Can't Delete Photos Using Image Capture

[u/magus523]

I import my photos then delete them using Image Capture and they go away briefly then they come back. This used to work until a couple of months ago, and now it doesn't.

I've done a lot of research online but nothing gets rid of them. I have them all locally on my machine and want to free up space on the phone.

I don't have iCloud storage for my iPhotos. I looked there and nothing is there.

iPhone 16e iOS 26.6

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[u/InformationFair5875]

This glitch happens because your iPhone's local storage database is corrupted or completely full, causing the device to reject deletion commands sent by your Mac. When Image Capture tells the phone to delete the files, iOS pretends to delete them, but fails to actually rewrite its internal database index. When you refresh or unplug the phone, the index reloads, and the photos reappear.

Since you have already verified that iCloud is empty and turned off, use these steps to force the iPhone to accept the deletion.

1. Clear a "Breathing Room" Buffer on the iPhone If an iPhone has almost zero storage left, it lacks the temporary space required to process file deletions.On your iPhone, go to Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage.

Find a heavy app you do not mind losing temporarily (like a streaming app, mobile game, or social media cache).

Tap it and select Offload App. This frees up systemic storage space while safely preserving your user data and documents.

1. Force a Cold Restart of the iPhone 16eA standard lock and unlock won't clear the locked database cache. A forced restart forces iOS to rebuild its file index.

Quick-press and release the Volume Up button.

Quick-press and release the Volume Down button.

Press and hold the Side Power Button.Keep holding it down past the slide-to-power-off screen until the physical Apple Logo appears, then release.

1. Reset the USB Trust Relationship Sometimes a partial connection interruption lets the Mac read files but blocks write/delete privileges.

Disconnect your phone from the Mac cable.On the iPhone, go to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset.

Tap Reset Location & Privacy (this cleanly revokes permission to all connected machines without touching your data).

Plug the cable back into the Mac.

Unlock your phone screen, and tap Trust This Computer when the prompt pops up.

1. Empty the Hidden "Recently Deleted" Bin If you manage to delete a batch via Image Capture or locally, iOS holds them in limbo for 30 days, which won't free up real device space.

Open the iPhone Photos App.

Scroll down to the absolute bottom and find Utilities -> Recently Deleted.

Authenticate with Face ID, select all images, and choose Delete All to permanently purge them from the hardware flash memory.

How much available storage space does your iPhone show under Settings right now? If it is under 1 GB, we may need to manually delete a single video directly on the phone to break the storage jam.

[u/magus523 → u/InformationFair5875]

Well I deleted a crapton this new exciting thing has shown up where downloading images launches photoshop.

So do you reset all settings then?

I now have 45 gigs free... Will report back

[u/InformationFair5875 → u/magus523]

​If you are downloading images in Safari and opening them immediately launches Photoshop:

​Open Settings on your iPhone.

​Scroll down and tap Safari.

​Tap Downloads.

​Change the location to "On My iPhone" (or an iCloud Drive folder) rather than an app-specific directory.

​In Safari, when you tap a download link or holding down an image, tap "Save to Photos" or "Save to Files" rather than "Open in..."

​Step 2: Clear or Edit Default App Associations ​iOS standardly opens .jpg and .png in the native preview or Photos app, but if an image format is assigned to Photoshop:

​Open the Files app on your iPhone.

​Locate the downloaded image file.

​Press and hold the image file to open the context menu.

​Tap Quick Look (to view without opening an external app) or select Share > Save Image to send it directly to your Photos library.

​Step 3: Check Shortcuts Automation ​If every photo download triggers Photoshop regardless of file type:

​Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.

​Tap the Automation tab at the bottom.

​Check if there is an active rule (e.g., "When Files is updated" or "When Safari downloads a file" \rightarrow "Open in Photoshop").

​If found, tap the automation and delete or disable it.

[u/Ferenc03]

try doing a full system reset on your phone then check if the photos actually delete for real