How to Delete iCloud Photos in 4 Proven and Tested Ways

Kristine DawsonUpdated by Kristine Dawson / March 04, 2026 05:50

Hi! I ran out of storage space on my iCloud account. I checked my account, and there are countless photos stored. I think I need to lessen and delete the unimportant ones. How do I delete photos from iCloud? Please help me free up the storage on my iCloud by deleting the mentioned data types. Thank you!

iCloud can indeed store and back up your photos on different Apple devices, like iPhone, iPad, and Mac. However, it consumes a lot of storage in the account to store hundreds or thousands of photos. If your goal is to delete your photos from the iCloud account, this article is for you! You may scroll below to see the 4 easy ways for the mentioned process.

How to Delete Photos from iCloud
Guide

Guide List

Part 1. How to Delete Pictures from iCloud Website

iCloud is the built-in account on Apple devices, including iPad, iPhone, and Mac. You can also delete the photos it contains from its website. You can delete the images from the mentioned devices in a few seconds or minutes, depending on the strength of your internet connection. Delete photos from iCloud website with the detailed steps below.

Step 1Open the web browser that you want to use for the deletion procedure for your iCloud photos. After that, please search for the main website of iCloud. The vital information about the website will be displayed on the screen. Please click Sign In button on the screen. Enter the Apple ID password related to your iCloud. Complete the needed information, and the account will be signed in.

Click Sign In Button

Step 2The supported data will appear on the screen. Please click the Photos or Drive button on the screen. Locate the photos you want to delete afterward. Then, choose the Delete button from the screen. Confirm the action afterward, and you need to wait for the images to be deleted.

Click Photos Or Drive Button

If you have to delete the photos from iCloud using your Apple devices, you can turn on the Sync feature from your devices first.

On your iPhone or iPad, tap Settings and select your account name. Select iCloud and choose Photos. Tap Sync This Device. On your Mac, open Photos and select Photos. Click Settings and iCloud. Then, check iCloud Photos. Finally, you can proceed to the next methods.

Part 2. How to Delete Photos from iCloud on Photos App

You might ask: If I delete photos from iPhone is it deleted from iCloud? The answer depends on whether the images are synced with iCloud. If the pictures from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac are not synced to your iCloud account, deleting them from the Photos app will not affect the iCloud photos. On the other hand, the images will be deleted if synced from your iCloud to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

In short, you can use the Photos app on your Mac, iPad, and iPhone to delete iCloud photos when they are synced. How? The steps for the procedure are posted below.

iPhone/iPad: Open the Photos app and locate the photos that are synced with your iCloud. After that, tap it to enlarge it. You can also delete multiple images. Later, please tap the Trash button at the bottom right. Then, confirm the action by tapping the Delete Photo button.

Tap Delete Photo Button

Mac: Open Photos app on a Mac. Select the Library button. After that, locate the photos that are synced to your iCloud. Then, click one of them and click the Trash button. You can also delete multiple photos on a Mac by selecting two or more pictures with the cursor. Confirm the process afterward.

Click Library Button

Part 3. How to Delete iCloud Photos on the Settings App

Apple devices allow you to use the Turn Off & Delete feature of iCloud to unsync the photos from your devices. The images will be deleted from the Apple devices afterward. The steps on how to do this are available below.

Mac: Open your Mac and click Apple. Then, choose System Preferences. Select iCloud from the left and click Manage. Click Photos on the left. On the right, click the Turn Off and Delete button.

Click Turn Off And Delete Button

iPhone/iPad: Tap the Settings app and select the account name at the top. Select iCloud and choose Manage Storage. Tap Photos and select Turn Off & Delete or Disable & Delete.

Tap Disable And Delete Button

Part 4. Delete Photos from iCloud with FoneLab iPhone Cleaner

FoneLab iPhone Cleaner
FoneLab iPhone Cleaner

FoneLab iPhone Cleaner is the best iOS data cleaner which can easily erase all contents and settings or specific data on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

  • Clean unwanted data from iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
  • Erase data quickly with one-time overwriting, which can save you time for plenty of data files.
  • It is safe and easy to use.

FoneLab iPhone Cleaner is built to clean up iPhone storage. This tool can help you clean up the your iPhone and iPad synced photos by deleting them from the storage. Additionally, this tool can factory reset the mentioned devices in a few clicks! This tool supports a USB connection for the cleanup and deletion process. Delete iCloud photos from your iPhone and iPad with this tool using the steps below.

Step 1Click Free Download from the main web page of FoneLab iPhone Cleaner. After that, set up, install, and launch the tool on your computer.

Click Free Download Button

Step 2Plug the iPhone or iPad into the computer. Then, use a USB cable for the mentioned procedure. Click the Free Up Space button on the left side of the screen. Then, the supported features will appear. Please click the Clean Up Photos button. The tool will scan your iCloud photos afterward.

Plug Iphone Or Ipad Into Computer

Step 3The results will appear on the next interface. Select the photos you need to delete. Please follow the on-screen instructions to delete the iCloud photos from your iPhone and iPad.

Click Clean Up Photos Button

Part 5. Comparison Table of Methods for Deleting Photos from iCloud

Method Speed Requirements Can Photos Be Recovered?
Delete iCloud Photos from Photos App When Synced Fast Synced iCloud account No
Turn Off & Delete Feature Fast Settings App and iCloud account password No
iCloud Website Slow when the internet connection is slow. iCloud account credentials Yes. However, it can only happen when the deleted photos are stored in Recently Deleted folder.
FoneLab iPhone Cleaner Fast USB cable and computer No

Part 6. FAQs about How to Delete Photos from iCloud

How long do photos stay in iCloud after being deleted?

The recently deleted photos from the iCloud account will be stored in Recently Deleted folder. They will be stored in the folder for 30 days. After deleting them from the folder, they will be permanently deleted from the account.

Are photos on iCloud forever if not deleted?

Yes. iCloud will store your photos forever if you do not delete them. It offers a secure service for the data you store, including photos. However, there are some isolated reports that users experience a sudden loss of photos from their iCloud accounts.

This post discussed how to remove photos from iCloud. You can delete the images from your iCloud account from the iPad, iPhone, or Mac’s Photos app through syncing, iCloud website, from the Settings app, or FoneLab iPhone Cleaner. Additionally, the mentioned tool can factory reset your iPhone and iPad. It is designed to clean up your iPhone and iPad storage. Downloading the tool is recommended!

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