Select All Photos on iPhone: 3 Easy Ways

User Case: How to Select All Photos on iPhone“

How do I select all photos in the Photos app? I can’t find a Select All button, but maybe there’s another way to do it. Thank you! — A Question from Reddit

Can You Select All iPhone Photos at Once?

The Photos app on your iPhone stores your photos and videos in one place, but selecting a large number of items isn't always straightforward. You may want to select multiple photos to delete, share, organize, or transfer them.

So, is there a Select All option on iPhone? It depends on where you are in the Photos app. The main Photos Library does not provide a universal Select All button, while some albums and collections do. Fortunately, there are also a few ways to select many photos quickly.

In this guide, we'll walk you through three methods and explain how to select photos more efficiently.

How to Select All Photos on iPhone at Once

Selecting photos individually is the most straightforward method. It can be useful when you only need to select a small number of photos or want to check each item before deleting or sharing it.

Here's how:

Step 1: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Go to the Library, tap Select in the upper-right corner, and then tap the photos you want to select.

Step 3: Once a photo is selected, a checkmark will appear on it. Continue tapping the photos you want to include.

This method gives you more control over exactly which photos are selected, but it can take some time if you have a large photo library.

Way 2: Select Multiple Photos with a Swipe Gesture

If you have many photos to select, tapping each one individually can be time-consuming. The Photos app also supports a touch-and-drag gesture that lets you select multiple photos more quickly.

Here's how:

Step 1: Open the Photos app and go to your Library. Tap Select in the upper-right corner.

Step 2: Tap and hold a photo, then drag your finger across the photos you want to select. You can continue dragging vertically or horizontally to extend the selection.

You can also use a two-finger gesture to move through the photo grid more quickly while selecting photos. This can be particularly helpful when you need to select a large number of photos without tapping every image individually.

Note: This is a quick selection method rather than a dedicated Select All button. Depending on the number and arrangement of your photos, you may still need to continue scrolling and dragging to include everything you want.

Way 3: Use Select All in an Album

Unlike the main Photos Library, some albums provide a Select All option. This can be useful when you want to select every photo or video in a particular album.

For example, here's how to select all screenshots in the Screenshots album:

Step 1: Launch the Photos app and navigate to Albums.

Step 2: Open the album you want to work with. In this example, we'll use Screenshots.

Step 3: Tap Select in the upper-right corner, then tap Select All.

All items in the current album will now be selected. You can then delete, share, or manage them as needed.

• Note: The Select All option applies to the current album or collection. It does not automatically select every photo in your entire Photos Library.

Pro Tip: What to Do If You Accidentally Delete Photos

Selecting a large number of photos is often done when cleaning up your iPhone. However, if you accidentally delete something important, don't panic.

First, check the Recently Deleted album in the Photos app. Deleted photos and videos are generally kept there for 30 days, giving you a chance to recover them before they are permanently removed.

If you use iCloud Photos, it's also important to understand how it works. iCloud Photos is primarily a synchronization service: changes you make to your photo library, including deletions, can sync across your devices using the same Apple Account. iCloud Photos and iCloud Backup are separate features, and photos stored in iCloud Photos aren't separately included in an iCloud Backup.

If the photo you're looking for is no longer available through Apple's built-in recovery options, you may need to look for another available copy or recovery method.

If you have checked the available Apple recovery options but still can't find the photos you need, a third-party recovery tool may be worth considering.

Gbyte Recovery can scan available iPhone and iCloud-related data and, in supported cases, help you find photos that are missing or deleted. Instead of restoring everything automatically, you can preview the available results and choose the items you want to recover.

Here's how to check for recoverable photos with Gbyte Recovery:

Step 1: Download and install Gbyte Recovery from the official Gbyte website.

Step 2: Launch the program, select Photos, and click Scan.

Step 3: Follow the on-screen instructions to sign in with your Apple Account if required. Gbyte Recovery will then scan the available data and display the photos it can find.

Depending on how much data needs to be scanned, the process may take some time. If you have a large photo library, wait for the scan to finish before reviewing the results.

Step 4: Preview the available photos and select the items you want to recover. Click Recover to PC and choose a folder on your computer to save the recovered files.

The recovery process exports the selected files to your computer, so you can check and organize them after the process is complete.

• Note: Recovery results depend on the data that is still available and the condition of the source data. A recovery tool cannot guarantee that every deleted photo can be recovered.

In the End

The Photos app doesn't provide a universal Select All button for the main iPhone photo library, but there are several ways to select multiple photos.

You can select photos individually when you only need a few items, or use the touch-and-drag gesture to select a large number of photos more quickly. If the photos are in an album that supports the feature, you can also use Select All to select everything in that album.

If you accidentally delete important photos, start by checking Recently Deleted and other available Apple recovery options. If the photos are no longer available there, a recovery tool such as Gbyte Recovery can be another option to check for recoverable data.

Keep in mind that recovery results depend on what data is still available, so it's best to avoid further changes to the device or related data until you've checked your recovery options.