You've probably been there. You look at your storage settings and see that "Photos" is eating up 45GB of your 64GB iPhone. It's a mess. Maybe you're selling the phone, or maybe you just finally backed everything up to a physical hard drive and want a clean slate. Whatever the reason, you quickly realize that Apple doesn't exactly make a "Delete Everything" button easy to find.
It's frustrating.
Actually, it's beyond frustrating when you have 14,000 images and the thought of tapping them one by one makes you want to throw the device out a window. But there are ways to how to delete all photos from iphone at once that don't involve a weekend of manual labor.
The Selection Gesture Trick
Most people know you can tap "Select," but they don't realize you can "paint" your selection. It's a hidden gesture. You tap the first photo, keep your finger down, and slide it across the row and then straight up. The screen will start auto-scrolling at a breakneck pace.
If you have a massive library, this is the "manual-lite" version.
Keep your finger pressed near the clock at the top of the screen while you're dragging. This accelerates the scroll. I've seen people clear out 2,000 photos in about thirty seconds this way. It's not a true "one-click" solution, but for most users who just want to wipe a specific month or a few thousand shots, it’s the most reliable method without plugging into a computer.
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Using the Mac for a Hard Reset
If you have a Mac, the Photos app is actually a much better tool for mass destruction.
Connect your iPhone via a Lightning or USB-C cable. Open the Image Capture app. A lot of people forget Image Capture even exists, but it’s a utility that’s been on macOS for decades. It's cleaner than the Photos app. Once your iPhone shows up in the sidebar, click it.
Now, here is the magic part.
Press Command + A. Every single photo on the device is now highlighted. Look for the little red circle at the bottom—the delete icon. Click it. It will ask for confirmation because, honestly, deleting everything is a big deal. Confirm it. Watch the progress bar as your iPhone storage breathes a sigh of relief. This is arguably the cleanest way to how to delete all photos from iphone at once because it bypasses the "Recently Deleted" bin on the phone in many cases, though you should always check that folder afterward.
What About iCloud?
This is where things get dicey. If you use iCloud Photos, deleting a photo on your iPhone deletes it everywhere. Your iPad? Gone. Your Mac? Gone. iCloud.com? Gone.
If you want to wipe the phone but keep the photos in the cloud, you can't just hit delete. You have to sign out of iCloud first. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and toggle off iCloud Photos. The phone will ask if you want to remove the low-res versions from your device. Say yes.
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But if your goal is to wipe the slate clean everywhere, the fastest way is to visit iCloud.com on a desktop browser.
The web interface allows you to select the first photo, scroll to the bottom, hold Shift, and click the last photo. Boom. The whole library is selected. Hit the trash can. This is often faster than waiting for a phone to process the deletion of 20,000 items, which can actually cause the Photos app to crash if the processor is older.
The "Nuclear" Option: Factory Reset
Sometimes you don't just want the photos gone; you want the ghost of the photos gone.
If you are selling the phone, do not just delete photos. You need a factory reset. This is the only way to truly how to delete all photos from iphone at once while also clearing out the cache, the thumbnails, and the database files that sometimes linger.
Head to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
It’s scary. It’s permanent. It’s also the only way to ensure that your private data isn't recoverable by some clever person with a data recovery tool.
Why Your Storage Might Still Be Full
You deleted everything. You’re looking at an empty grid. But the storage settings still say you're using 10GB. What gives?
Apple has a safety net called the Recently Deleted album. It’s basically a trash can that holds your photos for 30 days. To truly free up space, you have to go to the "Albums" tab, scroll all the way to the bottom under "Utilities," tap "Recently Deleted," and then use FaceID to get in. From there, you have to "Delete All" again.
Only then is the space actually reclaimed.
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There is also the issue of "System Data" and "Other" storage. Photos leave behind metadata and cached thumbnails. Sometimes, even after a mass deletion, the iPhone’s database doesn't update immediately. A hard restart (Volume Up, Volume Down, hold Power) usually forces the OS to re-calculate the available storage.
A Note on Third-Party Apps
You’ll see apps in the App Store promising to "clean" your gallery. Honestly? Most of them are subscription traps. They use the same API calls that you can trigger yourself for free. Some, like Gemini Photos or Slidebox, are actually pretty good for sorting through clutter, but for a total wipe, they aren't faster than the Shift-click method on a computer.
Be careful with apps that ask for full access to your photo library. You’re giving a third-party developer a look at every personal moment you’ve captured. If you're going to use one, check their privacy manifest.
The Reality of Data Recovery
Once you empty that "Recently Deleted" folder, those photos are essentially gone for the average user.
Apple uses file-based encryption. When you delete a file and empty the trash, the encryption key for that specific file is destroyed. Even if someone used forensic software to pull bits off the flash chips, they'd be looking at encrypted gibberish. This is why you must be absolutely certain you have a backup. Use a service like Google Photos, Amazon Photos (which is free for Prime members), or a physical Synology NAS before you do a mass wipe.
I’ve talked to too many people who thought they had a backup, did a mass delete to save space, and then realized their "backup" was just a sync.
Actionable Steps for a Clean iPhone
- Verify your backup: Log into your backup service (Google, Dropbox, or a physical drive) and make sure you can actually open and view the photos.
- Toggle off iCloud: If you want to keep your cloud library but empty the phone, turn off iCloud Photos in Settings first.
- The Master Wipe: Use the Image Capture app on a Mac for the fastest "Select All" experience.
- Empty the Trash: Manually clear the "Recently Deleted" album in the Photos app.
- Force a Restart: Perform a hard reboot to ensure the iOS storage calculator updates correctly.
- Check the "Hidden" Album: People often forget the Hidden album exists; check it under Utilities to ensure no lingering files remain.
Following these steps ensures you don't just hide your photos, but actually remove them to regain your storage.