Delete and restore your photos and videos on Google Photos

If you have a backup and synchronization is enabled, the photos and videos you delete will remain in your trash for 60 days before they are deleted forever. Learn how to activate backup and synchronization.

Important Tip: To move all your photos to a different account, share your photo library with that account.

Before deleting photos and videos

Learn where they take photos and videos and do not delete them.

1. Items you delete from Google Photos are also removed from:
2. photos.google.com and any synchronized device
3. Google photo albums
4. Some Google Photos movies. Learn more about the photos deleted in the movies.
5. Shared albums to which you have added them.

The items you delete are not automatically deleted from:

1. Blogger
2. Youtube
3. Gmail

How to Delete Google photos and videos on Computer

1. On your computer, go to photos.google.com.
2. Point to the item you want to delete. In the upper left, click Select Select.
3. In the upper right, click on Trash and then on Move to Trash.

Important Note: If you backed up your photo or video before deleting it, it will remain in your trash for 60 days.

To permanently delete photos and videos:

1. On your computer, go to the trash.
2. Point to the item you want to permanently delete. In the upper left, click Select Select.
3. In the upper right, click Delete forever Permanently delete.

Recover/Restore photos and videos

If you want to recover a deleted item, check your trash to see if you can recover it. If your photo or video has already been backed up and deleted, it will remain in your Trash for 60 days.

1. On your computer, go to the trash.
2. Hover over the photo or video you want to restore, then click Done.
3. In the upper right, click Restore Restore. That photo or video will be restored in your Google Photos library and added back to any album you are in.

Can't you see the photo or the video?

If a deleted photo or video is not in the trash, you can't restore it. You will not be able to restore a photo if:

1. You moved it in the trash more than 60 days ago.
2. You moved it to the trash, then emptied your trash.
3. You permanently removed it from your trash.
4. You permanently deleted it from the Gallery application on your device, without making a backup first.

To find and recover photos easily, enable backup and synchronization.

Delete Google photos and videos on Android, iPhone

1. On your Android phone/tablet and iPhone/iPad, open the Google Photos application.
2. Sign in to your Google account.
3. Press and hold the photo or video you want to move to the trash. You can select several items.
4. In the upper right, touch Trash Trash and then Move to Trash.

Important Notes:

1. If you delete a photo or video that is backed up in Google Photos, it will remain in your trash for 60 days.
2. If you delete an item from your Android device without a backup, it will remain in your trash for 60 days.
3. If you see a photo or video in Google Photos that you think you have deleted, it could be on a removable memory card. To remove it, use the gallery application on your device.

Empty your trash

If you see a request to "Permanently delete" when you try to move an item to the trash, your trash is full. Your trash can contain 1.5GB.

Important: If you empty your trash, permanently delete any item in your trash.

To empty it:

1. On your Android phone/tablet and iPhone/iPad, open the Google Photos application.
2. Sign in to your Google account.
3. Touch Menu Menu and then Trash and then More More and then Empty Trash and then Delete.

Remove an item from your device

To permanently remove an item from your device:

1. On your Android phone/tablet and iPhone/iPad, open the Google Photos application.
2. Sign in to your Google account.
3. Select the items you want to remove from your Android phone or tablet.
4. In the upper right, tap More More and then Remove from device.