So, my sister imported 334 photos to my iPhone from her Mac computer, I don't know how she did it but now it won't delete from my phone because it is taking so much space. It's in a different folder in the photos app called "334 Photos from My Mac". How do I delete these photos? Do I need her computer to delete them? Or could I use a different Mac computer to delete these photos? Please help ASAP! Don't know if I'm in the right community either, ugh someone help me!

By Kellyann16 from Apple Support Community

It is obvious that the photos in iPhone Camera Roll ("Moments" in iOS 8) can be deleted with no efforts. But the photos synced from computer, Windows or Mac, can't be deleted from iPhone easily. Just as the user posted in the thread, she can only view the photos on her iPhone, but she can never delete the photos directly from iPhone. On a Mac computer, users have two methods to delete photos from iPhone, and both of the methods are very helpful. The following guidance will show you make full use of them.

Part 1. Can't Delete Some Photos from iPhone on Mac?

If you routinely sync between the iPad and local folders on your Mac, you may not be able to delete certain photos from the iPad’s camera roll/photo albums. Why does this happen? This usually deletes all photos but sometimes, some photos aren’t removed from the list. This is what happens: when you select multiple photos, the Delete option disappears, which means you aren’t able to delete the photos.

The reason why the delete option disappears when you select a few photos from the album is that these photos aren't on your iPad really. They have been synced via iTunes and so, when you try to delete them, you can't.

The solution is to "deselect" these photos from your iTunes library and then re-sync the iPad. This way, the photos will get removed from the iPad automatically.

This sync complication is one of the reasons why an iCloud sync is far better but considering that it’s not a solution for all, this is what you have to use the methods below to remove photos from iPad on Mac that can’t be deleted in iPad.

Part 2. Delete Photos from iPhone on Mac with iTunes

Most of the iPhone users know that iTunes enables users to sync files between iOS devices and Mac computers, but sometimes they ignores that iTunes is also helpful for users to delete files. Speaking of deleting photos from iPhone on Mac computer, iTunes can be very helpful. At first, you should create a folder which doesn't contain any of the unwanted photos, then you can check the following guidance out:

1. Start iTunes and go to "Edit > iTunes > Devices", and check "Prevent iPods, iPhones and iPads from syncing automatically".

2. Plug iPhone into computer via the USB cable, and iTunes will launch automatically. If not, you should manually open it.

3. iTunes will recognize your iPhone and display it at the upper right corner. Click the iPhone icon and choose "Photos" in the summary panel.

4. Check "Sync Photos", and choose "Selected Folder", then choose the empty folder on your Mac computer, and click "Apply" at the right bottom.

5. iTunes will start syncing your iPhone with the empty folder. When the sync is finished, you will see the photos get deleted from your iPhone.

Delete Photos from iPhone on Mac with iTunes

With iTunes, iPhone users are able to manage the files in their devices with no efforts. When you want to sync photos from Mac computer to iPhone, you only need to sync your iPhone with the folder which contains photos. But you should pay attention to the sync function of iTunes, because it will erase the non-purchased items during the sync.

Part 3. One Click to Delete Photos from iPhone on Mac

You are able to use the third-party iPhone manager software for Mac to delete photos from iPhone on Mac computer within one click. Among all the data manager programs for iOS devices, Leawo iTransfer for Mac is very helpful on this issue. This software enables users to transfer files among iOS devices, iTunes and Mac computers, and also helps manage files in their iOS devices. The following guidance will show you how to delete photos from iPhone on Mac computer, and you are allowed to free download the software to have a try. Note that the trial version has limited transfer times.

Download Windows Version
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Tips: Leawo iTransfer only works with iTunes installed on your PC.

1. Run Leawo iTransfer for Mac and connect iPhone to computer with the USB cable. The software will automatically detect the libraries of your iPhone and display the libraries in the left sidebar.

2. Choose "Photos" library and the contents will be shown in the right part. Hold "Ctrl" and "A" to choose all the photos in the window, then right-click the selected photos and choose "Delete" in the drop-down menu.

3. Leawo iTransfer for Mac will start deleting photos from iPhone immediately after you clicked chose the "Delete" option. The progress bar in the pop-up dialog will show the percentage of the transfer process. When the transfer is finished, you will find the photos are gone from your iPhone.

Deleting Photos from iPhone

Leawo iTransfer for Mac is helpful for various kinds of data transfers for iOS devices, and it also helps to backup iPhone, iPad and iPod files to computer. For example, you can backup iPad apps to computer with the help of this software. If you are interested, just free download it and have a try.