How to delete photos and videos from an Android phone — A comprehensive guide 2026

How to Delete Photos and Videos from Android Phone — Complete 2026 Guide

Simply moving files to trash or deleting them from the gallery is often not enough. Users frequently don't realize that device memory may retain residual media files that can be recovered using specialized software. Here are all available methods with explanations of the important differences between them.

First: Understanding How Deletion Works on Android

The biggest mistake users make: deleting a photo from inside the Google Photos app while thinking the cloud copy is preserved. When backup is on, Google Photos syncs the library. Deleting a photo inside the app removes both the local copy and the cloud version.

"Delete from device" removes the photo only from the phone's local storage, while the backed-up copy remains safely stored in Google Photos in the cloud.

Method 1: Delete from Gallery App

Open the Gallery app → tap Photos to access all photos → tap the Trash can icon at the top → select photos and videos by tapping the circles at the upper left of each image → tap Delete at the bottom → confirm deletion by tapping Delete again. Photos move to the Trash and are permanently deleted after 7 days.

For immediate permanent deletion: tap the three-dot icon → tap Trash → in the Trash tap the three-dot icon again → tap Empty Trash to clear it immediately.

Method 2: Delete from Google Photos While Keeping Cloud Copies

Option 1 — "Free Up Space": Open Google Photos → tap the profile photo at the top → select Free up space on this device → the amount of space that will be freed will appear → tap Free up [X] from device to delete all locally backed-up copies.

This will only delete files that have already been backed up, so locally-only files that haven't been copied to the cloud yet won't be deleted.

Option 2 — "Delete from device" for specific photos: Select the desired photos → tap the three-dot menu → select Delete from device. This removes the local copy only while the cloud backup remains safe.

Method 3: Storage Management in Google Photos

Open Google Photos → tap the profile picture → Photos settings → Backup → Manage storage. A list of recommended cleanup categories appears, such as large photos, videos, and blurry images → tap Select → choose the items to delete → tap Move to trash.

Method 4: Files by Google — Smart Comprehensive Cleanup

Open the Files by Google app → tap the menu icon on the left → select Clean → it automatically scans the device and categorizes space consumers into: large files, duplicates, blurry images, old screenshots, and junk files. What makes this useful is that it shows exactly how much space each category is using.