If you change your iPhone wallpaper frequently, you’ll likely have a long list of old wallpapers you no longer use. What’s the point in keeping ones you don’t care about anymore? Below, we explain how to delete wallpapers from your iPhone to reduce clutter.
How to Delete an iPhone Wallpaper From the Lock Screen
Modern versions of iOS don’t have the option to delete your iPhone wallpapers from the Settings app. You can only add or customize wallpapers there.
To delete an iPhone wallpaper, you’ll need to head to theLock Screen. To do that, simply press theSidebutton to put your device to sleep, then press it again to wake it and display theLock Screen. Alternatively, you can open Notification Center by swiping down from the top-left corner of the screen.
Either way, long-press anywhere on theLock Screenwallpaper (your device must be unlocked to open the wallpaper menu). Now, swipe to the left or right to view your past wallpapers. Swipe upwards on the wallpaper you want to delete. Tap theTrashicon and chooseDelete This Wallpaperto confirm.
Does Deleting an iPhone Wallpaper Also Remove the Original Photo?
Rest assured that removing your iPhone wallpaper from the Lock Screen does not delete the source image.
For example, let’s say you took a picture of your child or pet and saved it in the Photos app. Using the picture as your iPhone wallpaper, and deleting that wallpaper later, will not affect the original picture in Photos.
However, if you already deleted the original image in Photos, deleting your iPhone wallpaper will remove it and make the image inaccessible.
Currently, there’s no way to save an iPhone Lock Screen wallpaper to the Photos app. You couldtake a screenshot of your iPhone’s Lock Screen to have a copy of the photo, but it won’t be perfect. Elements like the date and time will be included, too. Your next best option is to use a backup torecover deleted photos on your iPhone.
Although you can use either the Lock Screen or Settings app to change your iPhone wallpaper, you can only delete a wallpaper from the iOS Lock Screen or Notification Center. As long as you have the original photo saved in the Photos app, you don’t have to worry about losing a cherished picture even when you delete wallpapers from your iPhone.
