Deleting photos from iCloud permanently can be a crucial step towards maintaining your privacy and tidying up your digital footprint. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to permanently delete photos from iCloud:
Step 1: First, make sure all the photos you want to delete from iCloud are already backed up locally on your iPhone or computer. Once you delete them from iCloud, they will be permanently gone and cannot be retrieved.
Step 2: Open your iPhone or iPad and go to the Photos app.
Step 3: Select the photos you want to delete. You can do so by a single tap on each photo or by holding down and dragging your finger to select multiple photos at once.
Step 4: Once you have selected all the photos you want to delete, tap on the Trash bin icon located at the bottom right corner of your screen.
Step 5: A confirmation window will pop up on your screen, asking you to confirm the deletion of the selected photos. Tap on the ‘Delete Photos’ option to confirm the deletion.
Step 6: To ensure that the photos are permanently deleted from iCloud, you will also need to delete them from your ‘Recently Deleted’ folder. This is because when you delete photos from the Photos app, they are moved to the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder where they are stored for up to 30 days before being permanently deleted.
Step 7: Open the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder on your iPhone or iPad, select the photos you want to delete permanently, and tap on the ‘Delete All’ button located at the bottom of your screen.
Step 8: A confirmation window will pop up on your screen, asking you to confirm the permanent deletion of the selected photos. Tap on the ‘Delete Photos’ option to confirm the permanent deletion.
Step 9: Finally, to ensure that the deleted photos are also removed from iCloud’s servers, open the iCloud website on your computer, select the ‘Photos’ option, and locate the photos you want to delete.
Step 10: Select the photos and click on the ‘Delete’ button located at the top of your screen. A confirmation window will pop up on your screen, asking you to confirm the permanent deletion of the selected photos. Tap on the ‘Delete’ option to confirm the deletion.
Following these steps will ensure that the selected photos are permanently deleted from iCloud, and you can have peace of mind that your private photos are not accessible to anyone else.
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Does deleting photos from iCloud delete them permanently?
Deleting photos from iCloud does not necessarily mean that they are permanently deleted. It depends on how you deleted them and whether or not you have backup copies of the photos.
If you deleted the photos from your iCloud Photo Library or iCloud Drive, they would be moved to the Recently Deleted folder. These photos will remain in this folder for 30 days before they are permanently deleted from iCloud. During this time, you can restore any pictures or videos that you may have accidentally deleted, and they will be returned to your iCloud Photo Library or iCloud Drive.
However, if you immediately try to delete photos from the Recently Deleted folder, or if the 30-day expiration period expires, then the photos will be permanently deleted from iCloud. Once deleted from this folder, you cannot recover them through iCloud.
That being said, if you have enabled iCloud Backup and have the photos saved in a backup, then they can be retrieved from there, even if they have been deleted from your iCloud Photo Library or iCloud Drive. You can restore your entire iOS device from the backup and retrieve your photos along with other content.
Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that you have backup copies of your important images and videos to avoid losing them permanently. You can use iCloud backup, external drives, or third-party backup services to make sure that you have multiple copies of your valuable pictures and videos.
What happens if I delete iCloud photos?
If you delete iCloud photos, there are a few things that may happen depending on your settings and preferences.
First, it’s important to note that when you delete a photo from your iCloud library, it will also be deleted from all of your devices that are connected to iCloud with the same Apple ID. This means that if you delete a photo from your iPhone, it will also be deleted from your iPad, Mac, and any other devices that are signed in with the same Apple ID.
If you have iCloud Photos turned on and have selected Optimize Storage or Download and Keep Originals, the photo may still be stored in iCloud but will no longer be visible on your devices. This means that you will still be able to access the photo if you go to your iCloud account online or if you restore your device from an iCloud backup.
However, if you have recently turned off iCloud Photos or have chosen to optimize storage by keeping only low-resolution versions of your photos on your device, deleting a photo from your iCloud library may mean that the photo is gone for good. This is because the full-resolution version of the photo may only exist in iCloud and has not been downloaded to your device.
If you have important photos that you want to make sure are not lost, it’s always a good idea to back them up in multiple places. This could include downloading them to a hard drive, uploading them to another cloud storage service, or printing them out as physical copies. This way, even if you accidentally delete something from iCloud, you still have a backup that you can access.
Why are photos still on my iPhone when I deleted from iCloud?
When you delete photos from iCloud, it does not necessarily mean that they will be immediately removed from your iPhone. This is because the iCloud Photo Library syncs your photos across all your devices. It works by creating a network of the devices where you choose to store your photos on iCloud.
When you delete a photo from iCloud, it will remove it from the network, but the photo will still be available on the other devices that have previously downloaded that photo from the network.
Therefore, if you have previously downloaded photos from iCloud to your iPhone before attempting to delete them from iCloud, the chances are that they will still be on your phone. This is because iCloud is not responsible for managing the storage of your device’s native storage. Deleting photos from iCloud only removes them from the cloud storage service and not your iPhone device.
Another possible reason why photos might still be on your iPhone when you’ve deleted them from iCloud is due to insufficient internet connectivity to sync the deletion process. Uploading and deleting massive photo files online consumes loads of data, and if the deletion process is incomplete, the photos will continue to exist on your device.
Lastly, if you have enabled the “Optimize Storage” feature on your iPhone, you might encounter this issue. This feature allows your iPhone to store the photos in lower resolution versions, keeping the full resolution versions in iCloud. This feature may confuse some users to think that their photos have been removed from their devices when they access them, thinking they come from iCloud.
However, this feature only tries to store them in lower quality, but they are still present on iPhone’s storage when viewed from applications like the Photos app.
If you want to delete photos permanently from your device, you need to delete them directly from your iPhone’s storage. To do this, you can go to your Photos app, select the photos you want to delete, and then hit the delete button. It is also essential to check if your iCloud account is wired with your device every time you delete photos from iCloud.
Ensure that you have seen the notification that the photos were deleted from iCloud, and it shouldn’t remain on the device.
Are permanently deleted photos gone forever?
When you delete a photo from your device, it may not be gone forever. However, if you permanently delete a photo, it cannot be recovered.
Most people think that deleting a photo means that it is gone forever, but that’s not always the case. Whenever you delete something from your device, it is moved to a trash or recycle bin. The trash or recycle bin usually stores deleted files for a certain period of time, typically 30 days or less.
Within that time period, you can recover the deleted photo from the recycle bin or trash.
However, if you permanently delete a photo, it bypasses the trash or recycle bin and is deleted permanently from your device. The photo is not saved in any location, and it cannot be recovered through normal means. The only way to recover permanently deleted photos is to use third-party recovery tools.
These tools scan your device’s memory and attempt to recover deleted files.
It’s important to note that even third-party recovery tools may not be able to recover permanently deleted photos. When you permanently delete a file, you are essentially telling your device that the space that file occupied on your device can now be used by other files. So, the longer you wait to try to recover a permanently deleted photo, the less likely it is that you will be able to recover it.
Permanently deleted photos are gone forever, but there are some third-party recovery tools that you can use to attempt to recover them. However, the success of these recovery tools depends on various factors, such as how long it has been since the photo was deleted and how much your device’s memory has been used since then.
Why do deleted photos reappear on iPhone?
There can be a number of reasons why deleted photos reappear on an iPhone. One possible explanation is that the photos were not actually deleted in the first place. This can happen if the user accidentally deleted the photos or if there was a technical issue that prevented the photos from being properly removed from the device.
In some cases, the photos may still be stored in a backup file that the user has created, which can cause them to reappear if the backup is restored.
Another reason why deleted photos may reappear on an iPhone is due to a software glitch. Sometimes, iOS updates or other software changes can cause unexpected behavior in the device, including the restoration of files that the user has attempted to delete. Similarly, if the device is running low on storage space, it may prioritize restoring deleted files in order to free up space.
In some cases, deleted photos may reappear on an iPhone due to a syncing issue. If the device is connected to a cloud storage service or another device, such as a computer, it may automatically restore deleted files from those sources. This can happen if the user has set up automatic syncing or if there is a glitch in the syncing process.
The exact reason why deleted photos reappear on an iPhone will depend on a number of factors. To prevent this from happening in the future, users should carefully review their settings and backup options to ensure that deleted files are properly removed from their devices. If the issue persists, it may be necessary to seek technical support or assistance from the manufacturer.
Why are my photos not deleting from iCloud?
There could be several reasons why your photos are not deleting from iCloud. One of the most common reasons is that the photos may have been synced from other devices or backups, and deleting them from one device or backup does not necessarily mean that they will be deleted from all devices or backups.
Another possible reason could be that you have turned on the iCloud Photo Library feature, which automatically syncs your photos across all your devices. When you delete a photo from one device, it may take a while for the deletion to sync across all devices, especially if you have a slow internet connection.
Another reason why your photos may not be deleting from iCloud could be due to a problem with iCloud itself. Sometimes, iCloud servers can experience temporary outages or errors, which can cause syncing issues. In such cases, you may need to wait for iCloud services to resume or contact Apple support for further assistance.
Additionally, if you have already deleted the photos from your device and they are still appearing in iCloud, it could be due to a caching issue. This can be resolved by signing out of iCloud on your device and then signing back in.
There are multiple reasons why your photos may not be deleting from iCloud. However, with careful troubleshooting and some patience, you should be able to resolve the issue and ensure that your photos are properly synced across all your devices.
Are deleted photos on iPhone really gone?
When you delete a photo from your iPhone, it may appear to be gone, but the reality is that it’s not completely erased from your device’s storage.
When you delete a photo on your iPhone, it’s moved to the Recently Deleted album, where it stays for up to 30 days. During this time, you can still access the photo and restore it to your camera roll if you change your mind.
After 30 days, the photo is permanently deleted from your device’s storage and cannot be recovered unless you have a backup.
However, even if you’ve passed the 30-day mark and think the photo is completely gone, there is still a chance that it can be retrieved. This is because when you delete a photo, the actual data is only marked as deleted and the storage space it occupied becomes available for new data to be written over it.
Therefore, if the space the deleted photo occupied hasn’t been overwritten by new data, it can still be recovered using data recovery software. This is why it’s recommended to use a secure erase method, like “Erase All Content and Settings” or a data erasure tool, to completely erase all data from your iPhone.
While deleted photos on your iPhone may seem gone at first glance, it’s important to understand that they’re not completely erased until new data overwrites the space they once occupied. This is why it’s important to take extra precautions to securely erase sensitive data from your device.
Is it possible to recover deleted photos from 2 years ago?
Yes, it is possible to recover deleted photos from 2 years ago in some cases. The success of this process depends on several factors such as the device used to capture the photos, the operating system running on the device, and whether or not the photos were backed up to a cloud storage or external hard drive.
If the deleted photos were stored on an iPhone or Android device, they may still be recoverable using software designed for that purpose. There are several third-party data recovery software programs available that can scan the device for deleted files and recover them. It is important to note that the success rate for this type of recovery decreases as the time since the photos were deleted increases.
Another option for recovering deleted photos is to check cloud storage services such as iCloud or Google Photos. If the photos were backed up to one of these services, they should be retrievable even if they were deleted from the device itself. It is important to act quickly when attempting to recover the photos in this way, as some cloud storage services only keep deleted files for a limited time before permanently deleting them.
If the photos were stored on a computer or external hard drive, they may also be recoverable using specialized data recovery software. As with mobile devices, the success of this method depends on several factors such as the type of file system used and how long ago the files were deleted.
It is possible to recover deleted photos from 2 years ago in some cases. However, the success of this process is not guaranteed and may require specialized software or services. The best way to avoid losing important photos is to back them up regularly to multiple storage locations, both locally and online.
