Can I delete all photos from iCloud?

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Quick Answer

Yes, it is possible to delete all your photos from iCloud. Here are the main ways to do it:

On your iPhone/iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and toggle off iCloud Photos.
On your Mac, open the Photos app, go to Preferences > iCloud and disable iCloud Photo Library.

Sign into iCloud.com, go to Photos, select all photos and click delete.
Use the iCloud web interface to delete photos album by album.

Deleting photos from iCloud doesn’t delete them from your devices – it just removes them from iCloud storage. To also delete the photos from your devices, you’ll need to do that manually after disabling iCloud Photos.

Detailed Steps to Delete All iCloud Photos

Here are more detailed instructions on how to delete all your photos from iCloud using different methods:

On iPhone/iPad

Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
Tap on your name at the top of the menu (should be the first option).

Tap on “iCloud”.
Scroll down and tap on “Photos”.
Toggle the switch off next to “iCloud Photos”.

This will stop syncing your photos to iCloud from this device. However, it won’t delete the photos already in your iCloud storage.

To also delete all iCloud photos:

Go to iCloud.com and sign in.

Click on “Photos”.
Select all photos using Command/Control + A or manually selecting each one.
Click the delete icon at the bottom.

On Mac

Open the Photos app on your Mac.
Click on “Photos” in the menu bar at the top.
Select “Preferences”.

Go to the “iCloud” tab.
Uncheck “iCloud Photo Library”.

This will stop any more photos from syncing from this Mac to iCloud. To also delete all existing iCloud photos:

Go to iCloud.com and sign in.
Click on “Photos”.
Select all photos and click the delete icon.

From iCloud.com

You can fully delete all iCloud photos directly from the iCloud web interface:

Go to iCloud.com and log in.
Click on “Photos”.

Select all the photos on the page by pressing Command/Ctrl + A.
Click the “Delete x Photos” icon at the bottom.
Confirm that you want to permanently delete the photos.

This will delete all photos currently loaded on that page. To delete your entire iCloud Photos library:

Scroll down and click “Select All”.
Click “Delete x Items” at the bottom.

Confirm deletion.

Deleting Albums Individually

You can also delete specific albums from your iCloud Photos library one at a time:

Go to iCloud.com and click “Photos”.

Click the album you want to delete.
Click the Delete icon in the top right corner.
Confirm that you want to delete the album.

Repeat this for every album you want to delete. This might be slower than deleting all photos at once but allows you to selectively remove certain albums only.

What Happens When You Delete iCloud Photos

Here’s what happens when you delete photos from iCloud:

The photos are removed from iCloud’s servers and you will no longer have access to them from iCloud.com or any linked devices.

If you had iCloud Photo Library enabled, existing photos on your devices will remain in local storage.
Any photos you take after disabling iCloud Photo Library will only be saved locally on your device and not synced to iCloud.
The photos will be moved to the Recently Deleted folder on iCloud for 30 days, after which they are permanently deleted.

Other linked devices that still have iCloud Photo Library enabled will no longer be able to access the deleted photos.

So in summary, deleting iCloud photos removes them from the cloud but not your devices or other backups. The photos will still take up your device storage locally unless you manually delete them there too.

How to Delete Photos from iPhone/iPad After Disabling iCloud Photos

Follow these steps to delete photos from your iPhone/iPad after turning off iCloud Photos:

Open the Photos app.
Tap “Select” at the top right.
Tap all photos to select them.

Tap the Delete icon at the bottom.
Confirm deletion when prompted.

Alternatively, you can delete photos album by album:

Open the Photos app and go to the Albums tab.
Tap See All to view all albums.
Tap an album, then tap Select > Delete.

Repeat for each album you want to delete.

You can also permanently delete photos from Recently Deleted:

Go to Albums > Recently Deleted.

Select all photos and tap Delete.
Tap Delete All to confirm permanent deletion.

How to Delete Photos on Mac After Disabling iCloud

To delete photos from your Mac after turning off iCloud Photo Library:

Open the Photos app on your Mac.
Click “Photos” in the top menu bar.
Select “Delete Photos…”.

Choose to delete all photos, selected photos, or by album/event.
Click Delete Photos in the pop-up prompt.

You can also permanently delete photos from Recently Deleted:

Go to Folders > Recently Deleted in the Photos app.
Select all photos and right-click > Delete all.

This will completely remove the photos from your Mac’s storage.

Other Ways to Delete All Photos from iCloud

Here are a couple other ways to delete your entire iCloud Photos library:

Factory reset your device – This will wipe all data and settings, including any local photos not backed up elsewhere.
Sign out of iCloud – Signing out of iCloud on your devices will disconnect them and can optionally delete all iCloud data.

However, these more extreme options will delete all your iCloud data, not just photos.

Can You Recover Deleted iCloud Photos?

If you’ve deleted photos from iCloud and then change your mind, there are a couple of options to try recovering them:

From the Recently Deleted folder on iCloud – This retains deleted photos for 30 days before permanent deletion.

From a Time Machine or other backup – If you have backups enabled, you may be able to restore deleted photos from a backup.
Using data recovery software – Some 3rd party software like PhoneRescue for iOSclaim to recover deleted iCloud photos.

However, there is no guarantee you’ll be able to get the deleted photos back. The sooner you try recovery options after deletion, the better.

Avoid taking photos you want to keep until you recover the old ones, as this may overwrite the existing data.

Can You Delete Photos From iCloud on One Device Only?

With standard iCloud Photo Library syncing, deleting photos from iCloud will remove them from all synced devices and iCloud.com.

However, there are a couple of ways to delete photos from just one device’s shared albums:

On iOS, delete the photos from the album on your device. The photos will be deleted locally but stay in the shared album on other devices.
On iCloud.com, remove your device from the shared album. Then delete photos – this will only delete them from your device and iCloud, but other participants still have access.

So you can selectively delete shared album photos from your device, while keeping them in the shared album on other devices.

Preventing Accidental iCloud Photo Deletion

To avoid accidentally deleting photos from iCloud in the future, consider these tips:

Disable iCloud Photo Library as soon as you upload photos you want to keep only in iCloud.
Use multiple backups – also save your photos locally and with a non-Apple backup like Google Photos.

Use the “Keep Originals” option in iCloud to keep copies on your device.
Regularly copy iCloud photos to a secure external storage device not connected full-time.
Double check before permanently deleting photos from Recently Deleted.

Following best practices for securely backing up your photos means less risk if you ever accidentally delete your iCloud library.

Conclusion

Deleting all your photos from iCloud is possible by turning off iCloud Photos across devices, and then deleting the online photos manually via iCloud.com. Make sure you back up your photos elsewhere before deleting them from the cloud or your devices. With proper backups in place, you can securely remove all photos from your iCloud storage without worrying about losing them forever.