On iPhone, you delete a wallpaper from the Lock Screen gallery. Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID, touch and hold the Lock Screen, swipe to the wallpaper you want to remove, swipe up on it and tap the red bin icon, then confirm with Delete This Wallpaper. The Lock Screen and its paired Home Screen are removed together.
In short
- Delete path: long-press the Lock Screen → swipe to the wallpaper → swipe up → bin icon → Delete This Wallpaper.
- Deleting removes the whole pair: the Lock Screen, its Home Screen wallpaper, its widgets and any Focus link.
- The original photo stays in the Photos app; only the wallpaper setup is deleted.
- The wallpaper types in Add New Wallpaper (Photos, Photo Shuffle, Emoji, Colour, Weather & Astronomy and the featured sets) can't be deleted; they are templates, not saved wallpapers.
- If the + button and the bin don't appear, touch and hold the Lock Screen again and enter your passcode; the gallery only allows edits once the iPhone is unlocked.
How do I delete a wallpaper on iPhone?
You delete a wallpaper by swiping it up in the Lock Screen gallery. Here are the full steps:
- Wake the iPhone and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID, but stay on the Lock Screen (don't swipe up to the Home Screen).
- Touch and hold an empty part of the Lock Screen until the wallpaper gallery opens.
- Swipe left or right to the wallpaper you want to remove.
- Swipe up on that wallpaper's preview. A red bin icon appears under it.
- Tap the bin, then tap Delete This Wallpaper to confirm.
- Swipe to the wallpaper you want to keep and tap it to make it current.
Repeat the steps for each wallpaper you want to clear. Only the Lock Screen setup goes; the photos themselves stay safe in your library.
Can I delete a wallpaper in Settings?
Not directly. Settings → Wallpaper shows your current Lock Screen and Home Screen pair, with Customise under each preview and Add New Wallpaper at the top, but Apple documents deleting only from the Lock Screen gallery: swipe up on a wallpaper there and tap the bin. That is the reliable route on every recent iOS version, including iOS 27.
If you only want to change the Home Screen side, open Settings → Wallpaper, tap Customise under the Home Screen preview and pick a colour, a different photo or Blur, which softens the picture so app icons stand out. That changes the pair without deleting anything.
What does deleting a wallpaper remove?
A wallpaper on iPhone is really a set: a Lock Screen with its style and widgets, a matching Home Screen, and optionally a Focus link. Deleting it removes the whole set at once. This table shows what goes and what stays:
| Item | Removed when you delete? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lock Screen wallpaper and its crop | Yes | Zoom, position and Depth Effect settings go with it |
| Paired Home Screen wallpaper | Yes | Even if it was a different photo |
| Lock Screen widgets and clock style | Yes | Fonts, colours and widget choices for that screen |
| Focus link | Yes | The Focus itself keeps working, just without that wallpaper |
| Original photo in Photos | No | The image stays in your library and Files |
| Home Screen apps and widgets | No | Your app layout is separate from the wallpaper |
Because the photo stays in Photos, you can rebuild a deleted wallpaper any time with Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper, or from Photos → Share → Use as Wallpaper. The steps are in our guide to setting a wallpaper on iPhone.
How do I tidy a gallery with too many wallpapers?
Most people end up with too many wallpapers by tapping + instead of editing an existing one. A tidy gallery makes switching faster and stops surprise Focus switches.
- Keep three to five: an everyday one, one for each Focus you use, and a seasonal or favourite photo.
- Edit instead of adding: tap Customise on an existing wallpaper to swap the photo, keeping your widgets.
- Check the Focus labels: any wallpaper showing a Focus name at the bottom will switch in automatically; delete or unlink ones you don't want.
- Delete duplicates: the same photo with slightly different crops is the usual clutter.
- Use Photo Shuffle if you like variety: one Photo Shuffle wallpaper can rotate many photos instead of keeping many separate wallpapers.
If you deleted a wallpaper because it looked soft or cropped badly, the cause is usually the file size, not the iPhone. Our post on wallpapers not fitting the screen explains why, and the iPhone wallpaper sizes guide lists every resolution.
How do I stop a wallpaper switching in with a Focus?
A Lock Screen linked to a Focus appears by itself whenever that Focus turns on, which is why a wallpaper you thought you had replaced can keep coming back in the evening or at work. You don't have to delete it to stop this.
- Press the side button and touch and hold the Lock Screen until Customise appears.
- Swipe to the wallpaper with a Focus name at the bottom, such as Work or Sleep.
- Tap Focus near the bottom of the wallpaper, deselect the Focus and close the menu.
Keep in mind that switching to a Lock Screen with a Focus link also switches that Focus on, so linked wallpapers are worth checking before a tidy-up.
What can't you delete?
You can't delete the wallpaper types in the Add New Wallpaper gallery: the Photos, Photo Shuffle, Emoji and Colour buttons, Weather & Astronomy, and the featured sets such as Nature. They are starting points, not saved wallpapers, so they always appear when you tap +. Some of them (Weather and Astronomy, for example) sit further down the gallery with a Get button under them; tapping Get adds that option for you to use, and leaving it alone costs nothing. Only wallpapers you have added to your Lock Screen gallery can be deleted.
If you want a fresh start with a clean design, pick one well-fitted wallpaper. On iPhonesWallpaper, every iPhone wallpaper is cut to 15 exact iPhone screen sizes plus a universal 4K file, so a new one fits your model first time. These simple ones work well as an everyday base; see minimalist wallpapers that work with widgets for more:
Frosted Glass Tiles 4K iPhone Wallpaper
Minimal Hexagonal 4K iPhone Wallpaper
Dark Wireframe Waves 4K iPhone Wallpaper
Minimalist Arch Curve on Beige Textured Paper 4K Wallpaper
Translucent Prism 4K iPhone Wallpaper
Read next: Different Wallpaper for Lock Screen and Home Screen on iPhone and Focus Mode Wallpaper on iPhone: Link a Lock Screen to a Focus.
Quick answers
How do I delete a Lock Screen on iPhone?
Unlock the iPhone, touch and hold the Lock Screen, swipe to the one you want to remove, swipe up and tap the bin icon. Confirm with Delete This Wallpaper.
Does deleting a wallpaper delete the photo?
No. Deleting a wallpaper only removes the Lock Screen and Home Screen setup. The original photo stays in the Photos app.
Why can't I swipe up to delete a wallpaper?
Face ID may not have opened the gallery for editing. Touch and hold the Lock Screen again, enter your passcode, then swipe up on the wallpaper to reveal the bin.
How many wallpapers can you have on iPhone?
You can save many Lock Screens in the gallery, but more than a handful slows down switching. Keeping three to five, one per Focus you use, is easier to manage.
Why does my iPhone wallpaper change by itself?
It is usually linked to a Focus, so it appears whenever that Focus turns on, or it is a Photo Shuffle set to change On Lock, Hourly or Daily. Check the Focus label at the bottom of the wallpaper in the gallery.
Can I get a deleted wallpaper back?
Not from the gallery, but the photo is still in Photos. Rebuild it with Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Photos, then re-add the widgets and clock style you had.
Sources
- Create a custom iPhone Lock Screen (iOS 27), Apple Support
- Change your iPhone wallpaper, Apple Support
- Change the wallpaper on iPhone (iOS 27), Apple Support
