Deleting photos from your iPhone can be a tricky process, especially when you want to remove them from your device without deleting them from iCloud. This tutorial will guide you through the steps to delete photos from your iPhone while ensuring they stay safely stored in your iCloud account.
Step 1: Open the "Photos" app on your iPhone.
Step 2: In the bottom menu, select the "Albums" tab.
Step 3: Scroll down and tap on the "Recently Deleted" album.
Step 4: This album contains photos that have been recently deleted and are still recoverable. Select the photos you want to permanently delete.
Step 5: After selecting the desired photos, tap on the "Delete" button located at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Step 6: A confirmation message will appear. Tap on "Delete X Photos" to permanently remove the selected photos from your iPhone.
Step 7: The photos you have deleted from your device are now permanently removed from both the "Recently Deleted" album and your iPhone’s storage. However, they will still be available in your iCloud account.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. Easy and straightforward process to delete photos from iPhone. | 1. The photos will be permanently deleted from the device and cannot be recovered without restoring from a backup. |
| 2. iCloud synchronization ensures that the deleted photos are still accessible on other devices. | 2. Requires an active internet connection for iCloud to sync and store the photos. |
| 3. Saves local storage space on the iPhone by removing unnecessary photos. | 3. May take time for the photos to sync and appear in the "Recently Deleted" album on other devices. |
Video Tutorial: How do I free up space on my iPhone photos?
Is there a way to keep photos on iCloud but not on iPhone?
Yes, there is a way to keep photos on iCloud but not on your iPhone. Here are the steps to achieve this:
1. First, ensure that you have the iCloud Photos feature enabled on your iPhone. You can do this by going to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos, and toggling on the "iCloud Photos" option.
2. Once iCloud Photos is enabled, your photos will be automatically synced and stored in iCloud. However, they will continue to occupy space on your iPhone as well.
3. To free up space on your iPhone while keeping the photos in iCloud, you can enable the "Optimize iPhone Storage" option. This feature will store optimized versions of your photos on your device, taking up less space, while the full-resolution versions are kept in iCloud.
4. To enable this feature, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos, and select the "Optimize iPhone Storage" option. This will offload older and less frequently accessed photos from your device, but they will still be available for viewing and downloading from iCloud.
5. By following these steps, you can have your photos stored primarily on iCloud, allowing you to access and manage them from any device with an internet connection. Meanwhile, your iPhone’s storage space will be optimized as it stores lower-resolution versions of the photos locally.
Remember that removing a photo from your iPhone will also remove it from iCloud if iCloud Photos sync is enabled. So, if you want to keep a specific photo solely on iCloud and remove it from your iPhone, you can do so by opening the Photos app, selecting the photo, tapping the share icon, and choosing "Remove from iPhone."
With these steps, you can effectively manage your photo storage between iCloud and your iPhone, keeping your device’s storage space available while still having access to your photos whenever you need them.
How do I keep photos on iCloud only?
To keep photos on iCloud only, follow these steps:
1. Enable iCloud Photos: Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on your name at the top. Then, select "iCloud" and tap on "Photos." Toggle on the "iCloud Photos" option, and your device will begin syncing photos with iCloud.
2. Optimize iPhone Storage: By default, your device stores a smaller, optimized version of the photo on your iPhone to save space. To ensure photos are stored on iCloud only, go back to the iCloud Photos settings and enable the "Optimize iPhone Storage" option. This will keep the full-resolution photos in iCloud, and only smaller versions will be stored on your device.
3. Disable My Photo Stream: My Photo Stream is another photo syncing feature that keeps the last 30 days’ worth of photos in sync across your devices. If it’s enabled, photos taken on one device will appear on other devices linked to your Apple ID. To prevent photos from being stored locally, return to the iCloud Photos settings and turn off the "My Photo Stream" option.
4. Remove Existing Local Copies: After adjusting the settings, you may have existing photos stored on your device that need to be removed. To delete these local copies, open the Photos app, select the "Photos" tab, and tap "Select" in the top-right corner. Choose the photos you want to remove and tap the trash icon. Keep in mind that these photos will still be available in iCloud.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your photos are stored exclusively on iCloud and reduce the local storage footprint on your iPhone. Remember to periodically check your iCloud storage to ensure you have sufficient space for your photos and other data.
How do I reduce photo storage on iPhone?
There are several steps you can take to reduce photo storage on your iPhone. Here’s a professional point of view on how to achieve that without summarizing the steps:
1. Review and delete unnecessary photos: Start by going through your photo library and identifying any photos that are blurry, duplicated, or simply don’t hold any significance. You can select multiple photos at once and delete them in bulk by tapping the bin icon.
2. Utilize cloud storage: Take advantage of cloud storage services like iCloud or Google Photos. These services allow you to upload your photos to the cloud, freeing up space on your device. Once your photos are safely stored, you can delete them from your iPhone.
3. Optimize iPhone Camera settings: Adjusting the Camera settings on your iPhone can help save storage space. Go to the Settings app, select "Camera," and under the "HDR (High Dynamic Range)" section, toggle on "Keep Normal Photo." This will prevent your iPhone from saving both regular and HDR copies of the same photo, thus reducing storage usage.
4. Enable "Optimize iPhone Storage": In the Photos settings, you can turn on the "Optimize iPhone Storage" feature. This option automatically optimizes the size of photos on your device, keeping smaller versions while storing the originals in the cloud. This way, you can still access high-quality images while conserving storage space.
5. Offload unused apps: Consider offloading apps that you don’t frequently use. This removes the app from your device, but keeps all its data intact. By doing this, you may reclaim some storage space for your photos.
6. Delete large video files: Videos typically occupy significant storage space. Review your video library and delete any large files that you no longer need. You can either do this directly in the Photos app or use the Files app to manage and delete videos stored in other locations.
By following these steps, you can effectively reduce photo storage on your iPhone and ensure that you have enough space for new memories without summarizing the answer.
How do I clean up photos on my iPhone?
Cleaning up photos on your iPhone is essential to free up storage space and improve the overall performance of your device. Here are the steps you can follow:
1. Review and Delete Unwanted Photos: Start by going through your photo library and identifying the photos you no longer need or want to keep. This could include duplicate photos, blurry shots, screenshots, or any other images that no longer serve a purpose. Tap on the "Photos" app on your iPhone, navigate to the specific album or the "All Photos" tab, and swipe through the images. Tap on the photo, then tap on the trash icon to delete it. You can select multiple photos to delete at once by tapping on the "Select" option and then choosing the images you want to remove.
2. Use the "Recently Deleted" Album: After you delete photos, they are not immediately removed from your device. Instead, they are moved to the "Recently Deleted" album, where they are stored for 30 days before being permanently deleted. To access this album, go to the "Photos" app, tap on "Albums" at the bottom, and scroll down to find the "Recently Deleted" album. Review the photos in this album, and if you still don’t need them, tap on "Select" and then "Delete All" to permanently remove them.
3. Enable iCloud Photos: To save space on your iPhone, you can enable iCloud Photos, which will automatically back up your photos and videos to the cloud. It allows you to access your entire photo library across all your devices while keeping a smaller optimized version on your iPhone. To enable iCloud Photos, go to "Settings," tap on your name at the top, select "iCloud," then "Photos," and turn on the "iCloud Photos" toggle switch.
4. Optimize iPhone Storage: If you have limited storage on your iPhone, you can enable the "Optimize iPhone Storage" option within the iCloud Photos settings. This feature will automatically keep lower-resolution versions of your photos on your device, downloading the full-resolution version only when you need it. It helps to save space without compromising the visual quality of your images.
5. Backup and Delete Photos Manually: If you want to ensure you have a backup of your photos before deleting them, you can manually transfer them to a computer or an external storage device. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a Lightning cable, open the Photos app on your computer (such as Apple’s Photos app on macOS), and import the desired photos. Once you’ve verified the backup, you can safely delete the photos from your iPhone, either individually or in bulk.
By following these steps, you can effectively clean up photos on your iPhone, optimize storage, and keep your device running smoothly.
Are deleted photos still on iCloud?
Yes, deleted photos can still be present on iCloud, but their availability and retention depend on various factors. Here’s an explanation of how the iCloud photo storage works and its impact on deleted photos:
1. iCloud Photo Library: iCloud offers a feature called iCloud Photo Library that allows users to store their photos and videos in the cloud, accessible across multiple devices. When enabled, this feature syncs your photos and videos across all your devices, keeping them updated and backed up.
2. Recently Deleted Album: When you delete a photo or video from your iPhone, it goes to the "Recently Deleted" album. These deleted items remain in this album for a period of 30 days before being permanently removed. During this time, you can access and recover them if needed.
3. Backup and Restore: iCloud also provides device backups, which include photos and videos, allowing you to restore your entire device from a previous backup. If a backup was created before the photos were deleted, they can potentially be recovered during the restoration process. However, it’s crucial to note that only the most recent backups are usually stored on iCloud.
4. Permanent Deletion: After the 30-day grace period, photos and videos in the "Recently Deleted" album are permanently deleted from the iCloud server, making it challenging to recover them. These deleted items will no longer be accessible through normal means, such as iCloud Photos or iCloud.com.
5. Other Considerations: It’s important to keep in mind that iCloud is just one aspect of photo storage and backup. If you have other devices or storage solutions, like external hard drives or computer backups, those might contain older copies of your photos that could be recoverable even if deleted from iCloud.
In conclusion, while deleted photos are initially moved to the "Recently Deleted" album on iCloud, they are eventually permanently removed after 30 days. If you wish to ensure the preservation of specific photos, it’s essential to back them up locally or consider additional backup solutions alongside iCloud.