On an iPhone running iOS 16 or later, you delete a saved wallpaper from the Lock Screen wallpaper gallery. You do not delete the wallpaper configuration from the normal Settings > Wallpaper screen.
How to Delete an iPhone Wallpaper
- Press the Side button to show the Lock Screen.
- Touch and hold the Lock Screen.
- Use Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode if the iPhone asks you to authenticate.
- Swipe left or right until you find the wallpaper you want to remove.
- Swipe up on that wallpaper.
- Tap the Trash button.
- Tap Delete This Wallpaper.
What If You Cannot Open the Wallpaper Gallery?
If Face ID does not authenticate you, touch and hold the Lock Screen again and enter the iPhone passcode. Make sure you are starting from the Lock Screen rather than trying to remove the saved configuration from Settings.
Deleting a Wallpaper vs. Deleting the Photo
Deleting a saved Lock Screen wallpaper removes that wallpaper configuration. If the wallpaper was made from one of your photos, the original photo in the Photos app is a separate item. Likewise, deleting a photo from Photos is not the current method for deleting an iOS 16-or-later Lock Screen configuration.
Older iOS Versions
Apple’s current guidance says the Lock Screen gallery deletion method applies to iOS 16 and later. On iOS 15 and earlier, wallpaper management worked differently; you could replace the wallpaper in Settings, and a photo used as wallpaper could be deleted from Photos.
Summary
From the Lock Screen, touch and hold to open the wallpaper gallery, find the wallpaper, swipe up, tap the Trash button, and choose Delete This Wallpaper.