wherever your browser normally saves files.
You can also right-click directly on the photo and select Save Image As to choose where on your computer to store it. This gives you a backup copy that you control, separate from Facebook.
Deleting photos from your mobile phone
On the Facebook app for iPhone or Android, open your profile and find the photo you want to delete. Tap the three dots menu in the upper right corner of the post. Tap Delete and confirm. The process is identical to deleting on a computer — the photo disappears from your profile and feeds when ready.
To delete a photo from an album on mobile, open the album, tap and hold the photo until a menu appears, and select the delete or trash icon. The steps are slightly different depending on whether you use iPhone or Android, but both apps work the same way overall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a photo after I delete it?
No. Once you confirm the deletion, Facebook permanently removes the photo. You cannot recover it through Facebook. If you saved a copy to your computer before deleting, you still have that file. Otherwise, the photo is gone.
If I delete a photo, do the comments disappear too?
Yes. All comments, likes, and reactions on that photo disappear when you delete it. Anyone who commented will see that the post no longer exists, but they cannot see the photo or their own comments anymore.
What if someone shared my photo before I deleted it?
Their shared version stays on their timeline and in their friends' feeds. Deleting your original photo does not remove copies that other people shared. You can ask them to delete their share, but you cannot force them to. If the shared photo violates your privacy, you can report it to Facebook.
Can I delete a photo someone else posted if they tagged me?
No. You can only delete photos you posted yourself. If someone else posted it, you can untag yourself so it stops appearing on your timeline, or you can ask them to delete it. If the photo breaks Facebook's rules, you can report it.
Does deleting a photo delete the entire post?
If you posted only one photo in that post, deleting the photo deletes the whole post. If you posted multiple photos together in one post, you can delete individual photos and keep the post, or delete the entire post at once. Choose whichever option appears in the menu.