How to Delete All Porn From Your Phone and Computer

Deleting everything is the first real step most people take when they decide to quit. It is also the step most people do badly. They delete a few videos, miss the hidden folders, the cloud backups and the browser history, and a week later it is all still there waiting for them.

This guide goes device by device so nothing is left behind. It takes about an hour. Do it in one sitting, today.

Before You Start

• Do not open files to check them. Looking through what you are deleting is how a clean-up turns into a relapse. Select whole folders, albums or date ranges and delete them without playing anything.
• Do it in daylight, not at night. Late evening is when urges are strongest. Pick a time when you are rested and busy afterwards.
• Tell someone you are doing it. A message to a friend saying "I am clearing my devices today" makes it harder to stop halfway.
• Make a list of every device. Phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, old phones in a drawer, work laptop, games console. The one you forget is the one you will go back to.

iPhone and iPad

1. Photos. Delete the videos and images in your main library. Then open Albums and scroll down to Utilities. Check the Hidden album, then empty Recently Deleted. Anything left there stays on your phone for 30 days.
2. Files. Open the Files app and check Downloads, On My iPhone and iCloud Drive. Then empty Recently Deleted in Files too.
3. Safari. Go to Settings, find Safari, and tap Clear History and Website Data. Delete any bookmarks and Reading List items you do not want.
4. Other browsers. In Chrome, Firefox or any other browser, clear the history for All time, and delete bookmarks and saved tabs.
5. Messaging and social apps. Telegram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, X and Reddit all keep saved media and chats. Leave or delete the groups and channels, and clear saved posts.
6. Keyboard suggestions. If your keyboard keeps suggesting words you do not want to see, reset it: Settings, then General, then Transfer or Reset iPhone, then Reset, then Reset Keyboard Dictionary. This does not delete anything else.

Android Phones and Tablets

1. Gallery and Google Photos. Delete the videos and images, then empty the Bin or Trash, where deleted items wait for up to 60 days.
2. Hidden places. Check Google Photos Locked Folder, and on Samsung phones the Secure Folder. Many gallery and "vault" apps hide files too. Delete their contents, then uninstall the app.
3. Downloads. Open your file manager and check the Downloads folder and any folders made by browsers or messaging apps.
4. Browsers. In Chrome, open History, tap Delete browsing data, choose All time, and confirm. Do the same in Samsung Internet and any other browser you have.
5. Apps. Uninstall anything you only used for porn. Leave or delete Telegram channels, Discord servers and Reddit subscriptions that lead back to it.

Mac and MacBook

1. Find the files. In Finder, search your Mac and set Kind to Movie, then to Image. Sort by size or date so whole groups can be deleted together.
2. Check the usual places. Downloads, Desktop, Documents, Movies, and any external drives or USB sticks.
3. Photos app. Check the Hidden album and empty Recently Deleted.
4. Browsers. Clear history for all time in Safari, Chrome and any others. Delete bookmarks, and remove saved sites from autofill so the address bar stops suggesting them.
5. Empty the Trash. Nothing is gone until the Trash is empty.
6. iCloud Drive. If your files sync, check iCloud Drive as well, then its Recently Deleted.

Windows PC and Laptop

1. Find the files. Open File Explorer, click This PC, and search for kind:=video, then kind:=picture. Sort by size or date.
2. Check the usual places. Downloads, Desktop, Videos, Pictures, other drives, and any USB sticks or external drives.
3. Browsers. In Edge, Chrome and Firefox, clear browsing data for All time and delete bookmarks.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin. Right-click it on the desktop and choose Empty Recycle Bin.
5. OneDrive. If your files sync, check OneDrive online and empty its recycle bin too.

Cloud Storage and Accounts

Files you delete from your phone can still sit in the cloud. Check every service you use, and empty each one's bin:

• iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive
• Google Photos and Google Drive
• OneDrive and Dropbox
• Email accounts with saved attachments

Then deal with the accounts themselves. Delete accounts on porn sites, unsubscribe from paid sites and cancel any subscriptions. Unfollow accounts on social media that post sexual content. If a platform keeps showing it to you, it is easier to leave the platform than to fight its feed.

Why Deleting Is Not Enough

Deleting what you have saved removes the past. It does nothing about tomorrow. Everything you just deleted is still one search away on every device you own.

Most people who clear their devices are back within days, not because the clean-up failed, but because nothing stopped them searching again. Porn damages your brain's reward system, and at 1am, a clean phone that loads anything is not much help.

The clean-up only lasts if you block access straight after. That means a block on every device, one you cannot switch off in a weak moment. Our guide on how to block porn permanently shows how to do that on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows.

Common Questions

Should I delete everything at once or bit by bit?

All at once. A slow clean-up keeps the material in front of you for days and gives you time to change your mind.

Is it gone for good once I empty the bin?

For everyday purposes, yes. Once the bin or Recently Deleted folder is empty and your cloud backups are cleared, the files are no longer on your devices.

What if I relapse and download more?

Delete it the same day and close the route you used. Then set a lock so it cannot happen the same way again. Our urge toolkit and 90-day recovery timeline help with what comes next.

Finish the Job Today

You have done the hard part. Now make sure there is nothing to go back to. Set a lock that cannot be bypassed on every device you just cleaned, or start with the free porn addiction test to see where you stand.