How to delete screenshots on iPhone, all at once or one by one

To delete all screenshots on your iPhone, open Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Media Types, and tap Screenshots. Then tap Select, tap Select All, and tap the Trash button. That is the fast way. The catch is that it also deletes the screenshots you still need, like a boarding pass or a receipt. If you want to check each one first, Photos Cleanup lets you do it with a swipe.

Method 1: In the Photos app

Apple’s Photos app can select every screenshot in one go. Menu names can differ a little between iOS versions, but the steps below match recent ones.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Collections at the bottom.
3. Scroll down to Media Types.
4. Tap Screenshots.
5. Tap Select at the top right.
6. Tap Select All.
7. Tap the Trash button.
8. Confirm that you want to delete the photos.

If you do not see Collections on your iPhone, look for the Albums view instead. Scroll down to Media Types there and tap Screenshots.

Before you tap Select All, take a minute to scroll through the grid. Screenshots hide useful things. You may have a ticket, a map, a Wi-Fi password, or a chat you want to keep. Once you delete them, you can only get them back from Recently Deleted, and only for a limited time.

Pick only some screenshots

You do not have to delete everything. Here is how to choose.

1. Open the Screenshots collection as shown above.
2. Tap Select.
3. Tap a screenshot to select it.
4. Drag your finger across the grid to select many at once.
5. Tap the Trash button and confirm.

This works well when you have a few dozen screenshots. It gets slow when you have hundreds, because the thumbnails are tiny and many screenshots look alike. It is easy to miss the one you wanted to keep.

Method 2: The faster way with Photos Cleanup

Photos Cleanup shows your photos one at a time, large on the screen. You decide with a swipe. That makes it a good fit for screenshots, because you can actually read each one before it goes.

Here is how it works on your iPhone.

1. Download Photos Cleanup and open it on your iPhone.
2. Allow access to your photo library when the app asks.
3. Open the Screenshots pile. It takes you straight to your screenshots.
4. Swipe left to delete a screenshot.
5. Swipe right to keep it.
6. Swipe up to add it to an album, such as “Tickets” or “Receipts”.
7. Double-tap to zoom in when the text is small.
8. Tap Undo if you swiped the wrong way. It brings the last photo back.

You choose what each swipe does, so you can set it up the way you like. You can also press and hold to open a ring of up to 7 albums. Slide to one and let go. That is a quick way to file the screenshots worth saving.

When you are done, you check your choices and confirm with one tap. The photos are deleted through your iPhone’s own Photos library, and the app shows how much storage you freed.

Want the full picture? Read more about the iPhone app.

Don’t forget Recently Deleted

This step surprises many people. When you delete a screenshot, your iPhone does not remove it right away. It moves it to the Recently Deleted album. It stays there for 30 days, and it still takes up space. The same is true when you delete through Photos Cleanup.

To free the space now, empty that album.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Collections, then scroll down to Utilities.
3. Tap Recently Deleted.
4. Tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.
5. Tap Select, but do not pick any photos.
6. Tap the More button (the three dots).
7. Tap Delete All, then confirm.

Permanently deleted items cannot be recovered, so look through the album one more time before you confirm. If you want to keep one, select it and tap Recover instead.

After that, open Settings, tap General, and tap iPhone Storage. Your numbers may take a moment to update. If you want to know why, read why your storage is still full after deleting photos.

Tips for fewer screenshots

• Save the useful ones to an album as you go. A “Receipts” album and a “Tickets” album cover most needs.
• Clean up often. A short session every few weeks is easier than a big one once a year.
• Delete the screenshot as soon as you copy the text or the info you needed.
• Look at your videos too. A few long clips can take more room than many screenshots. Our guide to deleting large videos on iPhone shows how.

Which way should you choose?

Use the Photos app if you are sure none of your screenshots matter. It takes less than a minute.

Use Photos Cleanup if you are not sure. You see each screenshot, you keep the good ones, and you delete the rest. It is free for 1,000 photos each month, with ads. Pro, which you can get in the app, removes the ads and the monthly limit.

Either way, empty Recently Deleted at the end. That is when your iPhone actually gets the space back.