Google Photos reminds users how deleting works across devices and backups - 9to5Google

Google Photos deletion explained: what happens on your device, in the cloud, and on the web

Google has published a reminder clarifying how deleting photos and videos works across devices and backups—a common source of confusion for Photos users.

Here’s what actually happens when you delete:

• Deleting in the Google Photos app with backup OFF: Removes the photo or video only from your device. It does not affect anything in the cloud. On many Android phones, it may move to the device’s local trash.
• Deleting in the Google Photos app with backup ON: Removes the item from both your device’s local storage and your Google Photos cloud library. Note: There’s also a “Delete from device” option in the app’s menu that removes only the local copy while keeping the backed-up version in the cloud (this nuance wasn’t called out in Google’s post).
• Deleting on the web (photos.google.com): Removes only the cloud copy. Any local copies on your phone or tablet remain until you manually delete them on that device using “Delete from device” or the main “Delete” action in the app (which removes both if backup is on).

Why it matters

• If you want to clear space on your phone but keep your memories safe, use “Delete from device” (when items are already backed up).
• If you want something gone everywhere, delete it in the app with backup on—or delete it on the web and then remove local copies on your devices.

A separate reminder from Google: Takeout is for exporting data and cannot recover deleted photos or videos. It’s not a backup-restore tool.

If you’ve used Google Photos for years, this may be second nature. For everyone else—especially those switching between phone and web—these distinctions can prevent unwanted data loss or leftover copies.

Source: https://9to5google.com/2025/12/19/google-photos-delete-content-guide/