How to Remove the Live Photo Effect and Keep the Still Image
When it comes to removing the Live Photo effect, you have two main options. You can either do it manually in the Photos app or use a third-party app to automate the process. Both methods achieve the same result—converting Live Photos into regular still images while keeping the main shot intact.
Option A: Use an App for Quick Conversion
We’ll start with the easiest and fastest method—using an app. For this example, we’ll use Clever Cleaner: Free Storage Cleaner, a completely free app that includes a built-in Live Photo conversion tool—a feature that’s surprisingly rare among iPhone cleaner apps.
Most similar apps either don’t offer this functionality or lock it behind a paid upgrade. Clever Cleaner, however, provides it entirely free, just like its other tools.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to remove the Live Photo effect while keeping the still image:
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If you haven’t already, download Clever Cleaner from the App Store.
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When you open the app, it’ll ask for permission to access your photos.
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Tap Allow Access to All Photos so it can scan for Live Photos.
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On the main screen, look for Lives at the bottom and tap it. It’ll show you all the Live Photos on your device.
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You can sort photos by date or size using the Sort by option at the top. Now, either manually pick the ones you want or tap Select All.
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Tap “Compress”. Even though the button says Compress, this process actually converts them into still images. Below the button, you’ll see an estimate of how much storage you’ll free up—a handy bonus.
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It usually only takes a few seconds, even if you select hundreds of Live Photos at once. Once the process is done, the app will save a new still version of each photo and then ask you what to do with the original Live Photos.
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Since your goal is to delete them, tap on Delete to remove them from your device.
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The app will ask for final confirmation, and that’s it! In just a few taps and a few seconds, your Live Photos are gone, with their still images waiting in your library as if nothing even happened.
This approach replaces full-resolution photos on your iPhone with smaller versions while keeping the originals safely stored in iCloud. If your device is low on space, this can free up gigabytes almost instantly with minimal effort.
If you prefer to keep the originals on your iPhone—or don’t want to pay for extra iCloud storage once the free 5 GB runs out—you’ll need to examine your library more closely. Chances are it’s filled with unnecessary files: duplicate or similar photos, unneeded Live Photos, old large videos (movies, clips, 4K recordings), and leftover screenshots. Cleaning all this manually can take hours.
A faster and easier solution is using an app. Clever Cleaner: AI iPhone Storage Cleaner is a 100% free app from CleverFiles that uses Smart Cleanup mode to automatically clear media clutter in seconds. If you prefer more control, it also offers semi-automatic cleaning so you can review what gets deleted.
Even though it’s a new app, it runs smoothly with no bugs or crashes observed during testing. Its AI algorithms accurately identify photos and videos to clean—comparable to some paid tools—but nothing is deleted without your approval. You always decide what stays and what goes.
Note: We’ve tested many iPhone cleaning apps (see our full rating of iPhone cleaners), but Clever Cleaner stands out. Unlike most “free” apps, it has no ads, no subscriptions, and no paywalls, and the developer promises that early users who download and keep the app will retain free access forever.
The app is intuitive, but to illustrate its usefulness, here’s how to convert your Live Photos to save space while keeping your images exactly where they are—the only thing removed is the short animation clip that plays when opening them:
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There’s the Similars tab. The app can identify and group duplicates as well as visually similar images that might be taking up unnecessary space. You can either let the app automatically remove the extras or go through the grouped photos yourself and choose what to keep or delete.
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Then there’s Screenshots, Clever Cleaner pulls them all into one place, so instead of scrolling endlessly through your Photos app to find old snapshots, you can bulk-delete them in seconds.
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An lastly, the “Heavies” feature. This one sorts every video in your library from largest to smallest, something you can’t do in the Photos app. This makes it super easy to quickly locate the biggest storage wasters and remove them if you no longer need them.
Note: According to the official Clever Cleaner website, the developer states that the app will remain free for all early users, even as new features are added. So if you downloaded it just to convert Live Photos, you might want to keep it—it could become even more useful over time as updates introduce new tools.
Option B: Convert Live Photos Manually in the Photos App
If you prefer not to use a third-party app, you can handle the process manually in the Photos app. While it’s not as quick or convenient, it gets the job done.
The idea is simple:
Create a still version of your Live Photo.
Delete the original Live Photo to free up space.
Just be careful during the process—you’ll want to avoid accidentally duplicating or deleting the wrong images.
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Open the Photos app and navigate to the ‘Live Photos’ album you identified earlier.
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Select the Live Photo you wish to convert.
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Tap on the photo to view it, then tap the three dots in the bottom right corner.
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Select ‘Duplicate‘ from the drop-down menu.
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Choose ‘Duplicate as Still Photo‘ to create a copy of the photo without the motion effect. This will save a new version of the image that is just a static picture.
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If you have multiple Live Photos you want to convert at once, here are the steps for bulk conversion:
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Open the Photos app and go to the ‘Live Photos’ album.
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Tap ‘Select‘ in the top right corner of the screen.
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Select the Live Photos you want to convert.
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Tap the three dots in the lower right corner of the screen.
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Select ‘Duplicate‘, then choose ‘Duplicate as Still Photo‘ to create copies of the selected photos without the motion effect. This will generate new static versions of the images.
This process does not delete the original Live Photos; it simply creates still versions of them. To free up space, you will need to manually delete the original Live Photos, which we’ll cover next.
How to Delete Live Photos Without Static Versions
If you just want to delete Live Photos without worrying about keeping the still versions, or if you’ve already saved static copies and no longer need the motion clips, you can safely delete the Live Photos without any worries. Follow these steps to remove multiple Live Photos:
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Open the Photos app and go to the ‘Live Photos’ album.
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Tap ‘Select‘ in the top right corner of the screen.
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Choose the Live Photos you want to delete. You can select them individually or slide your finger across multiple photos to select them quickly.
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Once selected, tap the trash icon to delete them. Confirm your decision if prompted.
important: Deleting Live Photos only removes the motion component if you’ve already created still versions. The still images will remain in your library. However, if you haven’t duplicated them as still photos first, deleting a Live Photo will remove the image entirely.
How to Permanently Remove Live Photos
Whether you deleted Live Photos directly or replaced them with still versions, there’s one more step to truly free up storage. Deleted items remain in the Recently Deleted album for up to 30 days, continuing to take up space until they’re permanently removed.
To clear them from your iPhone completely, follow these steps:
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Open the Photos app and go to the ‘Live Photos’ album.
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Tap ‘Select‘ in the top right corner.
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Choose the Live Photos you wish to permanently delete or tap ‘Delete All‘ to remove all items from the album.
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Confirm your choice to permanently delete the selected items.
How to Prevent Future Live Captures
If you don’t want to go through this process again and would rather not have Live Photos at all, you can easily disable the Live Photo feature on your iPhone. This adjustment stops your camera from automatically capturing Live Photos, so all future shots are static. Here’s how to change this change:
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Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
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At the top of the screen, you’ll see the Live Photo icon (a set of concentric circles). If the icon is crossed out, the Live Photo feature is disabled.
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If the icon is not crossed out, tap it to disable Live Photos. It will then display as crossed out, indicating that the feature is off and your future photos will be captured as still images only.
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If your camera does not save these settings between uses, go to the Settings app, select Camera, then tap Preserve Settings. Here, make sure the Live Photo setting is turned on to maintain your preference for future uses.
Note: Always check your Live Photos setting before taking pictures. Some iOS updates or camera resets may turn this feature back on without notice.
Before capturing a photo, look for the Live Photo icon in the Camera app. If it’s yellow, Live Photos are enabled—tap it once to turn the feature off. This helps prevent unnecessary Live Photos from being created and saves storage space.
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