How to delete all screenshots on iPhone at once

Screenshots pile up quietly. A parking spot, a recipe, a receipt, a chat you wanted to remember. Months later there are thousands of them, and most have done their job. Here is how to delete all screenshots on iPhone at once, and how to keep the few that still matter.

Find your screenshots

Open Photos. iOS has a ready-made collection for them:

• On iOS 18 and later, go to the Collections section (on iOS 26 it is the Collections tab) and scroll to Media Types, then tap Screenshots.
• On iOS 17, open the Albums tab, scroll to Media Types, then tap Screenshots.

On iOS 18 and 26 you can also pin Screenshots near the top of Collections with Customize and Reorder, at the bottom of the screen.

Save what you need first

Before you delete, take two minutes to sort. Scroll the grid and do this for the ones worth keeping:

• Tap the heart to add them to Favorites, or add them to an album called “Keep”. After the cleanup, only those remain visible in that album.
• Copy the information, not the image. Open a screenshot and press and hold on the text: Live Text lets you copy a code, an address or a phone number. Paste it into Notes.
• Look at receipts and tickets. iOS 18 and later groups many of them in Utilities > Receipts. If you need one for a refund or taxes, keep it, or send it to Files.

Delete all screenshots at once

1. In Screenshots, tap Select at the top right.
2. Tap Select All, if your version shows it. Otherwise, touch one thumbnail and drag your finger across the grid to select many at once. Dragging to the edge scrolls the screen as you go.
3. Tap a selected screenshot you want to keep to deselect it. Favorites are easy to spot with the heart.
4. Tap the trash button, then confirm. iOS always asks you to confirm.

Deleting a large batch can take a moment. If the grid is huge, work month by month.

Empty Recently Deleted

This step is the one people miss. Deleted items do not leave right away. They go to Recently Deleted and stay there for 30 days, then disappear. Your storage does not change until they do.

To free the space now, open Albums, scroll to Utilities, tap Recently Deleted (iOS 18 and later asks for Face ID or your passcode), tap Select, then Delete All. This cannot be undone, so check the list first.

If you use iCloud Photos

With iCloud Photos on, deleting a screenshot removes it from every device signed in to your Apple Account, not only from this iPhone. That is usually what you want. If you want a copy somewhere else first, export or archive it before deleting.

Screenshots you should not send to Photos

Two habits prevent the next pile:

• Take a full-page screenshot of a web page or document in Safari, tap the preview, choose Full Page, then Done and Save PDF to Files. It never lands in Photos.
• Use the markup preview that appears after each screenshot. Tap it, then Done and Delete Screenshot if you only needed to share it.

Where Lisse helps

Photos works well for a one-time purge. It is slower when you want to look before you delete. Lisse gathers all your screenshots in one place and shows the size of each, so you can remove the heavy ones first. You can also swipe month by month: left to delete, right to keep.

If you want a safety net, Lisse can archive the ones you keep to your own Google Drive before deleting, and it verifies each copy. Everything is analyzed on your iPhone. Nothing is sent to us and there is no account. Scanning and sorting are free, and the first 25 deletions too. After that you need Lisse Premium ($29.99 a year with a 3-day trial, or $4.99 a week). iOS still asks you to confirm each deletion, and items still go to Recently Deleted for 30 days.

Frequently asked questions

Does deleting screenshots free space right away?

No. They move to Recently Deleted and keep using storage for up to 30 days. Empty that album to free the space now.

Can I get a screenshot back after deleting it?

Yes, for 30 days. Open Recently Deleted, select it, and tap Recover. After you empty the album, or after 30 days, it is gone.

Will deleting screenshots on my iPhone delete them on my iPad or Mac?

If iCloud Photos is on, yes. The deletion syncs to your other devices signed in to the same Apple Account. If it is off, only this iPhone is affected.