Can I remove a photo, story, document, or audio file from Memories?

Article Id: 1102
September 19, 2022

When you contribute a memory to FamilySearch, you can delete it using either the FamilySearch website or one of our mobile apps.

After you delete a memory, the following changes occur:
 

  • The memory no longer appears in FamilySearch Memories.
  • The system removes the memory from the person page of any people to which the item is attached. 
  • If you delete a photo that is also a person's portrait in Family Tree, the portrait remains. If you no longer want that photo to appear at all, you must change or remove the portrait.

If your gallery is too full for you to manage effectively, archive the memory. When you archive, the memory leaves your gallery, but it remains on the FamilySearch website. 

If you want to keep the item, but do not want it to show in Family Tree, remove the tag.

Sometimes you see a memory item that you did not contribute and you want FamilySearch to remove it. You can contact the contributor using his or her contact information or the FamilySearch messaging service. Include reasons and supportive information in your request. If you do not receive a response from a contributor, please contact us to submit a request to remove the item.

Steps (website)

  1. Sign in to FamilySearch and click Memories.
  2. Click Gallery.
  3. If you archived the memory, click My Archive.
  4. (Optional) To filter your gallery to one specific type of memory, click the relevant icon:
    • To see only photos, click the camera icon.
    • For only stories, click the book icon.
    • If you want to look only at documents, click the paper icon.
    • To see only audio files, click the microphone icon.
  5. Click the memory that you want to delete.
    • To delete the item, click Actions, and then click Delete.
    • You can find an audio file attached to a photo. To delete only the audio file, click Delete next to the options used to play the file.
  6. Click Delete from FamilySearch.

Steps (mobile app)

  1. Open the Family Tree or Memories mobile app.
  2. Navigate to the item that you want to remove.
  3. In the top-right, tap the three dots icon. If you do not see the icon, tap in the image.
  4. Tap Delete. 
  5. Read the message and tap Delete.

Steps (Family Tree Lite)

You cannot use Memories on Family Tree Lite.

Results

When you delete a memory, it moves to your Recently Deleted folder. The memory stays there for 120 days. During that period, you can move the memory back to your gallery or archive at any time. After 120 days, the system permanently deletes the memory.

If you want the deletion to occur sooner, you can delete the memory permanently.

You can also restore deleted Memories before they are permanently deleted.

How do I edit or delete person tags in memories?
My gallery in Memories is too full
How do I request that a memory or person tag be removed from a person?
How do I permanently delete memory items?
How do I restore memories that I deleted?

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