If you have turned on Back up and Sync, photos and videos you delete will stay in your trash for 60 days before they are deleted forever. Learn how to turn on Back up and Sync.
Tip: To move all your photos to a different account, share your photo library with that account.
Before you delete photos & videos
Items you delete from Google Photos are also removed from:
- photos.google.com and the Photos app on any synced devices
- Google Photos albums
- Some Google Photos movies. Learn more about deleted photos in movies.
- Shared albums and conversations you added them to
Items you delete are not automatically removed from:
- Blogger
- YouTube
- Gmail
- Local storage when the files are downloaded on to iOS and Android 11 and up devices
Delete photos & videos
- On your computer, go to photos.google.com.
- Point at the item you want to delete. At the top left, click Select
. - At the top right, click Delete
Move to trash.
Tip: If you backed up your photo or video before you delete it, it will stay in your trash for 60 days.
To permanently delete photos and videos:
- On your computer, go to photos.google.com.
- Point at the item you want to permanently delete. At the top left, click Select .
- At the top right, click Delete permanently Delete.
Restore photos & videos
If you want to get a deleted item back, check your trash to find out if you can get it back. If your photo or video has already been backed up and you deleted it, it will remain in your Trash for 60 days.
- On your computer, go to photos.google.com.
- On the left, click Trash .
- Place your cursor over the photo or video you want to restore, then click Select .
- At the top right, click Restore Restore. That photo or video will be restored to your Google Photos Account and added back into any albums it was in.
Don't find the photo or video?
If a deleted photo or video isn't in trash, you can’t restore it. You won't be able to restore a photo if:
- You moved it to trash more than 60 days ago.
- You moved it to trash, then emptied your trash.
- You permanently deleted it from your trash.
- You permanently deleted it from your device’s Gallery app without backing it up first.
To find and recover photos easily, turn on Back up and Sync.
Important: If your Google Photos account is inactive for 2 years or you're over your storage limit, your content may be impacted. Learn more about this.
