Tired of your iPhone’s home screen or lock screen wallpaper? Want to remove an old wallpaper and set a fresh background? Deleting wallpaper on an iPhone is easy once you know how.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the quick steps to delete home screen and lock screen wallpapers on any iPhone model running iOS 16 or earlier.
Determine Your iPhone Model and iOS Version
The way you delete wallpaper depends on your iPhone model and iOS version. Here’s how to check:
- Open the Settings app
- Select General > About to see your model and iOS version
Most modern iPhones running iOS 16 or 15 can follow the steps below to remove wallpaper. If you have an older device, the steps may vary slightly.
Delete the Lock Screen Wallpaper
Your iPhone’s lock screen and home screen can have different wallpapers set. Here’s how to remove just the lock screen wallpaper:
- Open the Settings app
- Select Wallpaper
- Tap on the image under “Lock Screen”
- Tap the Delete icon in the bottom left corner
- Confirm the deletion
This will revert your iPhone’s lock screen back to a plain black background.
Delete the Home Screen Wallpaper
Use this process to delete only the home screen wallpaper on your iPhone:
- Press down anywhere on the home screen (but not on an app)
- Tap the Customize button in the bottom left
- Tap the current home screen image preview at the top
- Select the Delete icon in the bottom left
- Confirm the wallpaper deletion
The home screen will also revert back to default after deleting the custom wallpaper.
Reset Both Lock and Home Screen Wallpapers
For a complete wallpaper reset on your iPhone, use these steps:
- Go to Settings > Wallpaper
- Tap Choose a New Wallpaper
- Select Stills near the top
- Choose the Default wallpaper collection
- Tap Set on the default wallpaper preview
- Choose whether to set it for Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Both
- Tap Set as Wallpaper to confirm
This will replace both existing wallpapers with Apple’s default background.
Alternative Wallpaper Deletion Methods
Here are a couple additional ways to delete iPhone wallpaper if the above steps don’t work:
- Open the Apple Photos app
- Locate the current wallpaper image
- Delete the wallpaper photo just like any other picture
- Go back and choose a new wallpaper
Or you can reset all settings:
- Go to Settings > General > Reset
- Tap Reset All Settings
- Enter your passcode if prompted
- All wallpaper will be reset to default
Resetting all settings is an aggressive troubleshooting step that also clears many other customizations and login details on your device.
FAQs and Troubleshooting Tips
Still having issues removing your iPhone’s wallpaper? Check these frequently asked questions:
How do I delete wallpaper on iPhone 11 or earlier?
- Press down on home screen and tap Use as Wallpaper > Delete
Why can’t I delete wallpaper on my old iPhone?
- Very outdated iOS versions may not support wallpaper deletion
- Upgrade your software or reset all settings
Does deleting wallpaper also remove it from my Photos library?
- No, deleting an iPhone wallpaper does not remove the original image from your Photos app
What if my iPhone says storage is full when changing wallpaper?
- Set your device to Optimized iPhone Storage for more available space
- Or delete apps, messages, photos, and videos you no longer need
How do I stop photos from automatically setting as wallpaper?
- Go to Settings > Photos and disable “Featured Photos”
Conclusion
With just a few taps, you can easily delete home screen or lock screen wallpapers on any recent model iPhone. Removing old backgrounds helps give your iPhone’s screens a fresh look and feel.
We walked through various ways to delete existing wallpaper, reset to default backgrounds, troubleshoot issues, and manage your Photos library. With these tips, you can keep your iPhone’s wallpaper organized.
