How to Delete Large Groups of Photos on macOS 10.15

Audrey Goodwin

2024-04-12 10:55:47 • Filed to: macOS 10.15 • Proven solutions

To batch delete all pictures from the Photos app on Mac OS 10.15 successfully, you need to ensure they don’t linger on in your system and take up space on your hard disk or iCloud storage. If you merely delete them from albums, they might still remain stored in your Photos library, and if you successfully delete them from the app, they might still be held up in the Removed Items folder or in your iCloud account.

However, there are simple ways to completely delete a group of photos on Mac OS 10.15. Read on to find out.

How to Delete Multiple Photos in Photos on macOS 10.15

Method 1: Batch Delete all Pictures in Photos on Mac OS 10.15

1. Open Photos, and then press down the Shift and select the pictures to be deleted.

2. Delete the selected pictures by pressing the Delete button on your keyboard, and then click “Delete” to proceed with the deletion. This deletes the selected photos from the album but not from the Photos app.

completely delete a group of photos on mac os 10.15

3. To delete the selected pictures from the Photos app, press the “Command + Delete” buttons or select the “Delete” option from the right-click menu after selecting the pictures.

Method 2: Delete a Batch of Pictures Permanently from your Mac

When you delete multiple photos in photos on Mac OS 10.15 using the method above, they’ll remain saved in the Photo app’s Recently Deleted Library for 30 days before they’re permanently deleted. If you can’t wait for that long to free up the disk space, you can have them removed immediately permanently from your Mac.

To do that,

1. After completing method 1, open the “Recently Deleted” folder on Photos.

2. Next, select the photos you want permanently gone, and then click on ‘Delete xxx Items”.

completely delete a group of photos on mac os 10.15

Delete Your Photos Library Permanently from your Mac

If you want to clear out your Photos library completely and permanently,

1. Open Finder, and then open your system disk, and click on “Users > Pictures”.

completely delete a group of photos on mac os 10.15

2. Next, drag and drop the Photos Library you want to be deleted to the Trash.

3. Now, empty your Trash.

Note that your Mac might take some time to finish deleting the photos permanently. Also, ensure that you’ve saved a copy of any important picture in a library either on iCloud or some external device before proceeding with the deletion, or you will lose them permanently.

Method 3: Delete a Batch of Photos Permanently from iCloud

iCloud Photos Library contains copies of your Photo Library files, and the photos you’ve deleted permanently from your Mac can easily be restored by an unintended iCloud sync operation. However, if you want those deleted pictures completely out of your life for good, you need to delete them from iCloud to prevent them from returning through an accidental iCloud sync operation.

To delete multiple pictures at once on iCloud Photos on Mac OS 10.15

1. Open your iCloud Photos Library, and then select all the pictures you want to delete in mass. To select multiple files at once, press down the “Command” key while clicking on the photos to be deleted. If you let go of the key while clicking on any file, the previous selections may be undone.

2. Next, simply click on the Trash icon found near the top of your screen, and then select “Delete” to proceed with the deletion. And that’s it.

After implementing these steps, all the selected photos will be deleted from your Photos app, Mac’s hard disk, and your iCloud storage.

completely delete a group of photos on mac os 10.15