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If we are facing ‘Can’t Delete Photos From Gallery’ Issue on Android. Our smartphones are one of the tech items we use the most every day. We use it to talk to each other, listen to music and other media, take photos and videos, and so on. Probably, more and more people are taking photos and videos, which is all thanks to the great camera technology on modern smartphones.
But if you keep a lot of photos and videos on your device, it could use up all of your storage space and make your phone run slowly and jerkily. You might be thinking, “Yes, We would just delete them, that’s easy.” But not everyone is so lucky. For many users, the delete button does nothing. Even after you delete the photos, they keep showing up in the gallery.
And if you are one of these users or know someone who is, this guide could be helpful. In this post, we’ll show you some Fix ‘Can’t Delete Photos From Android Gallery’ Issue. If you’ve tried all of these solutions and you’re still having the same problem in your Android phone, you should go to their official Android support website for more information.
Ways To Fix ‘Can’t Delete Photos From Android Gallery’ Issue
Use Correct Method to Delete
In Gallery apps, there is only one way to delete photos, and that is to press the delete button. This should also be. But if you use Google Photos as your gallery app, things are different.
If you use the photos as a gallery app that doesn’t store them in the cloud, you will only see one delete button. But if you have backup turned on for Google Photos or any other cloud storage service, you can delete photos in two ways.
- First, the delete button is in the lower right corner of a photo when you open it. If you do this, the photo will be erased from both your phone and the cloud. You should use it to get rid of your photo for good.
- Second, if you swipe up on the photo or tap the icon with three dots, you’ll see the option to “Delete from device.“
By doing this, the photo will be deleted from your phone. But since Google Photos always backs up to the cloud, only the copy on the device is deleted. Your phone will still show the cloud copy. You won’t be able to see that photo if you have another gallery app on your phone. Find out what happens to your photos when you delete them from Google Photos.
Empty Trash
Most gallery apps have a folder called “Recycle Bin” where photos go for 30–60 days before being deleted for good. There might be a problem with the trash folder.
Try cleaning them by hand to see if the photos you deleted are really gone. To do this, select all of the photos in the trash and press the delete icon. After you empty the trash folder, restart your phone.
Delete Thumbnails Folder

You can also try to clean up the folder where your images’ thumbnails are stored. If you haven’t already deleted your photos, this won’t get rid of them.
Open file explorer app on your phone to do this. You have to turn on the option to show hidden files in the app’s settings. Most of the time, it’s under the three dots. Once it is turned on, go to the DCIM folder. You will open the folder called.thumbnails. Choose it and delete all of its files. Restart your phone.
Check Other Cloud Services
You should check to see if your phone is set up for cloud services other than Google Photos. This could be part of the problem as well. For example, you may have turned on Samsung or Huawei’s cloud service.
To turn this off, go to your phone’s Settings and then click on Accounts. Use your account in the cloud. You will see the different things that are being synced right now. If photos or gallery are on, turn them off. Then get rid of your picture. This will stop your phone from being able to sync with that cloud service at all.
Clear Cache
The cache is sometimes the cause of the problem. The gallery app that is giving you trouble needs to have its cache cleared. If the problem is with Google Photos, for example, clear its cache. If it’s a different gallery app, you should clear its cache. Also, you should clear the media storage cache.
Stage 1: Open Settings on your phone and go to Apps & notifications or Apps.
step 2: You will see the list of installed applications. Tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select Show system apps.
Stage 3: Look for media storage. Tap on it.
Step 4: Tap Storage, then Clear cache.
Restart Your Phone
First, you should turn your phone back on. When temporary files and app cache build up, they can cause a problem that won’t go away. Restarting the phone can fix this problem.
Remove SD Card
If the pictures you want to get rid of are on the SD card, the card might be broken. First, take the memory card out of your phone and put it back in. Try getting rid of the pictures.
If that doesn’t work, move the one or two photos that are giving you trouble from the SD card to the phone’s memory. Then get rid of them. If you can delete them without any problems, there may be something wrong with your card. To fix this, you need to move all the data to your computer and then format it.
FAQ
Why my photos are not deleting?
If you are having trouble deleting photos from your gallery, you should clear the utility’s storage and cache. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications and tap See all apps. Tap the three dots at the top of the screen and choose Show system. Scroll down, tap Storage & cache, then tap Media Storage.
Why am I not able to delete photos from my phone?
This is a very simple step, but if you can’t delete photos from your Android gallery, you might be able to after a simple restart. When you restart your phone, it gets rid of temporary files and app cache that can sometimes get in the way of how your Android phone works.