Do you want to know how to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting from phone?
Are you tired of deleting photos from Google Photos only to find out they have been deleted from your phone as well?
It can be frustrating to lose precious memories just because you wanted to free up some space on the cloud.
Luckily, there is a way to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone.
First, open the Google Photos app and select the photos you want to delete.
Then, tap on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner and select “Remove from device.”
This will remove the photos from the cloud but keep them on your phone.
If you accidentally delete photos from your phone, you can still recover them from Google Photos.
Simply go to the “Trash” folder within the app and select the photos you want to restore.
From there, tap on the three dots and select “Restore.” Your photos will be back on your phone in no time.
How To Delete Photos From Google Photos Without Deleting From Phone
If you are running out of storage space in your Google account, deleting unwanted pictures from Google Photos can help free up valuable storage for new memories.

However, you may not want to delete the photos from your phone.
Luckily, there are a few ways to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone.
Method 1: Disabling Back Up & Sync
One way to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone is by disabling Back up & Sync. Here’s how:
- Open the Google Photos app on your phone.
- Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Tap “Photos settings” from the menu that appears.
- Tap “Back up & sync”.
- Toggle the switch to turn off Back up & sync.
This will prevent your photos from being backed up to Google Photos, but they will still remain on your phone.
Method 2: Archiving Photos
Another way to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone is by archiving them. Here’s how:
- Open the Google Photos app on your phone.
- Select the photos you want to delete.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
- Tap “Archive”.
This will remove the photos from your main photo library, but they will still be accessible in the Archive folder. The photos will not be deleted from your phone.
Method 3: Deleting Photos from Google Photos Only
You can also delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone by deleting them from Google Photos only. Here’s how:
- Open the Google Photos app on your phone.
- Select the photos you want to delete.
- Tap the trash can icon in the top-right corner.
- Tap “Delete”.
This will delete the photos from Google Photos, but they will still be on your phone.
By using these methods, you can delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone.
This can help free up storage space in your Google account while keeping your photos accessible on your phone.
How To Separate Google Photos From Device Storage
If you have been using Google Photos for a while, you may have noticed that the app automatically backs up all your photos to the cloud.

While this is a great feature, it can quickly fill up your device storage.
Fortunately, you can delete photos from your device storage without deleting them from Google Photos. Here’s how:
- Open the Google Photos app on your device.
- Select the photo(s) you want to remove from your device storage.
- Tap on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select “Remove from device.”
This will remove the selected photos from your device storage, but they will still be available in Google Photos.
If you want to free up even more space on your device, you can also use the “Free up space” feature in Google Photos.
To use this feature, follow these steps:
- Open the Google Photos app on your device.
- Tap on the three-line menu icon in the top left corner of the screen.
- Select “Settings” from the menu.
- Tap on “Free up space.”
- Google Photos will scan your device for photos that have already been backed up to the cloud.
- Tap on “Remove” to delete the photos from your device storage.
By following these steps, you can easily separate your photos from your device storage without losing them in Google Photos.
This will help you save space on your device and keep your photos safe in the cloud.
Preventing Future Syncing Issues
If you want to prevent future syncing issues when deleting photos from Google Photos, there are a couple of things you can do.
Here are some tips to help you avoid any problems:
Adjusting Google Photos Settings
One way to prevent future syncing issues is to adjust your Google Photos settings.
Here are some settings you may want to consider changing:
- Backup and Sync: Make sure that Backup and Sync is turned off for any folders you don’t want to sync to Google Photos.
- To do this, go to Settings > Backup & Sync, and then toggle off any folders you don’t want to sync.
- Free Up Space: If you’re running low on storage space on your phone, you can use the Free Up Space feature in Google Photos to delete photos that have already been backed up to the cloud.
- To do this, go to Settings > Free up space, and then tap on the option to delete photos that have already been backed up.

Using Third-Party Applications
Another way to prevent future syncing issues is to use third-party applications to manage your photos.
Here are some apps you may want to consider:
- Gallery Doctor: This app can help you identify and delete duplicate photos, blurry photos, and other unwanted images.
- It can also help you free up storage space on your phone by deleting photos that have already been backed up to the cloud.
- Clean Master: This app can help you clean up junk files, boost your phone’s performance, and free up storage space.
- It can also help you delete photos that have already been backed up to the cloud.
By adjusting your Google Photos settings and using third-party applications, you can prevent future syncing issues and keep your photo library organized and clutter-free.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
If you are having trouble deleting photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone, don’t worry.
Here are some common problems you may encounter and how to solve them:
Problem: Deleted Photos Still Show Up In Google Photos
Solution: This could be because the deleted photos are still in your trash folder.
To permanently delete them, open the trash folder in Google Photos, select the photos you want to delete and tap on the “Delete” button.
Problem: Photos Deleted From Google Photos Also Delete From Phone
Solution: If you are deleting photos from Google Photos and they are also getting deleted from your phone, it could be because of the sync settings.
Make sure that the “Sync Google Photos” option is turned off in your phone’s settings.
Problem: Photos Not Deleting From Google Photos
Solution: This could be because of a syncing issue. Try force quitting the Google Photos app and reopening it.
If that doesn’t work, try logging out and logging back in to your Google account.
Problem: Photos Not Showing Up In Google Photos
Solution: Make sure that the photos are backed up to Google Photos.
If they are not, you will need to manually upload them to Google Photos.
By following these troubleshooting tips, you should be able to delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone.

Key Takeaways
Deleting photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone is a useful feature that can help you manage your photo library.
Here are the key takeaways to keep in mind when deleting photos from Google Photos:
- Archiving photos is a great way to remove them from your main photo library without deleting them altogether.
- To archive a photo, select it and tap the three dots icon, then choose “Archive.”
- The photo will be removed from your main library but will still be available in the “Archive” folder.
- Moving photos to a new folder is another way to remove them from your main library without deleting them.
- To do this, select the photos you want to move, tap the three dots icon, and choose “Move to.”
- You can then create a new folder or move the photos to an existing one.
- Deleting photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone requires a bit of extra effort.
- To do this, open the Google Photos app on your phone, navigate to the photo you want to delete, and tap the three dots icon.
- Then, choose “Download” to save the photo to your phone’s gallery.
- You can then delete the photo from Google Photos without deleting it from your phone.
- If you want to delete multiple photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone, you can use the same process as above.
- Simply select the photos you want to download, tap the three dots icon, and choose “Download.”
- You can then delete the photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone’s gallery.
By following these tips, you can easily manage your photo library and delete photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your phone.
Whether you’re looking to free up space or simply organize your photos, these methods will help you achieve your goals.