2 Ways to Delete Photos from Google Photos But Not on My Phone?

Google Photos is an amazing application that is available on both iOS and Android devices. Apart from the handful of useful functionalities that it offers, the Backup and Sync feature of Google Photos makes it a top-notch app. It allows easy backing up of all your device’s photos over to the cloud. This thing not only saves a significant amount of storage space but also allows you to access media files anywhere on any device.

However, when it comes to Google Photos, one thing that needs to be addressed is how to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone. Well, this may sound pretty challenging initially, but with the correct methods, you can easily get it done in a couple of minutes.

So, here in this article, we’ll walk you through the top 2 methods that will help you delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone! But before moving forward, let’s clear out some confusion relating to it!

Does Delete Photos from Google Photos Delete from Gallery?

This is the most common question that might strike your mind before deleting photos from Google Photos. Well, you can simply get an answer to it by referring below!

1. What happens when you delete photos from Google Photos?

Case 1. Delete Photos on Phone with Back Up & Sync Enabled

Whenever the Backup & Sync feature is enabled, and you delete any of the synced photos from the Google Photos app, it will be deleted from everywhere. In short, the photo will immediately be removed from Google Photos, Andriod Gallery, and File Manager applications.

Case 2. Delete Photos on Phone with Back Up & Sync Disabled

After syncing a photo, if you delete it while the Backup & Sync feature is turned off, the result will be the same as Case 1. The specific image will be deleted from your phone’s storage too. But if you had disabled the Backup & Sync feature recently, then the deleted photo will still be shown on another shared device. When you enable this feature again on the same device, the photo will be deleted from all the shared devices.

Case 3. Delete Photos on Website with Back Up & Sync Disabled

You can delete photos on the Google Photos website with the Back-Up & Sync feature disabled on your phone. By doing so, the images will get deleted instantly from the other synced device. As the Back-Up & Sync feature is disabled on your phone, the photo will continue to reside on your phone and will be visible in the File Manager app and Gallery. Later, if you enable the Back-Up & Sync feature on your phone, the image will reappear on the Google Photos website because its original file is still there on your phone.

2. Does deleting from Google Photos delete from the phone?

This question’s answer depends on how you remove photos from Google photos and whether the Back Up & Sync feature is enabled or disabled on your device. Suppose the Back-Up & Sync feature is disabled on your phone, and you delete the photo from the Google Photos website. In that case, the photo will not be deleted from the phone, but if you delete the photo with the Back-Up & Sync feature enabled or disabled, then the photo will instantly be deleted from the phone.

Further Reading: How to Back Up WhatsApp Photos to Google Photos [Android & iPhone] >

How to Delete Photos from Google Photos without Deleting from Phone?

As you have got the answers to your common queries above, let’s now look at the top 2 methods relating to how to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone!

Method 1. Delete Photos from Google Photos on Your Computer

This method of deleting the photos from the Google Photos application requires the users to use a PC or laptop as well as their Smartphone.

Here’s how you can do it!

1. On the Home Screen, locate and click on “Google Photos.” > Sign in to your Google Account that contains all the photos and then tap on the “Menu” option indicated by three horizontal lines.
2. Here, click on “Settings” and disable the “Back Up & Sync” function on all the devices that are saving images to Google Photos. This is to make sure that photos are not re-uploaded to Google Photos after deletion.
3. Now, search for photos.google.com on your PC and sign in to the website using the Google Account that your phone is connected to.
4. Here, find the images you have saved on Google Photos. Hover on the image/images that you wish to delete. Now, check the little tick icon on the top left corner of the media files. You can click on more than one image at a time.
5. Click on the “Trash Bin” icon at the top right corner of the webpage. This will move all the photos to Trash Bin. After 60 days, the images will be deleted permanently.

Method 2. Delete Photos from Google Photos on Your Phone

Another method to tackle this situation is to delete photos from Google Photos on your Phone. This method is highly suitable for both iOS and Android users as it is relatively easy and simple to follow. So, here’s how to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone!

1. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Google Photos > Storage. And then deny access to storage.
2. Once done, it will make you delete photos without deleting them from phone.
3. Scroll through the photos that you on Google Photos. Long press the photo that you want to delete until it is selected. You can choose more than one photo.
4. Tap on the “Trash” icon at the top right corner of the screen. This will move all the selected photos to the Trash. They will be stored in the Trash for 60 days in case you wish to restore them back.
5. To delete all the photos permanently in your bin, go to the “Menu” icon again. Here, you can delete each photo individually or choose the “Delete All” function to delete all the images at once in the bin.

Further Reading:

• How to Restore Deleted Photos from Google Photos >
• How to Recover Deleted Photos From Android Without Root >

The Botton Line

With that, we conclude this guide on how to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from the phone! No matter which method you choose from the list above, it will indeed offer you seamless results when it comes to deleting photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone.