How to Delete Photos on MacBook

Organizing digital collections is a breeze with the Photos app on Mac computers. It allows for easy sorting, editing, and viewing of all your memories. However, there may come a time when you need to delete photos from your Mac. Maybe you want to free up space, remove duplicates, or just declutter your library. Whatever the reason, removing photos on a Mac is simple and can be done within the Photos app itself.

The process of deleting photos from the Photos app can take a few clicks or a keyboard shortcut. Users can swiftly select individual images or groups of photos and remove them. These deleted items move to the Recently Deleted album, where they stay for 30 days before permanent removal. This gives users a chance to recover photos if they change their minds. For those looking to manage their digital space effectively, learning to delete and recover photos on a Mac is an essential skill.

How to Delete Photos on MacBook: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Running out of storage space on your MacBook? Photos and videos often consume significant disk space, making it essential to regularly clean up your photo library. This comprehensive guide will walk you through multiple methods to delete photos from your MacBook and help you reclaim valuable storage space.

Method 1: Delete Photos Using the Photos App

The Photos app is the primary tool for managing your photo library on macOS. Here’s how to delete photos using this built-in application:

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open the Photos App: Launch the Photos app from your Applications folder or click the Photos icon in your Dock.
2. Select Photos to Delete:
   • Click on a single photo to select it
   • Hold Command (⌘) and click multiple photos to select several at once
   • Hold Shift and click two photos to select everything between them
   • Press Command (⌘) + A to select all photos in the current view
3. Delete the Selected Photos:
   • Press the Delete key on your keyboard, or
   • Right-click on the selected photos and choose Delete [number] Photos, or
   • Go to Image in the menu bar and select Delete [number] Photos
4. Confirm Deletion: A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Delete to move the photos to the Recently Deleted album (source: Apple Support).

Method 2: Permanently Delete Photos from Recently Deleted Album

When you delete photos from the Photos app, they’re not immediately removed from your Mac. Instead, they’re moved to the Recently Deleted album where they remain for 30 days before being automatically deleted (source: Apple Support).

To Permanently Delete Photos:

1. Open the Photos App and click on Recently Deleted in the sidebar under Albums.
2. Select Photos to Permanently Delete:
   • Select individual photos you want to remove permanently, or
   • Click Delete All in the upper-right corner to remove everything at once
3. Confirm Permanent Deletion: Click Delete in the confirmation dialog. These photos will now be permanently removed from your MacBook and cannot be recovered (source: Apple Support).

Important Note: If you use iCloud Photos, deleting photos on your MacBook will also delete them from all your other Apple devices connected to the same iCloud account.

Method 3: Delete Photos Using Finder

If you have photos stored outside the Photos app (such as in your Downloads folder or other locations), you can delete them directly through Finder.

Steps:

1. Open Finder and navigate to the folder containing the photos you want to delete.
2. Select the Photos: Click to select individual photos or use Command (⌘) to select multiple files.
3. Delete the Photos:
   • Drag the selected photos to the Trash icon in your Dock, or
   • Right-click on the selected photos and choose Move to Trash, or
   • Press Command (⌘) + Delete (source: MacBook Pro Slow)
4. Empty the Trash: Right-click the Trash icon in your Dock and select Empty Trash to permanently delete the photos (source: wikiHow).

Method 4: Delete Duplicate Photos

Over time, you may accumulate duplicate photos that waste storage space. Here’s how to find and remove them:

1. Open the Photos App and go to File > Show Duplicates (available in macOS Ventura 13.1 and later).
2. Review Duplicates: The Photos app will display detected duplicates grouped together.
3. Merge Duplicates: Click Merge to keep only the highest quality version and delete the duplicates (source: iBoysoft).

Alternatively, you can use third-party applications like Gemini Photos or PhotoSweeper to identify and remove duplicate images more comprehensively.

Method 5: Optimize Storage with iCloud Photos

Instead of deleting photos, you can use iCloud Photos to store full-resolution versions in the cloud while keeping smaller, device-optimized versions on your MacBook.

To Enable This Feature:

1. Go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Click on Apple ID > iCloud > Photos.
3. Enable iCloud Photos and select Optimize Mac Storage.

This option automatically manages your local storage by keeping lower-resolution versions on your MacBook while maintaining full-resolution originals in iCloud (source: MacBook Journal).

Method 6: Use Third-Party Cleaning Apps

Several third-party applications can help you manage and delete photos more efficiently:

• CleanMyMac X: Identifies large files, duplicates, and old photos
• Gemini Photos: Specialized app for finding and removing duplicate and similar photos
• PhotoSweeper: Advanced duplicate photo finder with customizable matching criteria

These tools often provide more advanced features than the built-in Photos app, such as finding similar (but not identical) photos and bulk management options (source: MacBook Journal).

How to Recover Accidentally Deleted Photos

Made a mistake? You can recover photos within 30 days of deletion:

1. Open the Photos App and click Recently Deleted in the sidebar.
2. Select the Photos you want to recover.
3. Click Recover in the upper-right corner (source: Apple Support).

If you’ve already emptied the Recently Deleted album, you may be able to recover photos using:

• Time Machine backups (if enabled)
• iCloud.com (if iCloud Photos is enabled)
• Third-party recovery software like Disk Drill or PhotoRec (source: iBoysoft)

Best Practices for Managing Photos on MacBook

To avoid storage issues in the future:

1. Regularly review and delete unwanted photos instead of letting them accumulate.
2. Use Albums and Folders to organize your photos for easier management.
3. Enable iCloud Photos with Optimize Mac Storage if you have an iCloud+ subscription.
4. Export photos to an external hard drive or cloud storage service as a backup before deleting them permanently.
5. Check Recently Deleted regularly and empty it manually if you need immediate storage space.
6. Delete RAW files after editing if you’re a photographer (these files are significantly larger than JPEGs).

Conclusion

Deleting photos on your MacBook is a straightforward process whether you use the Photos app, Finder, or third-party tools. Remember that deleted photos remain in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days, giving you a safety net to recover accidental deletions. For the best results, combine regular photo cleanup with smart storage management features like iCloud Photos optimization to keep your MacBook running smoothly without sacrificing your precious memories.

By following these methods and best practices, you can effectively manage your photo library, free up valuable storage space, and maintain an organized collection of your favorite images (source: YouTube – How to Delete Photos Permanently on Mac).

Key Takeaways

• The Photos app on Mac is used for organizing and deleting photos.
• To delete photos, users can select and use a keyboard shortcut or menu option.
• The Recently Deleted album holds removed photos for 30 days, allowing for recovery.

Deleting Photos from Your Mac

Managing your digital space effectively includes knowing how to remove unwanted photos from your Mac. Whether you need to free up space or declutter your library, these steps will help you delete photos with ease.

Using Photos App

Text to delete a photo or multiple photos in the Photos app on a Mac, open the app and select the image or images you wish to remove. Press the Delete key and confirm by clicking the Delete button. These deleted images move to the Recently Deleted album. To delete an album but not the photos it contains, right-click the album and choose Delete Album. To delete all images in the Photos Library, press Command + A to select all, hit the Delete key, and confirm the action.

From Finder and Other Folders

To delete images outside of the Photos app, such as those in the Finder window or the Pictures folder, navigate to the folder containing the unwanted images. Select one or more photos and drag them to the Trash. Alternatively, select the images and press Command + Delete. To remove everything in the Trash and free up space, right-click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

Using iCloud

If you use iCloud Photos, deleting a photo on your Mac will also remove it from your iCloud Photo Library across all your devices. To perform this action, open the Photos app, select the unwanted photos, and press the Delete key. Remember to empty the Recently Deleted album in the Photos app if you want to free up space immediately.

Managing and Recovering Deleted Photos

Managing photos on a Mac involves not just organizing and deleting them but also knowing how to recover them if accidentally deleted. This section covers the essentials of recovering deleted photos, managing duplicates, and organizing with smart folders.

Recovering Photos

To recover photos on a Mac, start by opening the Photos app. Check the sidebar for the Recently Deleted album. Photos and videos here are recoverable for 30 days. Select the ones you need and click ‘Recover’ to restore them to the library. If you’ve emptied the Recently Deleted album, you could use Time Machine or a third-party software like Gemini to retrieve lost images.

Dealing with Duplicates and Backing Up

It’s common to have duplicate pictures cluttering your Mac. Use an app like Gemini to find and remove them. For safety, it’s smart to regularly back up photos. Use Time Machine, which is a macOS feature, to automatically save copies of all your files, including photos, to an external drive. This way if you delete pictures, you have a version to restore from.

Organizing Photos with Smart Folders

MacOS has a feature called Smart Folders that automatically groups photos based on criteria you set. For example, create a Smart Folder for all photos taken last Christmas. To set one up, open Finder, go to File > New Smart Folder, and set the criteria. Smart Folders update with new photos that meet the set conditions, simplifying organization.