To delete a photo you uploaded to Facebook on a computer, open the photo, click Options, select Delete Photo, then click Delete. Direct photo deletion permanently removes that upload and cannot be undone. On Android, use the photo’s Options menu; on iPhone or iPad, touch and hold the open photo to display its menu.
You can delete your own uploads, but being pictured or tagged in someone else’s photo does not give you permission to delete it. For someone else’s upload, you can remove your tag, ask the uploader to take it down, or report an applicable issue.
The short version
- Your uploads: Open the photo and use the deletion controls for your device.
- iPhone and iPad: Touch and hold the open photo to bring up its menu.
- Permanent deletion: Directly deleting a photo or album cannot be undone.
- Trash: Eligible posts moved to Trash are automatically deleted after 30 days unless restored or deleted sooner.
- Someone else’s photo: Removing your tag leaves the photo available to its existing audience.
| Photo or location | Deletion route | Main catch |
|---|---|---|
| Your Android upload | Options > Delete photo | Confirm with Delete |
| Your iPhone or iPad upload | Touch and hold, then Delete Photo | Open the photo first |
| Your desktop upload | Options > Delete Photo | Cannot be undone |
| Your mobile browser upload | Options > Delete | Mobile-touch interface; confirm with Yes |
| Your Facebook Lite upload | Options > Delete | Confirm with Yes |
| Profile picture on desktop | Profile Pictures album, then Edit | Delete an individual picture |
| Cover photo on desktop | Cover Photos album, then the photo’s Options | The album itself cannot be deleted |
| Photo inside an editable desktop post | Edit post, then Remove | Excludes posts shared from albums or third-party apps |
| Entire desktop photo post | Options > Delete post | Also removes the post’s text |
| Album on desktop | Options > Delete album | Deletes its photos too |
| Album on Android | Edit album > Delete album | Only deletable albums you created |
| Album on iPhone | Edit album > Delete Album | Only deletable albums you created |
| Older desktop content | Activity Log, then the item’s Options | Available actions depend on the content |
| Eligible desktop post in Feed or your profile | Options > Move to Trash | Automatically deleted after 30 days |
| Eligible Android or iPhone posts | Activity Log > Manage Your Posts | Use the item’s Move to trash control |
| Content already in Trash | Activity Log > Trash | Deletion is permanent |
| Active desktop Story | Story Options > Delete photo | Also removes that Story from Messenger |
| Active Android Story | More > Delete photo | Cross-posted Stories have a service choice |
| Archived desktop Story | Story archive, then Delete photo | Removes the archived photo |
| Archived iPhone Story | Story archive, then Delete this story | Removes the selected Story |
| Someone else’s upload | Ask the uploader to delete it | A tag does not give you deletion rights |
| Your tag on a desktop photo | Options > Remove Tag | The photo remains available to its audience |
| Photo that may violate Facebook’s rules | Options > Report photo | Review does not guarantee removal |
| Image that violates privacy | Facebook’s privacy reporting form | Eligibility depends on the person and region |
Delete a photo in the Facebook app
Deleting your upload permanently removes the photo and cannot be undone. On Android, open the photo you uploaded, tap Options, then tap Delete photo. Tap Delete to confirm.
On iPhone or iPad, deleting your uploaded photo also permanently removes it. Open the photo, then touch and hold it until the menu appears. Tap Delete Photo, followed by Delete.
Delete a photo on a computer or mobile browser
Direct deletion permanently removes the uploaded photo and cannot be undone. On Facebook’s desktop website, open your photo and click Options. Select Delete Photo, then click Delete.
Deleting an upload in the mobile browser or Facebook Lite also permanently removes that photo. In Facebook’s mobile-touch browser interface, open your photo and tap Options in the upper-right corner. Tap Delete, then Yes. In Facebook Lite, open the photo, tap Options in the upper-right corner, select Delete, and tap Yes.
Remove a profile picture or cover photo
Deleting a current or previous profile picture permanently removes that individual photo. On a computer, click your profile picture, then your name, and open Photos > Albums > Profile Pictures. Click Edit in the upper-right corner of the target photo, select Delete Photo, and click Delete.
Deleting a cover photo permanently removes that upload. From your desktop profile, open Photos > Albums > Cover Photos, then open the individual photo. Click Options, select Delete Photo, and click Delete.
Facebook does not let you delete the entire Profile Pictures, Cover Photos, or Mobile uploads album. You can permanently remove individual uploads from these albums instead. On desktop, open your profile, select Photos > Albums, open the relevant album and photo, then click Options > Delete Photo > Delete; for profile pictures, use the Edit route above.
Remove a photo while keeping the post
Removing photos through post editing takes them out of the post while retaining the rest of it. For an editable post you created on desktop, click Options > Edit post. To remove all its photos, hover over them and click Remove, then click Save.
Removing just one photo leaves the other photos in the post. In the post editor, hover over the photos and click Edit All. Hover over the target photo, click Remove, then click Save.
This workflow excludes posts shared from photo albums or third-party apps. For an album photo you uploaded, open the photo itself and use its deletion controls. If you want to remove your entire post instead, use the post deletion route below.
Deleting the entire post removes its text as well as the photo-containing post. On desktop, click your profile picture, then your name, and find your post. Click Options and select Delete post.
Delete an album and its photos
Deleting an album also deletes its photos, and the deletion cannot be reversed. On desktop, click your profile picture, then your profile name, and open Photos > Albums. Open an album you created, click Options, click Delete album, then confirm with Delete Album.
On Android, deleting a deletable album you created permanently removes its photos too. Tap Menu, scroll to Photos, then open Albums and the target album. Tap Edit album, tap Delete album, then tap Delete.
On iPhone, deleting a deletable album you created also permanently removes its photos. Tap Menu, then your name, and open Photos > Albums. Open the target album and tap Edit album > Delete Album, then tap Delete. For the system albums listed above, remove individual photos instead.
Find older photos through Activity Log
Use Activity Log to find older photo posts by date. On desktop, click your profile picture and open Settings & Privacy > Activity Log. Open Your Facebook activity > Posts > Your posts, photos and videos, and use Date to narrow the results when needed.
Choosing Delete permanently removes the content, while Move to trash starts a 30-day period before automatic deletion. Beside the target item, click Options and select Delete or Move to trash, depending on the available action. Content moved to trash can be restored or deleted sooner during that period.
You can also move eligible desktop posts to trash directly from Feed or your profile, which starts the same 30-day period before automatic deletion. Find the post, click Options, then click Move to Trash. If that option is missing, use Activity Log to check the actions available for the item.
Moving eligible photo posts to trash on Android or iPhone starts their 30-day period before automatic deletion. Open your profile and select Options > Activity Log > Manage Your Posts. Narrow the results with Filters using Categories, Date, or People, then tap the item’s Options, tap Move to trash, and tap Move to trash again.
Permanently delete content already in Trash
Deleting content from Trash permanently removes it before the automatic 30-day deadline. In the Android, iPhone, or Lite app, open your profile and select Options > Activity Log > Trash. Select the boxes beside the target content, then tap Delete and confirm the deletion. On Android and iPhone, confirm by tapping Delete again.
The 30-day period applies to eligible content moved to trash. Direct photo and album deletion are irreversible, so Trash is not a recovery option for those actions.
Delete a photo from your Story
Deleting an active Facebook Story on desktop also removes that Story from Messenger, and it will not subsequently be saved to your Story archive. Open Your Story at the top of Feed and display the target photo. Click Story Options, then Delete photo.
Deleting an active Story photo on Android removes it from your Facebook Story. Tap Your Story, display the photo, and tap More > Delete photo. For a Story shared from Facebook to Instagram, Delete from both removes both versions. Tap Delete from Facebook only to remove it only from Facebook, or tap Delete from both to remove it from both services.
Deleting an archived Story photo removes it from your archive. On desktop, click your profile picture in the left column of Feed, then click Options > Story archive. Open the photo, click Options > Delete photo, and click Delete.
On iPhone, deleting an archived Story removes the selected Story from your archive. Tap Menu, then your name, and open Options > Archive > Story archive. Open the Story, tap Options > Delete this story, then tap Delete.
Fix a missing delete option
Check who uploaded the photo before looking for its deletion controls. Being pictured or tagged in someone else’s upload does not give you direct deletion rights. Contact the uploader and ask them to delete it, or use a reporting route when the photo raises a rules or privacy issue.
Removing your tag removes your association with the photo, but leaves the photo available to its existing audience. On desktop, open the photo, click Options, select Remove Tag, then click Ok. Facebook also offers a takedown request through the photo or post’s Options > Remove tag flow, where you can choose to ask the person who shared it to remove it.
To report a photo that may violate Facebook’s rules, open it on desktop and click Options > Report photo. Choose the applicable issue and follow the reporting flow. When a locked profile prevents you from opening the full photo, click Report photo directly. Reporting requests review and does not guarantee removal.
For an image that violates privacy, open Facebook’s privacy reporting form. Complete the fields labeled Please select your country, Full Name, and Please provide your email address.
Under Who's privacy is being violated?, select My Privacy, select A Minor's Privacy, or select Another Adults Privacy, as applicable. Complete the resulting branch, then select Send. Meta reviews the request, and eligibility depends on the branch and region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does leaving a shared album remove the photos you added?
Your photos remain in a shared album after you leave it. Deleting your uploaded photo permanently removes that contribution from shared albums, even after you have left. On desktop, open your photo, click Options > Delete Photo, then click Delete.
How do you delete a photo posted as a comment?
Deleting the comment removes the comment containing the photo. On desktop, click Options beside your comment, select Delete, then click Delete again.
How do you delete a photo you sent in Messenger?
Choosing Delete for everyone removes your sent photo message for everyone in the conversation. On Android, open the conversation, touch and hold your photo message, tap Delete, then tap Delete for everyone. On the Messenger desktop website, open the conversation, hover over your photo message, open its three-dot menu, click Delete, then click Delete for everyone. Deleting a message that forwards a Facebook post does not delete the original post.
What happened to Messenger’s Unsend option?
Messenger renamed Unsend for everyone and Unsend for you to Delete for everyone and Delete for you. Choosing Delete for you removes a sent or received photo message only from your view, while other participants retain their copies. On the Messenger desktop website, open the conversation, hover over the photo message, open its three-dot menu, click Delete, then click Delete for you.
Can you delete a photo post you added to a Facebook group?
Yes, deleting your group contribution removes that post or comment. On desktop, open your profile and select Options > Activity Log > Your Facebook activity > Groups > Group posts and comments, find the contribution, then click Options > Delete. Individual deletion is unavailable when you are blocked from the group or were in a hidden group; use the broader group activity deletion route described below instead.
How do you remove your group photos when you cannot access the group?
The broader group deletion route removes your personal-profile contributions, including photos, posts, and comments, even when you are blocked or cannot access a hidden group. It excludes items such as reactions, group-event activity, and album names. On desktop, open your profile and select Options > Activity Log > Your Facebook activity > Groups > Your Group membership activity. Find the group, click Options > Delete your activity, then click Delete.