Introduction

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“title”: “How to Delete Google Photos: A Comprehensive Guide”,
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How to Delete Google Photos: A Comprehensive Guide

If you’re looking to manage or completely remove your photos from Google Photos, this guide will walk you through the process step-by-step. Whether you want to delete individual photos, multiple photos, or your entire Google Photos library, we’ve got you covered.

Introduction

Google Photos is a convenient service for storing and managing your photos, but there may be times when you need to delete some or all of your photos. This could be due to storage constraints, privacy concerns, or simply a desire to organize your digital life. Here’s how you can do it efficiently.

Deleting Individual Google Photos Images

### Using the Web App

To delete an individual image using the Google Photos web app, follow these steps:

1. Visit photos.google.com using your desktop browser.
2. Select the photo you wish to delete to open it.
3. Click the Delete button in the upper-right corner of the screen. You’ll be asked to confirm the deletion.
4. Select Move to trash. The item will be removed from the gallery immediately.
5. To permanently delete the photo, navigate to Trash on the left sidebar.
6. Select the photo you just deleted and click the Delete button in the upper-right corner of the screen.

### Using the Mobile App

To delete an individual image using the Google Photos mobile app, follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Photos app on your smartphone.
2. Look up the image you want to delete and tap it to bring up the full-screen view.
3. Tap the Delete button in the lower-right corner of your screen. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to move the photo to the trash bin.
4. Select Allow to confirm that you want to trash the photo.
5. To permanently delete the photo, navigate to the Library section on the bottom tab of the screen.
6. Open the Trash folder in the upper-right corner of the screen, locate the photo you trashed, and tap it.
7. Tap the Delete button in the lower-left corner of the display and confirm by tapping Allow again.

Deleting Multiple Google Photos Images

### Using the Web App

If you want to delete multiple photos at once using the web app, follow these steps:

1. Select the images you want to erase by clicking the checkmark in the top left of the relevant thumbnail.
2. To select a range of images, click one image, then hold the Shift key and click a second image; every snap between the two will be highlighted.
3. When your selection is complete, look for the bin icon in the top right of your screen and click it.
4. Confirm the deletion by selecting Move to trash.
5. To permanently delete the photos, navigate to Trash on the left sidebar, select the photos, and click the Delete button in the upper-right corner.

### Using the Mobile App

To delete multiple photos at once using the mobile app, follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Photos app and go to the gallery view.
2. Tap and hold one of the images you want to delete to select it.
3. Tap the other images you want to delete to select them.
4. Tap the Delete button beneath the trash can icon in the toolbar at the bottom.
5. Confirm that you want to move the images to the trash by selecting Allow.
6. To permanently delete the photos, navigate to the Library section, open the Trash folder, select the photos, and tap the Delete button in the lower-left corner.
7. Confirm by tapping Allow again.

Deleting Photos from Google Photos Albums

### Using the Web App

To delete a photo from within an album on the web app, follow these steps:

1. Go to photos.google.com and navigate to Albums on the left sidebar.
2. Select an album to open it and click the picture you wish to remove.
3. Click the three dots in the upper-right corner and select Move to trash from the options.
4. To permanently delete the photo, navigate to Trash on the left sidebar, select the photo, and click the Delete button in the upper-right corner.

### Using the Mobile App

To delete a photo from within an album on the mobile app, follow these steps:

1. Open an album and select the photo you want to delete.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner or swipe up on the screen to bring up more options.
3. Swipe the ribbon menu beneath the photo to the left and tap the Move to trash option.
4. Select Move to trash from the menu that pops up from the bottom of the screen to confirm your choice.
5. To permanently delete the photo, navigate to the Library section, open the Trash folder, select the photo, and tap the Delete button in the lower-left corner.
6. Confirm by tapping Allow again.

Deleting All Google Photos at Once

Unfortunately, there is no one-click way to delete your entire Google Photos library. However, you can use the batch selection method to delete all your photos efficiently.

### Using the Web App

To delete all your Google Photos using the web app, follow these steps:

1. Open photos.google.com and log in to your Google account.
2. Select the first photo in your library by enabling the checkmark on its top left corner.
3. Scroll down to the last photo in your library and select it while holding the Shift key.
4. This will select all photos in your library.
5. Click the bin icon in the top right corner and confirm by selecting Move to trash.
6. To permanently delete the photos, navigate to Trash on the left sidebar, select all photos, and click the Delete button in the upper-right corner.

### Using the Mobile App

While the mobile app does not support selecting all photos at once as easily as the web app, you can still manage large batches:

1. Open the Google Photos app and go to the Photos section.
2. Enable Stack similar photos and set the layout to Month to make selection easier.
3. Tap the select symbol next to each month to select all the photos within that month.
4. Repeat this process month by month, working your way backward to select all photos.
5. Tap the Delete button beneath the trash can icon and confirm by selecting Allow.
6. To permanently delete the photos, navigate to the Library section, open the Trash folder, select all photos, and tap the Delete button in the lower-left corner.
7. Confirm by tapping Allow again.

Tips and Best Practices

Preventing Accidental Deletion

Before deleting any photos, ensure you have backed them up to another service or device to avoid losing them permanently.

Disabling Backup

If you want to delete photos from the cloud only and keep them on your device, disable the backup option in the Google Photos app:

• Open the Google Photos app.
• Tap the profile icon at the top-right corner.
• Go to Backup and disable Backup photos & videos on this device automatically.

Avoiding Device Photo Deletion

Avoid using the Free up space on this device option in the Google Photos app, especially if you plan to stop using Google Photos, as this option deletes pictures from your device that are older than 30 days and have been backed up to Google Photos[4].

Smart Storage on Pixel Devices

If you are using a Pixel device, be aware that the Smart Storage option may automatically delete photos from your device if they are older than 60 days and have been backed up to Google Photos. To disable Smart Storage, follow these steps:

• Open the Google Files app.
• Tap to open the menu next to the search bar.
• Select the option to disable Smart Storage.

Conclusion