Ran out of storage? Or need some space for your new clicks in your iPhone and are unable to delete photos from your iPhone? Then here is how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos in this article.
If you are trying to wipe a few photos out of your iPhone device and are not being successful then dear you need this detailed guide on how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos to successfully delete photos from your device and make space for new ones. We will be discussing different reasons due to which you are facing inconvenience in deleting your photos from your iPhone device to make the process of learning the fixes a bit easier.
How to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos: Open iTunes > Plug In iPhone > Device > Photos > Sync Photos > De-Select The Pictures > Apply done!! This is how to delete photos from an iPhone using iTunes and after this you will be able to delete photos from your iPhone. Read more to know what alternate methods you can use to delete photos from your iPhone.
In this article, we will be discussing everything you need to know about how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos like its causes and different fixes that might help you create some storage in your device.
How To Fix iPhone Won’t let Me Delete Photos?
If the deleted photos are still appearing on your iPhone gallery then it’s time to get it fixed because they are not getting deleted from your device nor will they ever be deleted until you learn how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos. Don’t worry we will make that easy for you by explaining its root causes and different ways through which you can fix it.
Also Read: How To Fix Ghost Touch On iPhone [2023] | 7 Best Fixes To Try Out!
Why I Cannot Delete Photos From My iPhone Device?
If deleted photos are reappearing on your device and are not vanishing from the photos gallery even after deleting them multiple times and are heavy in size then there is a problem with the syncing of your device. Other than this, there can be other various reasons which can cause trouble in deleting pictures from your iOS device.
Most of the time, iOS users face difficulty in deleting pictures from their iPhone only when they have synced theirs with another device. If you have synced your photos to any other device like, desktop with iTunes or Finder then they can only be deleted after linking both the devices back again, i.e: iPhone to desktop. And if not this, then iCloud Photos might be enabled on your device.
We will elaborate how to troubleshoot both the problems including possible system issues. Usually, the iPhone won’t delete pictures due to being synced with iTunes previously or because of receiving photos from any third-party application. Most probably, the pictures that are not being deleted are found in the “From MY Mac” tab of the Photos application.
Pictures that are shot from your iPhone are placed in the Camera Roll whereas, From My Mac tab has those pictures which are shared with you through a computer. So whenever you click on any photo in the “From My Mac” section you don’t see any delete option. This is one of the drawbacks that come from Apple which does not allow you to delete synced albums directly on your iOS device.
How To Fix iPhone Won’t Let Me Delete Photos?
As we already told you why you cannot delete photos from your iPhone/iPad, its now the time of learning how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos and break that unwanted sync between your device with iTunes or iCloud.
Fix 1. Delete Photos Using iTunes
When you allow iTunes to sync photos to iPhone/iPad, it deletes the previous photos and then sync the selected photos to the desired device. To delete the undesired pictures, you can unselect those photos and try again to sync. Here is how you can do that:
Open iTunes > Plug In iPhone > Device > Photos > Sync Photos > De-Select The Pictures > Apply done
Step 01: Launch iTunes and switch to your iPhone or iPad.
Step 02: Tap on the Device option and after that select Photos.
Step 03: Once done, select the Sync Photos button and Un-Select all the photos that you wish to remove from your iPhone/iPad.
Step 04: At last, click on the Apply/Sync button to save the changes made.
If you want all your synced photos to be deleted from your device, then you can create a folder on your desktop and then sync the folder through iTunes.
Also Read: How To Fix Not Getting Text Notifications On iPhone [2023]? In 6 Different Ways!!
Fix 2. Disable iCloud Photos
When you keep iCloud enabled on your device, it downloads pictures which are synced to iCloud from all other devices. To delete those downloaded pictures from iCloud, you need to switch it off. Here are instructions that can help you in doing so…
Settings App > Account > iCloud > Photos > Disable iCloud Photos
Step 01: Head to the Settings app on your device and click on your Account.
Step 02: Next hit the iCloud button and tap on the Photos after that.
Step 03: From there, switch off iCloud Photos/iCloud Photo Library or My Photo Stream.
And that’s how you can disable iCloud Photos on your device for how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos.
Fix 3. Restart Your Device
If the above practices didn’t work out well for you then you can also try restarting your device to give your device a fresh start and make it get rid of any bugs or glitches if there were any! Or you can also Force Restart your device. Here are different ways through you can restart your device:
- Force Restart iPhone 8 And Later Via Face Lock
Long press the Up Volume button and then Down Volume button. After that, long press the Power button until you find the Apple logo on the main screen.
- Force Restart iPhone7/7 +
Long press the Up and Down Volume button altogether and then release both of them at the same time as soon as you see the Apple logo.
- Force Restart iPhone 6s, SE Earlier Via Home Button
Long press the Home button and the Side button at the same time and release when the Apple logo appears.
Most probably, your photos should now get deleted at first attempt after restarting your device and if not, then we would recommend you give the next method one last try for how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos and see if it works.
- Check iPhone Storage
If no methods have helped you in deleting photos from your iPhone then you must consider getting your device’s storage checked for once, because many of the times you cannot delete photos from your device when it’s storage is fully occupied. You can navigate to the Settings app in your device and have a look at the device’s storage and free up some if it’s overloaded.
Settings App > General > iPhone Storage > Delete Files (Optional)
Step 01: Launch Settings app and hit the General tab.
Step 02: Next, click on the iPhone Storage button to check it back.
And done!! If you think that your device needs some more space then you delete a few media files or apps from there and later on try to delete the photos from your device.
Also Read: How To Turn Off Voicemail On iPhone 14? In 4 Easy Ways!
Wrapping Up
We all are social human beings who love taking pictures, recording videos and also sharing them with others. But sometimes limited storage prevents us from doing that which really upsets us! In such situations, people go for freeing up space in their devices but some of the times, iOS users face problems in deleting photos from their iPhones. There can be a number of reasons for the same and we have explained that in this article along with how to fix iPhone wont let me delete photos.
If you have any query, suggestions or doubts regarding the same then you can reach out to us in the comment section. We would love to hear from you!!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What Do I Do If My Phone Won’t Let Me Delete Photos?
You can follow the given tricks for fixing my iPhone won’t let me delete photos:
- Restart your device
- Cross check cloud services
- Delete files from trash
- Clear cache
- Remove and insert SD card
- Uninstall and reinstall app
Q. What Does It Mean When I Can’t Delete A Photo?
There are a couple of reasons why one cannot delete photos from their iPhone. One is enabling iCloud photos and the other is the sync between your device and iTunes.
Q. Why Do Deleted Photos Reappear On iPhone?
That is because iCloud Photos Library is simultaneously syncing and downloading your photos in the background. You can prevent it from doing so by disabling it from the settings app in your device.
