How to Turn Live Photos Off or On on iPhone

Live Photos on iPhone records a few seconds of video before and after you take a still image, adding motion and sound. If you find them distracting, want to save storage space, or simply prefer static shots, you can turn Live Photos off for a single photo, for a session, or permanently via the camera settings. This guide walks you through every method, including how to re-enable the feature when you want it back.

What You’ll Need

An iPhone running iOS 11 or later (the steps are the same on current versions).
Access to the Camera app and, for the permanent setting, the Settings app.
No special hardware or software is required.

Step-by-Step

Turn Off Live Photos for a Single Photo

Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
Make sure you are in Photo mode (swipe the mode selector at the bottom until “Photo” is highlighted).
Look at the top of the screen for the Live Photos icon: it looks like a set of concentric circles, usually yellow when active. If it is yellow, Live Photos is on.
Tap the icon once. It will turn gray with a slash through it, indicating Live Photos is off for the next photo.
Take your photo. It will be saved as a still image without motion.
Remember: this only affects the next photo. The setting automatically reverts to on (if it was on by default) for subsequent shots.

Keep Live Photos Off for an Entire Session

Open the Camera app.
Tap the Live Photos icon (concentric circles) at the top to turn it off (gray with a slash).
Take multiple photos. The setting stays off until you manually turn it back on or close and reopen the Camera app (depending on your iOS version, it may reset).
To turn it back on, simply tap the icon again until it turns yellow.

Turn Off Live Photos Permanently (Default Setting)

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap Camera.
Tap Preserve Settings.
Toggle on Live Photo. This makes the Camera app remember your last Live Photo setting (on or off) instead of resetting to the default each time you open the app.
Go back to the Camera app and turn Live Photos off (tap the icon until gray).
From now on, the Camera app will keep Live Photos off every time you open it, until you manually turn it back on.

Turn Off Live Photos for Existing Photos (Remove Motion)

Open the Photos app and find the Live Photo you want to edit.
Tap the photo to view it full screen.
Tap Edit in the top right corner.
Tap the Live Photos icon (concentric circles) at the top of the editing screen. It will turn gray with a slash, indicating the motion is removed.
Tap Done. The photo is now a still image. The original Live Photo data is not deleted; you can revert later by tapping Edit again and tapping the icon to re-enable it.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the setting resets: Tapping the Live Photos icon only affects the next photo. If you want it off for a whole shoot, you must use the Preserve Settings method.
Confusing the icon: The Live Photos icon looks similar to a target or a camera aperture. It is not the flash icon (a lightning bolt) or the timer icon (a clock).
Thinking “Off” means deleted: Turning off Live Photos for an existing photo via Edit does not delete the underlying video; it just hides it. The file size remains the same.
Checking the wrong mode: Live Photos can be turned off independently in different camera modes (Photo, Portrait, etc.). Make sure you are in the mode you intend to use.

Tips

If you prefer static photos but occasionally want a Live Photo, leave the default on and just tap the icon off for the rare shots you want still. Or vice versa.
Use the Preserve Settings feature to keep your last choice. This is the most reliable way to make Live Photos “stick” to off.
You can also turn off Live Photos for a batch of photos by selecting multiple in the Photos app, but you cannot remove motion from multiple at once directly—only one by one via Edit.
If you want to save space, consider converting existing Live Photos to still images, but note that the original file size is not reduced unless you delete the Live Photo version entirely (which is not possible through the Edit tool).

Troubleshooting

Live Photos icon is not visible: On some iPhone models, the icon may be hidden in a submenu. Swipe up on the viewfinder or tap the arrow at the top to reveal additional controls, including Live Photos.
Live Photos keep turning back on: If you have not enabled Preserve Settings, the camera resets to the default (usually on) every time you open the app. Enable Preserve Settings > Live Photo and then turn it off.
Live Photo still plays after turning off: If you turned off Live Photos before taking a photo, the photo should be static. If it still moves, you may have accidentally re-enabled it. Check the icon again—it should be gray with a slash.
Cannot find the Edit option: In the Photos app, tap the photo, then tap “Edit” in the top right. If you don’t see it, make sure you are not in a shared album or a hidden album.
Live Photos option is grayed out in Settings: This is normal; it just means the setting is not available for your device or iOS version. The manual toggle in the Camera app still works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off Live Photos save storage space?

Yes, new photos taken with Live Photos off will be smaller (no video component). However, turning off Live Photos on an existing photo via Edit does not reduce its file size—the video data is still stored.

Can I turn off Live Photos for all photos at once?

No, there is no bulk setting to convert existing Live Photos to still images. You must edit each one individually. However, you can change the default for future photos via Settings.

Will Live Photos turn back on after I restart my iPhone?

If you have not enabled Preserve Settings, yes, the camera resets to the default (usually on) after closing and reopening the app or restarting the phone. Use Preserve Settings to keep your preference.

Can I turn off Live Photos in Portrait mode?

Yes, the same icon appears in Portrait mode. Tap it to turn off Live Photos for that mode. Note that some iPhone models may have different behavior.

If I turn off Live Photos, can I still take a Live Photo later?

Yes, simply tap the Live Photos icon again to turn it back on. The setting is not permanent unless you never touch the icon.

Does turning off Live Photos affect photo quality?

No, the still image quality is identical. You only lose the motion and sound component.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →