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How to Delete All Photos on iPhone at Once?

By Jack Smith — Updated March 8, 2026

Open Photos, go to the Library tab, tap Select, then tap the first photo and drag down to select all. Tap the trash icon and confirm. Then go to Albums → Recently Deleted → Delete All to permanently free the storage. This process takes under 2 minutes.

Step-by-Step: Delete All Photos at Once

Here is the complete process to wipe your entire camera roll:

  1. Open the Photos app and tap the Library tab at the bottom.
  2. Switch to the All Photos view (not grid months view) — tap "All Photos" at the top right.
  3. Tap Select in the top right corner.
  4. Tap the first photo in the top-left, then without lifting your finger, drag down and to the right to select everything. Alternatively, if you see a "Select All" option tap it.
  5. Tap the trash icon at the bottom right and confirm the deletion.
  6. Go to Albums → Recently Deleted, tap Select, then Delete All. Confirm.

Storage is now reclaimed immediately. Note: if you use iCloud Photos, the deletion syncs to all your Apple devices and iCloud within minutes.

What About iCloud? Will Photos Delete There Too?

If iCloud Photos is enabled, deleting photos on your iPhone deletes them from iCloud and all other Apple devices signed in to the same Apple ID. There is no way to delete from iPhone only while iCloud Photos is active — they are perfectly mirrored. If you want to keep photos in iCloud but remove them from your device, you must disable iCloud Photos first, import what you want to save to a computer, then delete. Read more in can I delete photos from iPhone but keep on Mac.

Alternative: Selective Deletion with Swype

Bulk-deleting all photos is irreversible and risky if you haven't backed up. A safer approach is to review photos one at a time and delete only the ones you don't want. Swype Photo Cleaner shows each photo full-screen — swipe left to delete, right to keep. You can clean 1,000 photos in about 10 minutes and keep anything you'd regret losing. See our guide on how to select all photos and delete on iPhone for more options.

Important: Back Up First

Before deleting everything, make sure you have a backup. Options include:

See our full comparison of best iPhone photo cleaner apps for more tools.

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Selectively clean your camera roll with Swype Photo Cleaner

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