How to Delete Snapchat Memories (and Save What You Want First)

To delete Snapchat Memories, swipe up from the Camera screen to open Memories, press and hold on a Snap, and tap Delete. To remove several at once, use the select option in Memories, tap each Snap you want gone, then delete them together. Snapchat says deleted Memories are erased from its servers as soon as possible and support can’t recover them, so download anything you want to keep first.

Memories is Snapchat’s private backup of Snaps and Stories you chose to save. It isn’t public, which makes it feel low-risk, but it can hold years of photos and videos you may not want stored anywhere, particularly if you share a device, worry about account security, or are about to leave Snapchat. This guide covers the delete steps, My Eyes Only, backups, and the copies Memories doesn’t control.

Why clean up Snapchat Memories

Most people clear Memories for one of four reasons:

• Account security. If someone gets into your account, Memories is where your saved photos live. Clearing sensitive items reduces what could be exposed. If you think that’s already happened, start with our Snapchat account hacked guide.
• A relationship ending. Old photos with an ex, or photos of them, often sit in Memories long after they’re wanted.
• Storage. Snapchat now includes a set amount of free Memories storage and offers paid plans beyond it, so some people delete or download to stay within the free allowance.
• Leaving Snapchat. If you plan to delete the account, deciding what to download from Memories is the first step.

Download first

Deleting a Memory is permanent. Before you start, save what you want to keep:

1. Save individual Snaps to your phone’s camera roll from the options on each Memory. You can select several and export them together.
2. Request your data from Snapchat’s settings using the download my data option. You can choose to include Memories, and Snapchat will prepare a download for you. Large libraries can take a while.
3. Store the download somewhere secure. Moving intimate or sensitive photos from Memories to an unprotected camera roll or shared cloud folder can make them less safe, not more.

Snapchat’s help center also says you can download Memories to keep them outside the app instead of upgrading your storage plan, which is worth knowing if storage is your main reason for deleting.

How to delete Snapchat Memories

One Snap at a time

1. Open Snapchat and swipe up from the Camera screen to open Memories.
2. Press and hold the Snap you want to delete.
3. Tap Delete and confirm.

Several Snaps at once

1. Open Memories.
2. Tap the select option, usually a checkmark or “Select” near the top of the screen.
3. Tap each Snap or Story you want to remove. Some views let you select a whole group, such as a day.
4. Tap the delete option and confirm.

Memories is split into tabs, such as Snaps, Camera Roll and My Eyes Only. Check each one. Snapchat changes its layout from time to time, so if these labels don’t match what you see, its support site has the current steps.

My Eyes Only: how it works and how to clear it

My Eyes Only is a passcode-protected section of Memories. Snaps you move there don’t show in your main Memories grid, and you need the passcode to open it.

• To delete items, open the My Eyes Only tab, enter your passcode, select the Snaps and delete them.
• If you’ve forgotten the passcode, Snapchat lets you reset it, but resetting deletes everything currently saved in My Eyes Only. Snapchat support says it can’t recover those Snaps.
• If you want them kept but not in Snapchat, open My Eyes Only while you still know the passcode, move or export what you want, then delete the rest.

My Eyes Only is a privacy layer inside your account, not a vault that protects content if your account is taken over and the passcode is also known or guessed. Treat it as a way to hide items from someone glancing at your phone, not as long-term secure storage.

Other places your Snaps may live

Where	Affected by deleting a Memory?	What to do
Your phone’s camera roll	No	Delete from your photo app, and its recently deleted folder
Your phone’s cloud photo backup	No	Delete from the cloud service too
Chats where you sent it	No	Delete saved chat messages where Snapchat allows it; the other person may have saved it
Public Stories or Spotlight	No	Delete the post from your Story or Spotlight settings
Screenshots by others	No	Ask the person, or report if it breaks the rules

Our guide to Snapchat privacy settings covers who can view your Story, contact you and see your location, which is the other half of a Snapchat clean-up.

Stop new Snaps piling up in Memories

Once you’ve cleared Memories, a few settings keep it from filling up again with things you’d rather not store:

• Change where Snaps save. Memories settings let you choose whether saved Snaps go to Memories, your camera roll, or both. Pick the one you actually manage.
• Check auto-save for Stories. If your Stories save to Memories automatically, every Story becomes a stored copy. Turn that off if you don’t want an archive.
• Review backup settings. Memories backs up to Snapchat’s servers so it survives a lost phone. That’s useful, but it also means Memories isn’t only on your device. Decide what belongs there.
• Protect the account. Turn on two-factor authentication and use a unique password, since anyone who signs in as you can open your Memories.

Deleting the whole account is the only way to clear everything at once. Snapchat keeps a deactivation period before deletion is final, so download Memories before you start that process, not after.

If an intimate image has been shared

If a private photo or video from Snapchat has been shared without your consent, deleting your Memories won’t stop it spreading. Report it on the platform where it appears, and see our guide on removing intimate images shared without consent. If anyone is threatening to share images unless you pay or send more, our sextortion help guide explains what to do. If the person in the image is under 18, don’t save or screenshot it; report the link, and use NCMEC’s Take It Down service and the organizations on our help resources page.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client. Delphine has used Snapchat since her teens and has a large Memories library, including photos with an ex and a My Eyes Only folder she set up long ago.

1. She requests her Snapchat data, including Memories, and saves the download to an encrypted folder on her laptop.
2. She can’t remember her My Eyes Only passcode. After a few attempts, she decides she doesn’t need whatever is in there and resets it, knowing that clears the folder for good.
3. She uses select in Memories to delete the photos with her ex, working through them by month.
4. She checks her phone’s camera roll and cloud backup for copies of the same photos and deletes those too, then empties the recently deleted folders.
5. She reviews her privacy settings so only friends can view her Story.

Common mistakes

• Deleting before downloading. Snapchat can’t recover deleted Memories.
• Resetting the My Eyes Only passcode without a backup. Everything in it is lost.
• Forgetting the camera roll. Many Snaps are saved to both places.
• Storing the download carelessly. A folder of personal photos on a shared computer is a new risk.

If you plan to leave Snapchat entirely, our guide on how to delete a Snapchat account covers the deactivation period and what else to save. When a photo has already spread beyond your control, our content removal service can help with platform reports and search results.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get deleted Snapchat Memories back?

Snapchat says it designs its servers to erase deleted Memories as soon as possible and that support can’t recover them. If you downloaded your data before deleting, the copies in that download are your only backup.

Can I delete all my Snapchat Memories at once?

You can use the select option in Memories to choose many Snaps and delete them together, and some views let you select whole groups. Check each tab, including Camera Roll and My Eyes Only.

What happens if I forget my My Eyes Only passcode?

You can reset it, but resetting deletes everything currently saved in My Eyes Only, and Snapchat support can’t recover it. If you need those Snaps, try to remember the passcode before resetting.

Does deleting a Memory delete it from my camera roll?

No. Copies saved to your phone, a cloud backup, chats or other people’s devices are separate. Delete each copy where it’s stored.