ICYMI, You Can Delete Photos From Carousels on Instagram – Here's How

Another day, another new tech feature that allows me to fix my social media mistakes. In November 2021, a long-awaited new Instagram feature finally rolled out, allowing you to delete photos from an Instagram photo carousel with ease. The new feature couldn’t be easier to use, and it makes me wonder why I still can’t edit tweets or have my Instagram captions written for me, but I’ll take what I can get.

On Nov. 17, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri discussed the ability to edit an Instagram photo carousel in a short video posted to Twitter, calling the ability to delete photos from a carousel a “finally” feature, or “a feature that should have been around a while ago, and people have been asking for it, and we have finally got around to it.” As Mosseri demonstrates in the video above, deleting a photo from a carousel is accomplished with just the tap of a button.

How to Delete a Photo From an Instagram Carousel

Editing an Instagram photo carousel is just as straightforward as editing any other type of Instagram post. First, tap on the carousel post you’d like to edit, and tap the three dots in the top right corner. From the menu that appears on your screen, choose “Edit.” From there, you’ll notice a small trash can icon in the top left corner of each photo or video in the carousel. Simply tap that icon, and confirm the deletion by tapping “delete” when prompted. Then, tap “Done” when you’re finished, and your IG carousel will no longer include the photo you deleted.

How to Restore a Deleted Instagram Carousel Photo From “Recently Deleted”

After you delete a slide from an Instagram carousel, the photo or video will be stored for 30 days in a “Recently Deleted” folder, which you can access by navigating to your Instagram Settings and then to “Account.” Within the 30-day period, you can tap on any photo in this folder, tap the three dots in the top right, and choose “restore.” If you refresh your Instagram profile and return to the carousel, you should see the photo appear. After 30 days, however, any deleted photos will be erased permanently.

What to Do If You Can’t Delete an Instagram Carousel Photo

If you don’t see the option to delete a photo from an Instagram carousel, your first option is to quit your app and restart it, or to log out and log back into your account. If you’re still running into issues, it may be that your Instagram app isn’t up to date. Try visiting your phone carrier’s app store to verify that you have the latest version of Instagram installed. At that point, if all else fails, visit Instagram’s Help Centre to troubleshoot further.

Related: So, What the Heck Is Instagram’s “Add Yours” Story Feature and How Do You Use It?