How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (2024)

Are you in a dilemma regardinghow to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone? If yes, then we are here with 2 effective workarounds that will help you tackle this situation flawlessly! Read thoroughly and opt for the method at your convenience.

How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (1) Joy Taylor Last Updated: Mar. 21, 2023

Google Photos is an amazing application that is available on both iOS and Android devices. Apart from the handful of useful functionalities that it offers, the Backup and Sync feature of Google Photos makes it a top-notch app. It allows easybacking up of all your device’s photos over to the cloud. This thing not only saves a significant amount of storage space but also allows you to access media files anywhere on any device.

How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (2)

Delete Photos from Google Photos But Not on My Phone

However, when it comes to Google Photos, one thing that needs to be addressed ishow to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone. Well, this may sound pretty challenging initially, but with the correct methods, you can easily get it done in a couple of minutes.

So, here in this article, we’ll walk you through the top2 methods that will help you delete photos from Google Photos withoutdeleting from phone! But before moving forward, let’s clear out some confusion relating to it!

  • Does Delete Photos from Google Photos Delete from Gallery?
  • How to Delete Photos from Google Photos without Deleting from Phone?

Does Delete Photos from Google Photos Delete from Gallery?

This is the most common question that might strike your mind before deleting photos from Google Photos. Well, you can simply get an answer to it by referring below!

1. What happens when you delete photos from Google Photos?

How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (3)

Does deleting from Google Photos delete from phone

Case 1. Delete Photos on Phone with Back Up & Sync Enabled

Whenever the Backup & Sync feature is enabled, and you delete any of the synced photos from the Google Photos app, it will be deleted from everywhere. In short, the photo will immediately be removed from Google Photos, Andriod Gallery, and File Manager applications.

Case 2. Delete Photos on Phone with Back Up & Sync Disabled

After syncing a photo, if you delete it while the Backup & Sync feature is turned off, the result will be the same as Case 1. The specific image will be deleted from your phone’s storage too. But if you had disabled the Backup & Sync feature recently, then the deleted photo will still be shown on another shared device. When you enable this feature again on the same device, the photo will be deleted from all the shared devices.

Case 3. Delete Photos on Website with Back Up & Sync Disabled

You can delete photos on the Google Photos website with the Back-Up & Sync feature disabled on your phone. By doing so, the images will get deleted instantly from the other synced device. As the Back-Up & Sync feature is disabled on your phone, the photo will continue to reside on your phone and will be visible in the File Manager app and Gallery. Later, if you enable the Back-Up & Sync feature on your phone, the image will reappear on the Google Photos website because its original file is still there on your phone.

2. Does deleting from Google Photos delete from the phone?

This question’s answer depends on how youremove photos from Google photosand whether the Back Up & Sync feature is enabled or disabled on your device. Suppose the Back-Up & Sync feature is disabled on your phone, and you delete the photo from the Google Photos website. In that case, the photo will not be deleted from the phone, but if you delete the photo with the Back-Up & Sync feature enabled or disabled, then the photo will instantly be deleted from the phone.

Further Reading:

How to Delete Photos from Google Photos without Deleting from Phone?

As you have got the answers to your common queries above, let’s now look at the top 2 methods relating tohow to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone!

Method 1. Delete Photos from Google Photos on Your Computer

This method of deleting the photos from the Google Photos application requires the users to use a PC or laptop as well as their Smartphone.

Here’s how you can do it!

How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (4)

Delete Photos from Google Photos on Your Computer

  1. On the Home Screen, locate and click on “Google Photos.” > Sign in to your Google Account that contains all the photos and then tap on the “Menu” option indicated by three horizontal lines.
  2. Here, click on “Settings” and disable the “Back Up & Sync” function on all the devices that are saving images to Google Photos. This is to make sure that photos are not re-uploaded to Google Photos after deletion.
  3. Now, search for photos.google.comon your PC and sign in to the website using the Google Account that your phone is connected to.
  4. Here, find the images you have saved on Google Photos. Hover on the image/images that you wish to delete. Now, check the little tick icon on the top left corner of the media files. You can click on more than one image at a time.
  5. Click on the “Trash Bin” icon at the top right corner of the webpage. This will move all the photos to Trash Bin. After 60 days, the images will be deleted permanently.

Method 2. Delete Photos from Google Photos on Your Phone

Another method to tackle this situation is to delete photos from Google Photos on your Phone. This method is highly suitable for both iOS and Android users as it is relatively easy and simple to follow. So, here’show to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone!

How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (5)

Delete Photos from Google Photos on Your Phone

  1. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Storage. And thendeny access to storage.
  2. Once done, it will makeyou delete photos without deleting them from phone.
  3. Scroll through the photos that you on Google Photos. Long press the photo that you want to delete until it is selected. You can choose more than one photo.
  4. Tap on the “Trash” icon at the top right corner of the screen. This will move all the selected photos to the Trash. They will be stored in the Trash for 60 days in case you wish to restore them back.
  5. To delete all the photos permanently in your bin, go to the “Menu” icon again. Here, you can delete each photo individually or choose the “Delete All” function to delete all the images at once in the bin.

Further Reading:

  • How to Restore Deleted Photos from Google Photos >
  • How to Recover Deleted Photos From Android Without Root >

The Botton Line

With that, we conclude this guide onhow to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from the phone! No matter which method you choose from the list above, it will indeed offer you seamless results when it comes to deleting photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone.

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Joy TaylorHow to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (7)How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (8)

Senior writer of the iMobie team as well as an Apple fan, love to help more users solve various types of iOS & Android-related issues.

Product-related questions?Contact Our Support Team to Get Quick Solution >

How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone (2024)

FAQs

How to Delete Photos on Google Photos But Not from Phone? ›

Disable Back Up & Sync to delete Google Photos without deleting them on your phone. You can also block Google Photos from accessing your photos in the Settings menu on Android and iPhone. Once you disable Back Up & Sync, you can delete photos in a web browser without affecting your mobile devices.

How to clean up Google Photos without deleting from phone? ›

Disable Back Up & Sync to delete Google Photos without deleting them on your phone. You can also block Google Photos from accessing your photos in the Settings menu on Android and iPhone. Once you disable Back Up & Sync, you can delete photos in a web browser without affecting your mobile devices.

Will photos stay on Google Photos if I delete them from my phone? ›

What happens when you remove photos & videos from your phone. If you remove copies of photos and videos on your Android device, they're now deleted but, you still can: See your photos and videos, including the ones you just removed, in the Google Photos app and photos.google.com.

Where do my photos go when I free up space on Google Photos? ›

When you free up space on the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone, it removes locally stored copies of photos and videos from your device while keeping them safely backed up in your Google Photos cloud storage. This action reclaims storage space on your phone without permanently deleting your media.

How do I unsync photos from Google Photos? ›

Whether you're using an Android or iPhone, open the Google Photos app and tap your profile picture. Tap "Photos Settings > Backup" and turn it off. On a computer, open Google Drive, tap the gear, select a synced folder, and uncheck "Back up to Google Photos."

How do I remove useless photos from Google Photos? ›

Tap Move to Trash to remove the selected photos or videos from your Google Account, synced devices, and places shared within Google Photos. If you change your mind, you can restore your photos and videos from trash. Learn how to restore deleted photos from Google Photos.

How do I stop Google Photos from saving all my photos? ›

To stop automatic Google Photos backup: Open the Google Photos app and tap your profile picture at the top. Select "Photo settings" > Backup and Sync > and toggle it off.

How do I delete photos from my phone but keep them on Google? ›

Yes, you can use the "Delete device copy" feature in Google Photos. This removes only the device copy, keeping the cloud copy in Google Photos untouched.

Which is better, Google Photos or iCloud? ›

iCloud provides better photo and video editing options by connecting third-party apps to the library. If you just want to find a reliable place to store your photos and videos online, Google Photos is the right choice.

Can you get photos back after deleting from recently deleted? ›

You won't be able to restore a photo or video if: The photo or video wasn't backed up and: On an Android 11 and up device, you moved it to trash more than 30 days ago. You permanently deleted it from your device's gallery app.

How do I remove Google Photos from storage? ›

On a mobile browser, long press the first photo and keeping the screen pressed stroke down to select a batch then move to trash. Medium size batches are best rather than trying to select all at once. On a computer, point at the item(s) you want to delete. At the top left, click Select .

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