Delete or hide photos and videos on iPad

In the Photos app, you can delete photos and videos from your iPad or hide them. You can also recover photos you recently deleted. Photos you delete and hide are saved in Recently Deleted and Hidden, which you unlock using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

When you use iCloud Photos, any photos you delete or hide are deleted or hidden on all your devices.

Note: Deleted photos and videos are kept in the Recently Deleted collection for 30 days before being permanently removed from all devices. During that time, you can recover or permanently remove them.

Delete or hide a photo or video

Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
on your iPad.
While viewing a photo or video, do any of the following:
- Delete: Tap 👁 the Delete button
  to delete a photo from your iPad and other devices where iCloud Photos is turned on and you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.
  Deleted photos and videos are kept in the Recently Deleted collection for 30 days. During that time, you can recover or permanently remove them from all devices.
- Hide: Tap 👁 the Actions button
  , then tap Hide.
  Hidden photos are moved to the Hidden collection. You can’t view them anywhere else.
  To turn off the Hidden collection so it doesn’t appear in the Photos app, see Hide the Hidden collection from view.

Delete or hide multiple photos and videos

Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
on your iPad.
Open your library or a collection.
Tap Select, then tap the photos and videos you want to delete or hide.
Do any of the following:
- Delete: Tap 👁 the Delete button
  to delete the items from your iPad and other devices where iCloud Photos is turned on and you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.
  Deleted photos and videos are kept in Recently Deleted collection for 30 days. During that time, you can recover or permanently remove them from all devices.
- Hide: Tap 👁 the Actions button
  , then tap Hide.
  Hidden photos and videos are kept in the Hidden collection.

Stop hiding photos and videos

You can stop hiding a photo or video you previously hid, so that it reappears in your photo library.

Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
on your iPad.
Tap Collections.
Tap the Hidden collection (below Utilities), tap View Album, then unlock your iPad.
Tap the photo or video you want to stop hiding.
Tap 👁 the Actions button
, then tap Unhide.

Recover or permanently delete recently deleted items

When you delete photos and videos, they’re kept in the Recently Deleted collection for 30 days before being permanently removed from your iPad, iCloud, and other devices associated with your Apple Account. You can recover them or delete them permanently at any time during the 30 days.

Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
on your iPad.
Tap Collections.
Tap the Recently Deleted collection (below Utilities), tap View Album, then unlock your iPad.
Tap Select, then choose the photos and videos you want to recover or delete.
Tap 👁 the Actions button
, then tap Recover or Delete.

Note: If the photos you’re looking for don’t appear in the Recently Deleted collection, they may be in the Recovered collection. See Find recovered items and save or delete them.

Lock and unlock the Recently Deleted and Hidden collections

The Recently Deleted and Hidden collections are locked by default. You can unlock these collections using Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. To change the default setting from locked to unlocked, do the following:

Go to the Settings app 👁 Image
on your iPad.
Tap Apps, then tap Photos.
Turn off Use Face ID, Use Touch ID, or Use Passcode.

Hide the Hidden collection from view

By default, the Hidden collection is locked. You can add an extra layer of privacy by removing it from view.

Go to the Settings app 👁 Image
on your iPad.
Tap Apps, then tap Photos.
Turn off Show Hidden Album.

URL: https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/delete-or-hide-photos-and-videos-ipad4c96c1b6/ipados