How to Erase All Photos from iPhone 15/14/13/12

Are you looking for ways to erase all photos from iPhone? Whether you're planning on selling your device, or simply want to free up space on your iPhone, there are a variety of reasons why you might want to delete all of the photos stored on your iPhone.

Perhaps you've taken thousands of photos over the years and want to start fresh, or maybe you're concerned about privacy and want to make sure that none of your personal images fall into the wrong hands.

Whatever the reason, deleting all of the photos from your iPhone is a relatively simple process that can be done in a few different ways. It is suggested to backup iPhone photos to somewhere other than iCloud to avoid deleting photos by mistake.

Now, let's explore five different methods for erasing all of the photos from your iPhone, so you can choose the one that works best for you. 

Part 1. How to erase all photos from iPhone Photos App

The most direct and easiest way to delete all photos from iPhone at once is from the Photos app. Just follow the instructions below, demonstrating the steps of deleting photos on your iPhone, deleting pictures but keep the videos, and permanently delete them from iPhone.

Before the simple task, you may need to be noted that deleting a photo or video from the Photos app on your iPhone also deletes files from your iCloud Photos and any other devices where you’re signed in to iCloud Photos. Therefore, if you’d like to delete all photos from iPhone but not iCloud, you may need to disable iCloud sync for photos in advance.

Preparation: How to disable iCloud sync for photos
Go to your iPhone Settings app > Tap on [your name] > Tap iCloud > Choose Photos > Toggle off the switch next to Sync this iPhone.

How to erase all photos and videos from iPhone Photos app

Open the Photos app on your iPhone > Select Library and tap All Photos > Tap Select at the right corner of the screen, and choose all the photos you want to erase.

What if you want to delete all photos except favorites? The photo you have marked as your favorite will have a heart pattern in the bottom left corner of it. Just be careful not to select the favorites when you choose photos to delete. 

How to erase only photos from iPhone Photos app

The methods mentioned above treats photos and videos in the Photos app the same. It is also possible to keep all of your videos while deleting only the photos.

Step 1. Open iPhone Photos app, and select Search > Type the word “photos”, and hit the Search button on the keyboard.

Step 2. Tap See All and use the Select button to choose all photos to delete.

How to permanently delete photos from iPhone

After selecting and deleting photos from the Photos app, the iPhone will not delete them immediately. Instead, the deleted photos will be removed to the Recently Deleted album and retained for 30 days to make it possible to recover them. When you need space, it’s wise to empty the Recently Deleted folder and permanently delete them from iPhone.

To permanently delete photos on iPhone, go to Albums in the Photos app > Scroll down to locate and open Recently Deleted (Authenticate your identity with Face ID if your iPhone is running iOS 16) > Tap Select > Tap on Delete All in the bottom left corner of the screen and confirm.

Note:
If you find that you are unable to delete iPhone photos from Photos app, that may result from that you once synced photos from your computer to iPhone using iTunes or third-party transfer software. Stop syncing photos from your computer can solve the problem.

Part 2. How to erase all photos from iPhone via iCloud

If you don't want to keep pictures on iCloud, this part will give you two ways of how to delete all photos from iPhone 13/14/12/11 and iCloud at the same time.

Option 1. Erase all photos from iPhone iCloud Photos

Simply turn off iCloud Photos can help erase all photos from iPhone. While, keep in mind that deleting photos from one device deletes them from all other devices linked to the same Apple ID if you use iCloud Photos. As a result, make sure to turn off iCloud Photos on your iPhone where you want to clear photos so that other devices’ photos are not affected.

Go to iPhone Settings > Scroll down to locate and choose Photos app > Turn off the toggle next to iCloud Photos.

Now, a popup will appear saying, “Do you want to download a copy of your iCloud Photos to this iPhone?” Select Remove from iPhone option to erase all photos from iPhone.

Please remember to disable the Shared Albums as well if you want to completely clear all the photos stored in the Photos app.

Option 2. Erase all photos from iPhone via iCloud.com

iCloud.com is always available to let you wipe out all photos and videos from your iPhone. Follow the steps below to know how to erase all photos from iPhone via iCloud.com.

Step 1. Open a browser and head over to iCloud.com and sign in with your iCloud account > Click on the Photos app icon.

Step 2. Select Photos from the list > Select all photos and delete them. Do not forget to clean up the Recently Deleted album as well if you wish to get rid of the photos permanently.

Part 3. One-click erase all photos via FoneTool

To simplify the photo erase process, we highly recommend you try FoneTool, one of the best iOS data management tools. It is not only a decent tool to enable you to backup iPhone photos and other types of files fully or selectively, but also a powerful tool to permanently and deeply remove photos from your iPhone. If you are worried that erasing iPhone will delete iCloud photos, FoneTool must be one of the best choices for you.

The tool ensures that all photos are deleted at once, saving you time and effort. Additionally, FoneTool goes a step further by permanently eliminating the deleted photos, making them unrecoverable by any means. 

Free download FoneTool by clicking the icon below, and follow the simple steps to deeply erase all photos from your iPhone.

Step 1. Launch FoneTool on your computer > Connect your iPhone to computer with USB.

Step 2. On the main interface of FoneTool, click Toolbox > Choose Data Eraser.

Step 3. Click Get Started under Erase private data to start to scan your iPhone data.

Step 4. Select Photos > Enable Deep Erase Technology to deeply erase iPhone photos > Finally, click Start Erase to begin.

Summary

In conclusion, there are several ways to erase all photos from your iPhone. You can use the built-in Photos app to delete them individually or in bulk, or you can use iCloud Photo Library to delete photos from iPhone or all devices at once.

Whichever method you choose, be sure to back up your important files before deleting anything, and take the time to consider whether you really want to get rid of all your photos before taking the plunge. If this guide helps you, please share it with others.