How to Delete Wallpaper on iOS 16—the Fastest Way (2023)

Quickly delete a wallpaper in iOS 16 and save yourself endless swiping.

By Amy Spitzfaden–Both Updated 03/12/2023

What to Know

  • You can delete a wallpaper in iOS 16 by long pressing on your Lock Screen, then swiping up on the Lock Screen wallpaper you want to delete.
  • This will also delete the Home Screen wallpaper associated with that Lock Screen, the widgets on that Lock Screen, as well as the clock font, color, and size you selected for that Lock Screen.
  • You can change a Lock Screen background without deleting the other customizations by long pressing on your Lock Screen, tapping Customize > Lock Screen > Photos icon and choosing a new picture. 

If you went a bit overboard with your new ability to create different Lock Screen wallpapers, you'll want to know how to delete a wallpaper in iOS 16. It's easy to do, and will also delete the associated Home Screen wallpaper that comes with it. Here's how to delete a wallpaper in iOS 16.

How to Delete Wallpaper iOS 16

If you're like me, when you first accessed the ability to create different Lock Screen and Home Screen wallpaper combos, you probably created many more than you actually ended up using. Having too many wallpaper options can cause needless swiping, especially if you end up only switching between one or two. Here's how to delete wallpapers in iOS 16 to clear out your options.

  1. With your iPhone unlocked, long press on your Lock Screen. If you don't have Face ID enabled, you'll need to unlock your phone first and access the Lock Screen by swiping down from the very top of your Home Screen.

    long press how to delete wallpapers on ios 16
  2. Swipe to the wallpaper you want to delete.

    swipe to the screenshot you want to delete how to delete wallpaper ios 16
  3. Swipe up on the wallpaper you want to delete.

    swipe up how to delete wallpaper
  4. Tap the Delete icon.

    tap the delete icon how to delete a wallpaper on ios 16
  5. Tap Delete This Wallpaper.

    tap delete this wallpaper delete wallpaper ios 16

Important: Deleting a Lock Screen wallpaper will also delete the font, size, and color of the clock you selected for that wallpaper, as well as the associated Home Screen background and any widgets you had on that Lock Screen. 

If you want to keep the widgets and clock font, color, and size you had on a Lock Screen but change the image, you can take the following steps:

  1. With your iPhone unlocked, long press on your Lock Screen.

    long press how to delete wallpapers on ios 16
  2. Tap Customize.

    tap customize how to delete wallpapers on ios 16
  3. Tap Lock Screen.

    tap lock screen how to delete wallpaper ios 16
  4. Tap the Photos icon or emoji icon to choose a new photo for the background.

    tap the photos or emoji icon how to delete wallpaper
  5. Select your new background, then tap Done.

    tap done how to delete a wallpaper on ios 16

Now you know how to delete a Lock Screen from your Lock Screen gallery, and how to change a Lock Screen wallpaper.

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Topics

How-To
iPhone
Settings
Home Screen
Lock Screen
Customization & Personalization

Author Details

Amy Spitzfaden–Both's picture

Author Details

Amy Spitzfaden–Both

Amy Spitzfaden Both is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, an award-winning novelist, and an iPhone enthusiast. Over the past decade, her work in the publishing industry has included live coverage of industry events including the Yale Publishing Course and Magazine Innovation’s ACT 9 Experience, providing editing services for several start-up publishing houses, and acting as newsstand consultant for magazines such as The Old Farmer’s Almanac and The New York Review of Books. She graduated from M.I.U. with a Bachelor’s in Literature and Writing, and has gone on to publish two novels and two short stories. Her debut novel Untold won the 2014 Chelson Award for Fiction.
Writing everything from book reviews to skincare tips, Amy discovered a passion for bringing exciting and useful information to even the most casual researcher. The mix of usability and endless possibilities is what drew her to Apple products originally, and the more she learns, the more she loves.
Amy lives in New Hampshire with her husband and daughter. When she’s not writing or glued to her iPhone, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and creating her own tea blends.