To delete wallpapers on an iPhone running iOS 16 or later, follow these steps:
- Lock your iPhone by pressing the side or top button.
- On the Lock Screen, press and hold (long press) the screen until the wallpaper gallery opens. You may need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
- Swipe left or right to find the wallpaper you want to delete.
- Swipe up on that wallpaper to reveal a trash can (delete) icon.
- Tap the trash can icon.
- Confirm by tapping Delete This Wallpaper.
Repeat for any other wallpapers you want to remove. Note that the default wallpaper that came with your iPhone cannot be deleted
. If your iPhone is running iOS 15 or earlier, you cannot delete wallpapers directly from the wallpaper settings. Instead, you need to delete the image used as the wallpaper from the Photos app
. This method works for both lock screen and home screen wallpapers that you have added. After deleting, you can set a new wallpaper if desired. In summary, the key is to long-press the Lock Screen to enter wallpaper edit mode, swipe up on the wallpaper to delete, and confirm the deletion
