How To Count Photos on an iPhone

The iPhone camera’s quality makes it hard not to snap pictures left and right. With equally many options to download exciting photos from the internet and exchange some with your friends, your gallery might get cluttered in no time.

If you’ve ever wondered how many pictures are stored on your device, you’ve come to the right place. Follow along to discover easy methods to count photos on your iPhone.

How to Count Photos on iPhone

Checking the number of photos on your iPhone is a relatively straightforward process. There are two methods to go about it. Neither one will take more than a few clicks to produce an answer.

Count Photos Using the Photos App

So, you want to find out the total number of photos on your iPhone. Then, why don’t you go straight to the source? The Photos app will give you all the information you’re looking for.

To check how many photos you have on your iPhone, do the following:

1. Go to the “Photos” app.
   
2. Click on “Albums” at the bottom right.
   
3. Tap the “All Photos” album.
   
4. Scroll to the end of the album to see the total number of photos.
   

If you’d like to check the number of photos in individual albums, you can do it in two simple steps:

1. Tap on the desired album.
   
2. Check the number of photos displayed on the selected photo.
   

The picture will be marked as “1 of “XXXX,” the second number being the total number of photos in the album.

Count Photos Using the Settings

If you’d like to examine the overall storage of your iPhone, visiting the Settings app is the way to go. Among other helpful information, you can discover the total number of photos on your device.

1. Open the “Settings” app.
   
2. Scroll to “General.”
   
3. Select “About.”
   
4. Navigate to the “Photos” tab.
   
5. Check the number displayed on the right side of the tab.
   

Note that this number might not include photos from Messages or your Photo Stream if you opt not to save them to your device.

That said, there are also other reasons why some photos might be excluded from the total number displayed on your screen.

Photos Excluded From the Total Count

The actual number of photos on your iPhone is possibly higher than the number displayed in your Photos app or Settings. The reason is simple—certain types of images or albums aren’t included in the total count.

RAW+JPEG Pairs

You might use the RAW+JPEG mode on your digital camera to shoot the photos. Both formats will be imported once you transfer them to your “Photos” app. However, these pairs will be stacked together. As a result, the app will count a pair as a single photo.

Burst Photos

iPhone users typically use the Burst mode when photographing a moving subject. When shooting in this mode, the camera will take multiple high-speed photos. This way, you have several options to choose from.

Regardless of the number of photos taken using the Burst mode, the app will count them all as one.

Photos From the Shared Album

This feature is an excellent way for you to share your favorite photos with your family and friends. The maximum number of pictures and videos in a shared album is 5,000. But, none of the images will be counted in your total photo count.

Photos From the Recently Deleted Album

When you delete photos or videos from your iPhone, they are transferred to the Recently Deleted album. The images will stay there for 30 days. If you’ve deleted a photo by accident, you can restore it during that period. The pictures from this folder aren’t included in your device’s total number of images.

How to Manage Photo Storage on iPhone

If you find the total number of photos on your iPhone alarmingly high, it might be the time to clean up.

You can always free storage by deleting multiple photos or photo albums from your iPhone. But, if you’re looking for a more permanent solution, consider setting up iCloud Photos.

An iPhone stores your photos and videos in high resolution, so they take up significant space on your device. However, the iCloud service lets you keep all your pictures but free up space on your phone.

To set up iCloud Photos on your device, do the following:

1. Open the “Settings” app.
   
2. Click on your name.
   
3. Tap “iCloud.”
   
4. Select “Photos.”
   
5. Turn on the “iCloud Photos” button.
   
6. Check the “Optimize iPhone Storage” option.
   

After you’ve activated the “Optimize iPhone Storage” option, your photos and videos will be saved in a lower resolution on your phone. There’s nothing to worry about, though. The full resolution photos will be safely stored in your iCloud.

These photos will also sync across all your connected devices, allowing you multiple access points. This is one of the main reasons Apple set up this service. The goal is to enable users to seamlessly switch between Mac and iOS devices.

How to Count Photos on Mac

If you’ve synced your photos using the iCloud Photos service, your Mac can be a convenient way to check their total number.

The Photos app on your Mac will show you the total number of photos in four simple steps:

1. Click on the “Photos” icon in your Dock.
   
2. Choose “Library” from the sidebar.
   
3. Tap “All Photos” from the toolbar in the top corner.
   
4. Scroll down to see the total number of photos in your library.
   

Note that you’ll also see the number of photos that are only stored on that Mac. The number will be labeled as “Items on This Mac Only.”

These items are called referenced files. They are stored outside your library. Although you can see these items in the Photos app, they aren’t included in the total number of photos.

If you’d like to change this so that the count accurately reflects the total number of photos, do as follows:

1. Tap on the “Menu” in the “Photos” app.
   
2. Select “File.”
   
3. Click on the “New Smart Album” option.
   
4. Type “Referenced” as the name of the album.
   
5. Set “Photo is referenced” as the condition.
   
6. Press “OK.”
   
7. Navigate to the sidebar and choose the “Referenced album.”
   
8. Use the “Command + A” shortcut to select all photos.
   
9. Click “File.”
10. Select “Consolidate.”
    

These items will now be counted as a part of your photos. Furthermore, you can upload them to iCloud and share them with your other devices.

Another useful feature of the Photos app is the option to check the last time your Mac and iCloud Photos synced. This data can potentially explain any discrepancies between the number of photos across your devices.

You Can Count on Us

As you can see, math doesn’t have to be your strong suit to count photos on your iPhone easily. Images can take quite a bit of storage on your device, so it might be prudent to watch their number.

Have you ever tried counting photos on your iPhone? Which method did you use? Let us know in the comments section below.