Delete screenshots with the Photos app

  1. Open the Screenshots collection. In Photos, tap Collections at the bottom, scroll to Media Types and tap Screenshots. If you pinned it, it is already near the top.
  2. Scan before you select. Scroll once from the newest to the oldest. Anything you want to keep, such as a ticket or a confirmation number, can be favorited or saved elsewhere first.
  3. Select in bulk. Tap Select, then drag across the grid to select many at a time. Photos does not need you to tap each one.
  4. Delete and confirm. Tap the trash icon, then confirm. The items move to Recently Deleted for 30 days.

If you use iCloud Photos, deleting a screenshot on your iPhone deletes it on all your devices. Save anything you need first.

Make the storage come back now

Deleted screenshots still use space while they sit in Recently Deleted. To free it immediately, open Collections → Recently Deleted, unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, tap Select, choose the items and delete them. You lose the 30-day safety net for those items, so empty it only when you are sure. Learn how it works in our guide to recovering Recently Deleted photos.

A screenshot is usually small, roughly a couple of megabytes, so the gain comes from volume: a few thousand of them is a few gigabytes. Use the storage calculator to estimate yours.

Review each screenshot first with GoSwipe

If you do not trust yourself to bulk-select, GoSwipe lets you look at each screenshot and decide:

  1. Open Albums and pick Screenshots. GoSwipe lists smart albums such as Screenshots, so you can work through only those.
  2. Swipe left to let go, right to keep. A left swipe only queues the screenshot in the Bin. Nothing is deleted yet.
  3. Review the Bin and confirm. Open the Bin, check the queue, then confirm. iOS shows its own delete dialog and the items go to Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Free to start

Clear a year of screenshots in minutes.

Open the Screenshots album in GoSwipe, swipe, and confirm from the Bin.

Get GoSwipe on the App Store

Stop the pile from coming back

  • After taking a screenshot, tap Done in the preview and choose Delete Screenshot when you only needed it for a moment.
  • Save receipts and tickets to Files or Notes instead of leaving them in Photos.
  • Keep Screenshots pinned in Collections (it is pinned by default) so a quick weekly clear takes under a minute.
  • Follow the four-phase camera roll cleanup for the rest of the library.

Frequently asked questions

Can I delete all screenshots at once on iPhone?

Yes. Open Photos → Collections → Media Types → Screenshots, tap Select and drag across the thumbnails to select many at once, then delete. Remember to clear them from Recently Deleted to reclaim the space immediately.

Will deleting screenshots delete them from iCloud?

If iCloud Photos is on, yes. A photo deleted on one device is deleted on your others, and removed from iCloud after Recently Deleted clears it.

Can I get screenshots back after deleting them?

For 30 days, yes. Open Collections → Recently Deleted, unlock it, select the screenshots and tap Recover. After that they are permanently deleted.

Does GoSwipe delete screenshots without asking?

No. A left swipe only adds the screenshot to the Bin. Nothing leaves your library until you confirm from the Bin and iOS confirms again.

Sources and further reading

General information, not a guarantee. Menu names can differ slightly between iOS versions.