Close
    Search Search

    How to delete photos from Mac



    How to delete photos from Mac albums


    Delete photos from an album saved on the Mac it's really very simple: all you have to do is open the macOS image management program, select the album you want to act on e, within a couple of clicks, get rid of the photos you don't like.


    First, start the program Gallery, by clicking on the relative icon attached to the bar Dock (Quella a forma di colorful flower), then identify the section My albums in the sidebar of the program and expe it by clicking on Arrowhead located to his left.

    Once this is done, identify the image you want to delete, right-click on its preview and choose the most appropriate item, based on the operation you intend to perform: Hide a photo, to inhibit the preview of the image (which will remain in the album anyway); Remove from album, to delete the photo from the album (but leaving the file on the disk); or Delete 1 photo, to completely erase the photo from both the album and the disc.

    If you wish, you can select multiple photos at the same time, using the key combination cmd + click. To view all the images saved on the Mac at the same time, without dividing them by album, instead, you have to click on the item Gallery annexed to the section library on the left sidebar of the program.


    You have the service Photo library by iCloud active on your Apple ID? In this case, you can instruct your Mac to automatically delete from the disk all the photos (e videos) that are already in the cloud and that are - unnecessarily - taking up space on the local disk. To do this, open the application Gallery macOS, go to the menu Photos> Preferences (top left), select the tab iCloud from the window that opens and check the option Optimize Mac Storage.


    From this moment on, you will still see thumbnails of all your photos and videos in Photos but, in fact, some photos and videos will be deleted from the local disk: if called up, they will be downloaded "on the fly" from iCloud and then displayed at maximum resolution. Convenient, right?

    How to delete photos from iCloud on Mac


    It is your intention delete iCloud photos acting from the Mac, you can follow two different paths: the first, as well as the simplest, is to act through the Photo program. The second, on the other he, provides access to the web version of iCloud, via the browser. Before proceeding, remember that photos deleted from iCloud will be deleted from all devices synced with the account, and not just from the Mac you are working on.


    All clear? OK, let's get started. For eliminate photos to iCloud on Mac through the program Gallery, first start the software, click on the menu Gallery located in the upper left corner (on the Mac panel) and select the item Preference ....

    Then click on the tab iCloud e, if you have not already done so, associate the account you intend to act on to the Mac, by pressing the button Continue e following the instructions given to you. If you've already paired your Apple ID (e therefore its iCloud account) to your computer, this step isn't necessary.

    Once logged in, put the check mark next to the item ICloud Photo Library e close the settings window, then click on the item Gallery located in the left bar of the program and locate the image (or images) you want to get rid of. As needed, you can select multiple images at the same time using the combination cmd + click.

    To permanently delete images from iCloud library, right click on one of the selected photos, choose the item Delete X photo from the menu that is proposed to you (alternatively, you can press the key backspace keyboard) and click on the button Delete attached to the warning screen displayed above.

    As already mentioned above, you can do the same operation directly from the iCloud website: then visit the link I just provided, log in to the portal by entering your Apple ID credentials and click on the icon Gallery resident in the screen that opens.


    Now, click on the photo you intend to delete (or use the combination cmd + click to make a multiple selection), click on the button in the shape of basket located at the top and confirms the will to proceed by pressing the button Delete located in the warning screen that is proposed to you.

    I remind you that, once deleted, the images remain agolable for the next 72 hours in the section Recently deleted: to retrieve them, access it, select the photo of your interest and click on the item Recover located at the top right. After 3 days, the photos are permanently deleted.

    How to delete duplicate photos from Mac

    Do you want delete duplicate photos from Mac but your collection is so large that you are unable to do it "manually"? No problem, in this case a program like Gemini 2 on MacPaw. If you had never heard of it, it is one of the best software for finding duplicate files on macOS, with a very intuitive interface and with full support for images.

    The program costs 19,95 € / year, but it has a trial version that can be used to analyze duplicate files and automatically open the folders that contain them. The automatic cancellation procedure, as you will discover shortly, is, however, only agolable for the paid version.

    In any case, to download Gemini, connected to its official website, click on the button free Download e wait for the file to download completely to your computer. When this happens, launch the package you just got (eg. Gemini2.dmg) and drag the program icon to the folder Applications of the Mac, using the window that is shown to you.

    Next, start the program by invoking it from the Launchpad e press the buttons Accept Search duplicates, to immediately start scanning the disk for “clones”. Press the buttons when prompted OK / Open to allow the program access to various folders and wait patiently for the analysis to be completed.

    When the scan is complete, click on the button Smart cleaning, to have the software automatically delete all "clones" on your behalf, or on the button Check for duplicates, to analyze the scan reonts. Personally, I recommend that you opt for the latter choice.

    Once in the control window, click on the item Images placed on the left side of the window, then on the arrow attached to the name of the duplicate photo, therefore, put the check mark on the one to be deleted (as a base, the oldest copy will be selected). If necessary, repeat the operation for all detected clones.

    When you are done, click on the button Delete in finder to open the folder that contains the clone, right-click on its preview and select the item Move to the trash from the proposed menu. Then, right-click on the trash can icon and press twice in a row on Empty the trash.

    If you have purchased the paid version of the program, you can, instead, click on the button Smart cleaning e leave it to Gemini to delete the selected files on your behalf.

    Although Gemini is one of the best software for deleting duplicate files on Mac, it is definitely not the only one: if you are looking for other similar solutions, you can take a look at my guide on how to delete duplicate files, in which I have shown you some valid alternatives, even free, to this program.

    How to delete photos from Mac

    Do you prefer to “manually” delete the photos from the Mac, by intervening directly on the files on the disk (e not through the Photo program)? No problem, you can do this using the Finder, the file manager included “steard” in the macOS operating system.

    However, keep in mind that this is a procedure not "officially" foreseen by macOS: as such, it could have unforeseen consequences on the functioning of Photos and system libraries. Don't say I didn't warn you!

    In any case, to proceed in this sense, start the program by clicking on the icon cartoon smiling placed in Dock, then go to the folder that contains the photos you want to delete (eg Desk) using the left bar of the software.

    As you have certainly noticed, the folder containing the images saved on the Mac is not immediately visible: to access it, click on the menu go located at the top of the screen, select the item computer among those proposed, then double-click on the icon Mac disk e repeat the operation on the folders Users[Your username] (Quella a forma di cottage) is Images.

    At this point, right click on the icon of the Photo library, choose the item Show package contents from the menu that is proposed to you and double-click on the folder again Masters: all the photos saved in the Mac library reside there, divided by year, month, day and identifier (inside each folder, you will find other sub-folders).

    Once you have found the image to delete, right click on it and select the item Move to the trash from the context menu, then right-click on the basket, then on the voice Empty the trash attached to the proposed menu e, finally, on the button Empty the trash.

    If you wish, you can delete files even without "going" through the recycle bin. To do this, click on the photo of your interest e, holding down the button option / alt, click on the menu Fillet Finder and choose the item Delete now ... give the purpose menu.

    As easily understood, you can follow the same steps for delete photos from any folder and memory drive, the procedure does not apply only to photos hosted in the Photos application library.

    How to delete the Photos application from Mac

    How do you say? The photo manager included "steard" in macOS you just don't like it, so you want to delete the Photos application from Mac why do you find the program useless? You can, sure, but let me give you an important warning: Photos is a system program, and to get rid of it, you need to disable macOS's protections, thus exposing the system to potential security risks. Furthermore, its elimination could lead to unexpected behavior of macOS and force you, in the worst case, to initialize the system again.

    For this reason, I advise you to leave the application where it is and to use "alternative" software, without paying attention to it: for example, you can use the program Image capture, agolable in the folder Other of Launchpad, to import photos from iPhone / iPad to computer. 

    If, on the other he, you need a program that allows you to manipulate your images, instead, you can take a look at the guide I dedicated to the subject, in which I told you about some valid solutions designed for the purpose.

    How do you say? Are you well aware of the risks you are about to run and want to permanently delete the Photos application from your Mac? Then proceed as follows. First of all, completely shut down your Mac e turn it back on while holding the keys cmd + r to start it in recovery mode: hold down the two keys until you see one appear progress bar dominated by the Apple logo.

    Once at the advanced start screen, choose the item Use  as your primary language and click on arrow placed in the lower center. Next, click on the menu Utility placed at the top, choose the item terminal placed inside it, then take care of disable SIP (the system software protection system) by issuing the comme csrutil disable e pressing the key Submit keyboard. When prompted, enter your Mac password to authorize the system to perform this (dangerous) operation.

    At this point, restart the Mac in "normal" mode, log in to the system e, to make sure that SIP is disabled, open the Terminal again and issue the comme csrutil status followed by pressing the key Submit: if everything went smoothly, you should receive the sentence as output System Integrity Protection status: disabled.

    Finally, open the folder Applications on your Mac and uninstall the program exactly as you normally would: right-click on the Gallery e select the item Move to the trash from the context menu that appears on the screen. That's all!

    When you are done, I strongly advise you to activate SIP again: to do this, enter the recovery mode of the Mac as I showed you previously, call up the Terminal and issue the comme enable csrutil followed by pressing the key Submit.



    add a comment of How to delete photos from Mac
    Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.