Delete Pictures from Digital Camera

Taking good care of your camera helps prevent failure on inconvenient moments and reduces the risk of losing pictures.

Steps

Make sure you have transferred the pictures from the camera to your computer. If this process is unclear consult your cameras manual.
Consider getting a card reader to do this. Connecting the camera directly to the computer drains the batteries. Most computer and photography stores sell simple card readers capable of reading every type of card in use for cameras today.
Decide if you need to remove just a few images or if you want to delete everything on the memory card.
Deleting single images is usually done with the delete key on the camera. Check the manual if you are unsure.
Reliability of your memory card is increased if you erase the entire contents of the card on a regular base. This is best done by formatting the card in the camera.
- Once you are sure that your images are safe make sure the memory card you want to erase is in the camera.
Consult your manual on how to format the memory card.
Format the memory card.
Give the process time to complete. A large card on a slow camera can take several minutes to format.

Inspect your cards for damage before putting them in the camera. Discard cards that look damaged.
Don't delete too many pictures on your camera because it drains the battery. Instead, wait until the pictures are on your computer to delete them.
Check if your computer already has a memory card reader. Many laptops and some desktops have a reader built in
If you delete pictures by accident there are several freeware recovery programs available.
When buying a card reader check if it's capable of reading SDHC cards, the current standard for SD cards which are used by most cameras today.

Pictures that are deleted from the memory card are gone. Recovery may be possible using special software but do not count on it.