The new Google Photos is a great way to keep your precious images safe and free up space on your mobile device or computer. I created this tutorial based on the questions from the Google Photos Help Forum and Google+ Help Community.
You'll learn how to:
- Delete / download photos from the cloud or the back up
- Delete / download photos from albums
- Delete / download albums
- Delete / download device copy from Android Camera folder
- Delete / restore photos from Trash
- Empty the Trash
- Get useful tips and links
- Screenshots from Chrome desktop and Android 2013 Nexus 5, Lollipop 1.3.0
When you play around the Google Photos, you’ll see that in many places you can manage the photos you have uploaded: Either copy them to albums, delete or download them.
A word of warning!
I took a photo with my Android Nexus 5. I then went to see it in Google Photos app. I tapped the photo and tapped the trash / bin: It also disappeared from Device folders (Camera)! So deleting a photo from the main Photos stream will delete it everywhere.
Tapping the 3-dot menu allows me to only delete the device copy from the Camera, but the safest place is to go to Device folder and delete it from there.
If you wish to delete only the cloud version of a photo, but preserve the photo in the device:
If you wish to delete only the cloud version of a photo, but preserve the photo in the device:
Sign out of the Photos app, delete the online copy and sign back in the Photos app.
Take a pic and test it yourself!