You've been there. That dreaded "Storage Almost Full" popup appears right as you're trying to record a once-in-a-lifetime video. It sucks. Honestly, the best way to remove photos from iphone isn't just hitting the trash icon and hoping for the best. If you're like most people, your library is probably a chaotic mess of accidental screenshots, blurry shots of your cat, and ten nearly identical selfies from three years ago.
Cleaning this up feels like a part-time job. But it doesn't have to be.
Most users make the mistake of thinking a quick "Select All" and "Delete" solves everything. It doesn't. Because of how iCloud works in 2026, deleting a photo in one place often nukes it everywhere—including your permanent backups. You need a strategy that actually clears space without destroying your memories.
The "Select and Slide" Trick You’re Probably Missing
Wait, are you still tapping every single photo one by one? Stop. Seriously.
Open your Photos app and hit Select in the top right. Instead of individual taps, just tap one photo and drag your finger across the row and then down. You can highlight hundreds of images in about three seconds. It feels like magic once you get the rhythm down.
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But here’s the kicker: deleting them only moves them to the "Recently Deleted" album. They are still taking up every single byte of space on your phone for the next 30 days. To actually see that storage bar move, you have to go to Albums, scroll all the way down to Recently Deleted, and use FaceID to unlock it. Then, and only then, can you hit Delete All to vaporize them for good.
Apple Intelligence and the New Clean Up Tool
If you're running iOS 18.1 or later on a newer device (like the iPhone 15 Pro or the 16/17 series), you've got a secret weapon. It’s called the Clean Up tool. Now, this isn't for deleting the whole photo. It's for deleting the "junk" inside the photo.
Let’s say you have a perfect shot of the beach, but there’s a random trash can or a photobomber in the corner.
- Tap Edit on the photo.
- Tap the Clean Up icon (it looks like a little eraser/sparkle).
- The AI will actually highlight distractions it thinks you don't want.
- Just tap the object, and it’s gone.
This saves you from deleting "almost perfect" photos just because they have a tiny flaw. It uses generative AI to fill in the background, making it look like the distraction was never there. It’s basically Photoshop for people who don't want to learn Photoshop.
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How to Delete Without Ruining Your iCloud
This is where things get tricky. People get terrified that deleting photos to save phone space will delete them from their Mac or iPad too. They’re right to be scared—that’s exactly how iCloud Photos is designed to work. It’s a sync service, not a storage locker.
If you want to keep your photos in the cloud but get them off your physical phone, you don't actually want to "remove" them. You want to Optimize Storage.
Go to Settings > Photos and make sure Optimize iPhone Storage is checked. Your iPhone will automatically dump the giant, high-resolution files and replace them with tiny thumbnails. The full version stays safe in iCloud. When you want to look at a photo, it downloads instantly. It’s the single most effective way to "remove" the weight of your library without actually losing anything.
What about those photos you literally can't delete?
Sometimes you’ll find a photo with no trash can icon. Frustrating, right? This usually happens because those photos were synced from a computer using a cable back in the day. To get rid of those, you have to plug your iPhone back into that computer and "un-sync" them through the Finder or iTunes. Your phone literally doesn't have the permission to delete them on its own.
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The Best Third-Party Apps That Actually Work
If your library has 50,000 photos, manual cleaning is a death sentence. You need tools. In early 2026, a few apps have risen to the top because they use AI to find "near-duplicates" (like when you take 15 shots of the same sunset).
- CleanMy®Phone: This is basically the gold standard now. It categorizes your "clutter" into screenshots, blurry shots, and duplicates. It even finds "similar" photos and picks the best one for you to keep.
- Slidebox: If you like Tinder, you’ll like this. It shows you a photo; you swipe up to trash it or left/right to organize it. It’s weirdly addictive.
- Gemini Photos: Still a solid choice for finding those hidden videos that are eating 2GB of space each.
Honestly, start with the "Large Videos" category in any of these apps. Deleting one 4K video of a concert you'll never re-watch frees up more space than deleting 500 individual photos.
Why Your Storage Still Looks Full After Deleting
You deleted 2,000 photos and the storage meter didn't budge. Why?
First, check that Recently Deleted folder again. It's the #1 culprit. Second, check your iMessage attachments. People forget that every "funny" meme or video sent in a group chat is saved to your phone's storage. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, find the Messages app, and you can see a list of the biggest videos and photos hiding in your texts. Kill them there.
Also, system "System Data" (the gray bar) sometimes stays bloated after a mass deletion. A simple force restart usually clears the cache and forces the phone to recount the actual space available.
Actionable Steps to Reclaim Your Phone
Ready to actually do this? Follow this specific order to maximize your time:
- Empty the Trash: Go to Photos > Albums > Recently Deleted and clear it out first.
- Hunt the Giants: In the Photos app, go to the Search tab, type "Videos," and sort by size (if using a third-party app) or just look for the longest ones. Delete the 4K clips you don't need.
- Kill the Screenshots: Search for "Screenshots" in your library. Most are old grocery lists or memes you've already shared. Drag-select and delete the whole batch.
- Toggle Optimization: Ensure Settings > Photos > Optimize iPhone Storage is ON.
- Clean the Texts: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages and review large attachments. This is usually where the "invisible" junk lives.
The best way to remove photos from iphone isn't a one-time event; it's a habit. If you spend five minutes once a month doing the "Select and Slide" on your recent screenshots and duplicates, you'll never see that "Storage Full" warning again.
Don't wait until you're at a wedding or a concert to realize you're out of room. Start with the "Recently Deleted" folder right now and see how much space you get back instantly.