How do I delete all screenshots at once on iPhone?

Open Photos, tap Albums, then tap Screenshots under Media Types. Tap Select in the top right, then tap and drag to select all photos, or tap the first photo then hold Shift and tap the last. Tap the trash icon to delete all selected screenshots at once. Then go to Recently Deleted and tap Delete All to permanently free storage.

How much storage do screenshots take up on iPhone?

Screenshots are typically 1–5 MB each depending on your iPhone's resolution. If you have 500 screenshots (not unusual for an active iPhone user), that is 0.5–2.5 GB of storage. Users who take many screenshots of websites, apps, maps, and conversations can easily accumulate 3–5 GB worth of screenshots over a year.

Will I regret deleting my screenshots?

Almost never. The vast majority of screenshots are taken for immediate reference — a QR code, a confirmation number, directions, a price comparison — and are worthless within hours or days. Before deleting, quickly scroll through your screenshots album; if anything looks important, save it to Notes or Reminders first. Then delete everything else without hesitation.

How do I stop screenshots from building up on my iPhone?

The best prevention is to use the right tool for each job instead of screenshotting: save articles to Safari Reading List or Pocket, save addresses directly to Maps or Contacts, copy confirmation numbers to Notes, and use the Share Sheet to save images directly to relevant apps. When you do take a screenshot, delete it immediately after using it.

How to Delete All Old Screenshots on iPhone in Seconds

The Screenshot Storage Problem

Screenshots are the stealth storage thief of the iPhone world. Every time you grab a quick screenshot of directions, a receipt, a conversation, a QR code, or a social media post, that file sits in your camera roll permanently — unless you actively delete it. Because screenshots feel harmless and casual, most people never think to clean them up. The result is a camera roll with hundreds or thousands of screenshots from months or years ago that serve absolutely no purpose.

A typical iPhone screenshot is 1–5 MB depending on your screen resolution and the content being captured. If you take just 3–5 screenshots per day (a conservative estimate for an active smartphone user), you accumulate 1,000+ screenshots per year, totaling 1–5 GB of storage. Over two or three years, that becomes a significant chunk of your device's capacity — and unlike photos of people and places, you almost never need to look at an old screenshot again.

The good news: screenshots are the easiest category of phone clutter to clean up, because almost none of them are sentimental. You can delete aggressively with very little risk of regret.

Method 1: Delete in Photos App Screenshots Album (Select All)

The built-in Photos app has a dedicated Screenshots album that makes bulk deletion straightforward. Here are the exact steps:

Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
Tap Albums at the bottom of the screen.
Scroll down to Media Types and tap Screenshots.
Tap Select in the top right corner.
Select all screenshots: Tap the first screenshot, then without lifting your finger, drag down and across to select multiple photos. Alternatively, tap the first screenshot, scroll to the bottom, then hold Shift and tap the last screenshot to select everything in between.
Tap the trash icon in the bottom right and confirm the deletion.
Go to Recently Deleted (Albums > Recently Deleted) and tap Delete All to permanently free the storage.

This method works well when you want to delete all screenshots without reviewing them individually. It is best used when you are confident you no longer need any of your existing screenshots. If you want to review first and keep a few, use Method 2.

Method 2: Swype Photo Cleaner Screenshot Smart Group (Even Faster)

Swype Photo Cleaner offers a Screenshots smart group that lets you quickly swipe through your screenshots one by one, keeping the ones worth saving and deleting the rest. This is the best approach if you want to do a quick review before deleting — it takes only a few minutes and ensures you do not accidentally delete a screenshot you actually need.

Exact steps with Swype:

Download Swype Photo Cleaner from the App Store (free). Download on theApp Store
Open Swype and grant access to your photo library.
Tap Smart Groups, then tap Screenshots.
Swipe left on screenshots you want to delete, swipe right on any you want to keep.
After reviewing, open Photos and empty Recently Deleted (Albums > Recently Deleted > Delete All).

What Happens to Deleted Screenshots? (Recently Deleted for 30 Days)

When you delete a screenshot — whether through the Photos app or Swype — iOS does not immediately remove it from your device. Instead, the screenshot is moved to the Recently Deleted album, where it remains for 30 days. During that window, you can recover any screenshot you deleted by mistake. After 30 days, iOS permanently removes files from Recently Deleted automatically.

This 30-day safety net is helpful for accidental deletions, but it means deleted screenshots still consume storage on your device until either the 30 days elapse or you manually empty Recently Deleted.

How to Empty Recently Deleted to Complete the Cleanup

To immediately free the storage from your deleted screenshots, open the Photos app, tap Albums, scroll down to Utilities, and tap Recently Deleted. Tap Select in the top right, then tap Delete All at the bottom left. iOS will ask you to confirm — tap Delete to permanently remove everything. Your storage is freed instantly after this step.

Make emptying Recently Deleted the final step of every cleanup session. It is the step that actually moves the needle on your iPhone Storage number.

How to Stop Accumulating Screenshots

The best long-term solution is not just to clean up screenshots, but to reduce how many you take in the first place. Here are practical alternatives:

Use Safari Reading List or Pocket: Instead of screenshotting an article you want to read later, save it directly to Safari Reading List (share button > Add to Reading List) or a read-later app like Pocket. The article is saved and readable offline without a screenshot.
Use Reminders or Notes: For information you need to remember — a confirmation number, an address, a product name — copy the text directly into a Reminders or Notes entry. It is searchable, editable, and does not take up photo storage.
Use the Share Sheet to save to apps directly: Many apps accept content through the Share Sheet (the box-with-arrow icon). You can save a product to your shopping list, add an event to your calendar, or share an image to a specific app without ever creating a screenshot.
Save contacts immediately: If you screenshot someone's phone number or email, add it directly to Contacts and delete the screenshot right away.
Delete screenshots immediately after using them: If you do take a screenshot for immediate reference (a QR code, directions), delete it as soon as you are done with it. Build this into your habit — screenshot, use it, delete it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I delete all screenshots at once on iPhone?: Open Photos, tap Albums, then tap Screenshots under Media Types. Tap Select in the top right, then tap and drag to select all photos, or tap the first photo then hold Shift and tap the last. Tap the trash icon to delete all selected screenshots at once. Then go to Recently Deleted and tap Delete All to permanently free storage.
How much storage do screenshots take up on iPhone?: Screenshots are typically 1–5 MB each depending on your iPhone's resolution. If you have 500 screenshots (not unusual for an active iPhone user), that is 0.5–2.5 GB of storage. Users who take many screenshots of websites, apps, maps, and conversations can easily accumulate 3–5 GB worth of screenshots over a year.
Will I regret deleting my screenshots?: Almost never. The vast majority of screenshots are taken for immediate reference — a QR code, a confirmation number, directions, a price comparison — and are worthless within hours or days. Before deleting, quickly scroll through your screenshots album; if anything looks important, save it to Notes or Reminders first. Then delete everything else without hesitation.
How do I stop screenshots from building up on my iPhone?: The best prevention is to use the right tool for each job instead of screenshotting: save articles to Safari Reading List or Pocket, save addresses directly to Maps or Contacts, copy confirmation numbers to Notes, and use the Share Sheet to save images directly to relevant apps. When you do take a screenshot, delete it immediately after using it.