---
title: "How to keep the best photo from a burst on iPhone"
description: "To keep the best photo from a burst on iPhone, pick frames in the Photos app, or work through each group in PicWay and set the rest aside before you delete."
url: "https://picway.app/guides/keep-best-photo-from-burst-iphone/"
lang: "en"
type: "guides"
updated: "2026-11-01"
published: "2026-11-01"
keywords: "keep best photo from burst iPhone"
---

# How to keep the best photo from a burst on iPhone

URL: https://picway.app/guides/keep-best-photo-from-burst-iphone/
Markdown: https://picway.app/guides/keep-best-photo-from-burst-iphone/index.md
Last updated: 2026-11-01

To keep the best photo from a burst on iPhone, open the burst in Photos, tap Burst (number), and tap the circle on each frame you want to save as an individual photo. Gray dots mark the frames Apple suggests keeping. Then decide what to do with the rest of the burst.

## How to do it {#steps}

1. **Open the burst in Photos**: In the Photos app, tap the burst image in your library, then tap Burst (number) in the top-left of the screen. You see every frame of that burst.
2. **Mark the frames you want to keep**: Gray dots below the thumbnails mark the photos Apple suggests keeping. Tap the circle in the lower-right corner of each photo you want to save as an individual photo, then confirm.
3. **Choose what happens to the rest**: Decide now whether you want to delete the remaining frames or leave them. If you have many bursts, do the same thing in PicWay: open Clean up bursts and choose in each group.
4. **Review before anything is deleted**: In PicWay, tap Set all aside on a group you don’t need, or keep what you marked. Open Set aside to look again before you delete.

## How to pick the best frame in the Photos app {#pick-in-photos}

Apple’s steps are short ([Apple’s Burst guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/take-burst-mode-shots-ipha42c55cd0/ios)):

1. Tap the Burst thumbnail, then tap Burst (number) in the top-left of the screen.
2. Gray dots below the thumbnails mark the suggested photos to keep.
3. Tap the circle in the lower-right corner of each photo you want to save as an individual photo, then tap the button to confirm.

Apple’s page also says you can delete the entire burst: tap the thumbnail in Camera, or tap the burst image in your Photos library, then tap the delete button.

## What happens to the frames I didn’t pick? {#frames-you-did-not-pick}

Apple’s page doesn’t spell out what happens to the unselected frames, so here is what a third-party guide reports. According to [KeptPhotos](https://keptphotos.com/guides/delete-burst-photos-iphone.html), you tap Select at the bottom, tap the frames you want so a checkmark appears, then tap Done. iOS then asks whether to keep only your favorites or keep everything. If you choose to keep only the favorites, the rest go to Recently Deleted.

This wording is not from Apple, so read the prompt on your own iPhone before you tap.

## Will deleting the burst delete the photo I saved? {#delete-after-saving}

The same third-party guide says no: once you save a favorite out of a burst, it becomes its own photo in your library, and clearing the leftover stack doesn’t touch it. Apple’s page says the photos you select are saved as individual photos. Apple’s page doesn’t say what deleting the rest does to them, so this part rests on the third-party guide.

## How do I do this for many bursts in PicWay? {#many-bursts-picway}

Opening bursts one at a time gets slow. In PicWay, **Clean up bursts** is under **Next up** on the **Memories** tab. It only appears when your library has burst groups. Bursts of the same scene are also counted under **Similar photos**.

In each group, PicWay puts what it thinks is the best shot first, and you choose:

| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tap Keep on a photo, then the Keep button at the bottom | Keeps the photos you marked |
| Keep all | Keeps the whole group |
| Set all aside | Keeps nothing from the group for now |

Set-aside photos are still in your library. Open **Set aside** to look again, and tap **Put back** on any you want to keep. If you delete several at once, PicWay first asks you to confirm in the app, and then iOS asks you to confirm. Full steps are in [how to delete similar photos and bursts](https://picway.app/guides/clean-similar-burst-photos/).

## Quick answers {#faq}

### Can I recover a frame I deleted by mistake? {#faq-recover}

Deleted photos go to Recently Deleted, where you can recover them for 30 days. See [how to recover deleted photos](https://picway.app/guides/recover-deleted-photos/).

### Does PicWay choose the best frame for me? {#faq-picks-for-me}

It puts its suggested best shot first in each group. You still decide what to keep.

### Do I need PicWay for one burst? {#faq-one-burst}

No. For a single burst, the Photos app steps above are enough.