Top 3 Ways to Delete Photos from iCloud

Today we are blessed with the advanced technology of HEIC format on iPhones. But no matter what, your iCloud storage will run out fast. One reason is that Apple only offers 5GB of free storage to iPhone users. Therefore, you will soon be looking for ways to delete photos and videos from iCloud.

This is considering you use iCloud to backup and sync almost everything on your iPhone.

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to free up space in iCloud by deleting backed up photos. I’m assuming you have iCloud Photos enabled on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Therefore, deleting them from any of your devices will also remove them from iCloud servers. Alternatively, you can visit iCloud.com and delete your photos that way.

1. Delete Photos Using iPhone and iPad

Open the Photos app on iPhone and iPad, then visit the camera roll or an album. To delete a single photo, touch and hold the thumbnail. Tap Delete in the context menu that appears. (I’m sure you already know that.)

To remove multiple photos, tap the Select icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Then tap to select the photos you want to delete. Alternatively, tap and drag your finger across the screen to select multiple photos in one seamless motion. Now this may be something you don’t know.

Follow by tapping the Trash icon in the lower right corner of the screen.

Tap Delete Photos in the menu that opens. According to the warning, the photos will be deleted from iCloud. They’re also removed from any other iOS and macOS device you’re signed in to with the same Apple ID.

To recover accidentally deleted photos, go to Recently Deleted in the Album tab. Fortunately, you have 30 days to do this. Recovered photos will be synced to iCloud and your other devices.

2. Delete Photos Using Mac

Open the Photos app on your Mac, then select the photo or photos you want to delete. To select multiple photos, hold down the Command key and click the corresponding thumbnails. Or you can click and drag the cursor over the thumbnails to get them faster.

Next, right-click any selected image and then click Delete Photos. Click Delete again in the confirmation popup that appears. Photos will be deleted from iCloud and all your other Apple devices.

If you want to recover deleted photos, go to Recently Deleted under Library in the sidebar of the Photos app.

3. Delete photos via iCloud.com

If you’re using the iCloud app on Windows, things are a little tricky. You cannot delete your photos using File Explorer and expect backup copies to be removed from your iCloud account. iCloud app only downloads your photos; Does not sync changes made on Windows devices.

However, you can delete your photos from iCloud quite easily by logging into iCloud.com using any web browser. You can also do this on a Mac, but using the Photos app is much more convenient.

Start by signing in to iCloud.com. Select Photos on the iCloud.com launchpad to access your photo library.

Just like on iOS and macOS, you can navigate through your entire photo library using the sidebar on the left side of the screen.

To delete a single photo, click the thumbnail of an image and then click the Trash icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.

You can also remove multiple images – hold down the Ctrl key (or Cmd key on a Mac) and then click the thumbnails to select them. You can also select items faster by clicking and dragging the cursor over the thumbnails.

Fly:

Click Delete in the confirmation popup that appears. Your photos will be removed from iCloud and all your Apple devices.

However, downloaded copies of photos found locally on Windows devices are not removed. If you want to get rid of them, you must delete them manually.

To recover deleted photos, click Recently Deleted in the sidebar of your iCloud.com photo library.

Reclaim Your Storage

Your iCloud photo library is filled with all kinds of useless photos (duplicates, screenshots, etc.), so doing a regular cleaning spree can be hugely helpful when it comes to keeping your storage quota under control.

You can also use any other cloud storage service and there are many excellent alternatives to choose from. If you choose one, you will have disabled iCloud Photos on your devices to completely get rid of all backed up photos.

And if you want to spend some time, there are other ways to help you save space on your iCloud account.

Next: Take full control of your data. Here’s how to download everything from iCloud.