As Mac users, we frequently take and store numerous photos on our devices. While it’s easy to accumulate lots of pictures, it can be difficult to decide which ones to keep and which ones to delete. Though it is essential to clean them up as it takes up a lot of space on the device, ultimately leading to a slow-down of Mac.
Deleting pictures, however, is not as straightforward as it seems. Users can mistakenly delete an important memory or lose useful information by inadvertently deleting images. Fortunately, it’s simple to delete Photos from the Photos app on Mac if you know how to do it right. In this blog post, we will be discussing how to delete photos from the Photos app on Mac, so let’s dive in.
Video Tutorial:
Why You Need to Know How to Delete Photos from Photos App on Mac
Photos app on Mac is an efficient tool for storing your images. It even automatically backs up all the pictures you take on any other apple device by logging in from the same Apple ID. Still, memory space comes at a premium, and sooner or later, you must delete some old pictures to free up space. But this process of deletion can get challenging.
Besides, having multiple copies of the same image can clutter your device’s photo library, making it challenging to locate the pictures you need quickly. So, knowing how to delete photos from the Photos app on your Mac is crucial in keeping your device running smoothly and managing your gallery’s organization.
Method 1: Delete Photos Directly from the Photos App
Deleting photos directly from the Photos app is the simplest and most intuitive method. Follow the steps given below:
1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Select any picture, and it will be highlighted.
3. Then, press the “delete” button (or backspace button) on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can use the "command + delete" keys.
4. Now, you’ll see a prompt asking “Do you want to delete X from all synced devices?” If you only want to delete the picture from your Mac, click "Delete Only from Mac."
5. Click "Delete All" to remove the same picture and other images linked with it(faces, places).
Pros:
– Quick and straightforward.
– You can choose to delete pictures only from the Mac or from all synced devices.
– The deleted images will be placed in the Recently Deleted folder, where they will be recoverable for 30 days.
Cons:
– It can be time-consuming if you have to delete multiple images.
– It’s challenging to locate and delete duplicate photos using this method.
Method 2: Delete Multiple Photos at Once
If you have several Photos to delete, it may be more efficient to select and remove them in bulk. Here’s how to delete multiple photos from the Photos app at once.
1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click on the Photos option on the top left corner of the app to see all your photos.
3. Click on any photo to start highlighting it.
4. Use the "shift" key and select the last picture you want to be deleted. Now all the photos between the first and last ones will be highlighted.
5. Press the ‘Delete’ button.
6. Choose between ‘Delete (number) items’ or ‘Cancel.’
Pros:
– It’s faster than deleting each image one by one.
– You can customize how many photos to delete each time.
Cons:
– You can only choose photos located side-by-side—hard to select the scattered images.
– It’s still time-consuming for large amounts of picture selection.
Method 3: Deleting Photos via Albums
Deleting photos through albums allows you to sort and organize your photos by creating custom albums for specific images. You can then delete the pictures from the album without affecting other photos in the gallery.
1. Open the Photos app on your Mac, and select the ‘Albums’ option.
2. Choose the album to which the picture belongs.
3. Click on the first image you want to delete to select it.
4. Hold down the Command key and click on any picture you want to delete, and the items will be highlighted.
5. Press the ‘Delete’ button on your keyboard.
6. Choose between ‘Delete’ and ‘Cancel’ to finish.
Pros:
– It’s easy to sort and manage pictures.
– You can delete images from albums without deleting the same image from the camera roll.
Cons:
– It takes a long time to create and maintain custom albums.
– It’s inconvenient to delete pictures not assigned to an album.
What to Do If You Can’t Delete Photos from Photos App on Mac?
Sometimes Mac can refuse to delete some images with specific properties, such as system images or synced photos. In such cases, you can try out the following fixes:
– Restart your Mac to see if it requires any system restart for it to register the request you are performing.
– Close and reopen Photos App for it to take a fresh start and remove any overlapping properties causing any errors.
– Use a third-party tool like CleanMyMac X to delete corrupted pictures or restoring missing images. Also if your Mac is running slow, CleanMyMac X can free up disk space by cleaning junk from your system.
Bonus Tip
Backing up your photos is crucial to ensure you don’t lose any essential pictures in case of device failure. To do this, you can back up your pictures on iCloud, Google photos, or an external hard disc. This ensures that even if you accidentally delete some photos from your device, they won’t be lost entirely.
5 FAQs
Q1: Can you recover deleted photos from the Photos app on Mac?
A: Yes. Deleted photos are keep stored in the Recently Deleted folder in case there is a need to recover them. The folder stores deleted items for 30 days.
Q2: What happens to the photos deleted from the camera roll on an iPhone?
A: When photos are deleted from the camera roll, they are also removed from the Photos app and iCloud as well.
Q3: How do I free up storage on my Mac?
A: You can free up storage space on your Mac by uninstalling unused applications, deleting old and unnecessary files and documents, and using cloud storage services like iCloud or google photos.
Q4: Is it possible to delete Photos from Photos app on Mac using Siri?
A: Yes. You can ask Siri to ‘Delete my pictures from Photos’ app and it will direct you to the photos app to command to delete your Siri initiated.
Q5: How can I find and delete duplicate photos from my Mac?
A: You can use third-party software like Gemini or TidyUp or built-in duplicate cleaner apps like Duplicate Annihilator or Photos Duplicate Cleaner of Mac Photos App. These will sort out all the duplicated images and help you remove them from the Mac.
Final Thoughts
The Photos app on your Mac makes it easy to organize and manage your pictures. However, managing the storage space can get difficult if you keep accumulating more and more pictures. Knowing how to delete Photos from the Photos app on Mac is crucial to keep your device running smoothly and manage your gallery efficiently. Follow our methods, and it will save you tons of time and energy. We also added some quick tips to speed up your Mac and manage it to the best of its capabilities.