Delete a photo you posted yourself

You can remove any photo you uploaded to your own Instagram account. The photo disappears from your profile, your followers' feeds, and search results. If someone already saved or screenshotted the photo, they will still have their copy — deletion only removes it from Instagram itself.

Open Instagram and go to your profile. Tap the photo you want to delete. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the photo (on mobile) or hover over the photo and click the three dots (on desktop). Select Delete from the menu. Instagram will ask you to confirm — tap Delete again. The photo is now gone from your account.

The entire post disappears, including any captions, likes, and comments. If you want to keep the photo but hide it from your followers, you can archive it instead — tap the three dots and choose Archive. An archived photo stays on your account but only you can see it.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a photo removes it from your profile, your followers' feeds, and Instagram search results permanently.
  • You can only delete photos you posted yourself — you cannot delete photos other people posted of you.
  • Archiving a photo hides it from your followers but keeps it on your account where only you can see it.
  • If someone already saved or screenshotted your photo before you deleted it, they will still have their copy.
  • Deletion is when ready and cannot be undone, so make sure you want to remove the photo before confirming.

Remove yourself from a photo someone else posted

You cannot delete a photo that another person posted, even if you are in it. You can ask the person to take it down, or you can report it to Instagram if it violates their rules — for example, if it shows you without your permission in a way that is harmful or harassing.

To report a photo, go to the post, tap the three dots, and select Report. Choose the reason that best fits — It's inappropriate or It's spam are common options. Instagram reviews reports but does not always remove the photo. If the photo stays up and you want it gone, your only option is to ask the person who posted it to delete it themselves.

Recover a photo you deleted by mistake

Instagram does not have an undo button for deleted photos. Once you confirm deletion, the photo is gone and cannot be brought back through Instagram. If you have a backup on your phone or computer, you can upload it again as a new post.

Some phones automatically back up photos to cloud storage like Google Photos or iCloud. Check those services to see if a copy exists. If you find it, you can read it and post it to Instagram again — it will appear as a new post with a new timestamp, not the original post.

Delete multiple photos at once

Instagram does not have a bulk delete feature. You must delete photos one at a time by opening each one, tapping the three dots, and selecting Delete. If you have many photos to remove, this takes time but there is no faster way through the app.

On desktop, the process is the same: go to your profile, click each photo, click the three dots, and click Delete. The steps are identical whether you use mobile or a computer.

What happens to likes and comments when you delete a photo

When you delete a photo, all the likes and comments on that post disappear too. People who liked or commented will not receive a notification that the post is gone — they will straightforward notice it is no longer on your profile when they look for it.

If you want to keep the engagement but hide the photo from public view, archive it instead of deleting it. Archived photos keep all their likes and comments, but only you can see them.

Difference between deleting and archiving

Deleting removes the photo completely from Instagram. It no longer appears on your profile, in your followers' feeds, or in search results. The likes and comments are gone. Anyone looking at your profile will not see any trace of it.

Archiving hides the photo from public view but keeps it on your account. Your followers cannot see it, and it does not appear in your feed or in search results. Only you can see it when you look at your profile. All the likes and comments stay attached to it. If you change your mind, you can unarchive it and it goes back to your public profile exactly as it was.

Use archiving when you want to remove a photo temporarily or keep it private. Use deletion when you want it completely gone from Instagram.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a photo from my Instagram story?

Stories disappear automatically after 24 hours, so you do not need to delete them. If you want to remove a story before the 24 hours are up, tap the three dots on your story and select Delete. The story vanishes when ready.

What if I delete a photo but someone already shared it?

If someone shared your photo to their story or sent it in a direct message before you deleted it, they still have their copy. Deleting your original post does not remove the copies they shared. You would need to ask them to delete their version.

Does Instagram notify people when I delete a photo?

No. People who liked or commented on the photo will not get a notification that it is gone. They will only notice if they go looking for it on your profile and cannot find it.

Can I delete a photo from someone else's tagged posts?

You cannot delete the photo itself, but you can remove the tag that links it to your profile. Go to the photo, tap the three dots, and select Remove tag. The photo stays on their account, but it no longer appears in your tagged photos section.