Why Do Guys Keep Photos Of Their Exes On Social Media And Electronic Devices?

There are various reasons why guys keep photos of their former partners on social media and other platforms.

Some guys feel brokenhearted and hold on to pictures with the intention of reconciling. They want to rekindle the relationship, so they look at their exes’ photos and reminisce on the special moments they shared with their exes.

Because they’re obsessed with their exes (or just one ex), they frequently look at their ex’s pictures and put their ex on a pedestal. By doing so, they constantly keep their ex in their mind and prevent themselves from detaching and moving on.

Their goal is to keep their feelings strong and eventually get back together (even if it takes them months or years).

Other guys think of their exes as friends and simply choose not to delete the photos. They consider them valuable memories they’d like to preserve. As a result, they go through the photos from time to time and don’t feel any romantic cravings or regrets.

They only feel nostalgic as they’ve disassociated the romantic aspect of the relationship from their experiences.

Such guys don’t see anything wrong with keeping photos of their exes. Many guys think it’s perfectly fine to hold on to them even though they’re already with someone else. They don’t see a reason to delete the photos because they don’t even want to reconcile.

All they want is to keep their exes in good memory and move on to better things.

Bear in mind that guys who keep photos of their exes (whether it’s online or in storage devices) have at least some respect for their exes. They don’t resent their exes because if they did, they wouldn’t want any reminders of them.

They’d delete them the moment they developed hatred and contempt.

But just because they don’t resent their ex, it doesn’t mean that they want to give the relationship another shot. Dumpees often think that undeleted pictures on Facebook mean their ex is having second thoughts and that they may be able to convince their ex to get back together.

Such hopeful dumpees don’t understand that their ex is still in full control of the breakup and that they should stay away from their ex if they want the best for their ex and themselves.

Keeping pictures on the internet doesn’t equate to wanting to get back together. Most of the time, the meaning is the opposite as it shows a desire for friendship or that dumpers feel guilty and that they’re waiting for the right moment to delete the pictures.

They want to avoid hurting their exes, so they tend to delete the pictures when they think it’s safe for them and their exes. It tends to be safe when dumpees get some time to process the breakup because that’s when dumpers feel they won’t cause pain and receive an unwanted response.

So if you want to know why guys keep photos of their exes, know that it depends on the guy.

Guys who got dumped usually want their exes back. They keep photos of their dumpers to cherish the memories and save them for when they reconcile.

On the other hand, guys who did the dumping or those who are over their exes tend to think fondly of the past (especially if they friend-zoned their exes). Such guys see no harm in keeping photos of their exes as they have no more feelings and desires to reconnect.

They’re okay with the way things are as they don’t have any regrets or temptations to be with their exes.

In this post, we answer the question, “Why do guys keep photos of their exes?”

The importance of deleting photos after the breakup

Fortunately, most guys don’t keep photos of their exes for long. When they become exes, they tend to delete the photos instantly or after a month or two. They’d rather not see their exes anymore as it triggers unwanted reminders and feelings.

Dumpers tend to feel smothered and uncomfortable whereas dumpees feel anxious, angry, and depressed. The more recent the breakup, the stronger their emotions are.

Both dumpees and dumpers have good reasons for deleting photos of each other.

When dumpees delete photos, they let go of hope quicker as they force themselves to stop valuing the good times with their ex. Dumpers, on the other hand, free themselves from the unhealthy emotions they associate with their ex and look forward to new beginnings.

Looking at photos, gifts, and personal belongings can be extremely taxing on dumpers’ and dumpees’ minds as they constantly remind them of each other and bring back unwanted emotions.

That’s why the best and the quickest way for both of them to stop feeling hopeful and pressured is to let go of the physical and non-physical reminders of each other. They must delete each other’s photos, return each other’s belongings, box or discard gifts and albums, and do whatever it takes to disassociate from each other.

This is necessary for their detachment and peace of mind.

If dumpees don’t remove pictures of their exes, they may feel tempted to look at the pictures of their exes when they have a bad day. This could make them nostalgic, reopen their wounds, give them hope, and force them to take their new partner for granted.

And if dumpers don’t remove pictures of their exes, they risk confusing their exes and stringing them along, hurting their new partner, and creating unnecessary drama.

Therefore, it’s better for everyone that exes remove photos of each other and put themselves in their exes’ and new partners’ shoes. They should ask themselves how they’d feel if their ex kept photos of them and if their new partner did the same.

Chances are they wouldn’t be happy. They’d likely think their ex still likes them or that their new partner is still in love with his or her ex.

They’d especially feel confused and hopeful if the kept photos were romantic (kissing, holding hands, etc.) as they would make them wonder if that person is still thinking about getting back together.

Let’s now talk about why guys keep photos of their exes on social media.

Why do guys keep photos of their exes on social media?

Guys who dump their exes keep photos of their exes on social media because keeping them feels right to them and doesn’t bother them. They aren’t in a new (serious) relationship yet, so they needn’t worry about hurting their partner.

All they need to worry about is hurting their ex. And they don’t even do that because they lack relationship experience and/or empathy. They don’t understand that they’re confusing their ex and making things difficult for him or her.

Dumpers are detached, so they don’t know how their ex feels. They don’t know that their ex gets hope from seeing his or her photos on their social media page.

To them, photos mean nothing. They’re past memories that hold no romantic value. That’s why they often hold on to their ex’s photos for a while until they decide it’s time to take them down.

Most dumpers don’t keep their ex’s photos forever. When they stop feeling bad, when friends and family learn they broke up, or when their ex recovers emotionally, they tend to delete (romantic) photos of their ex.

They do this because they think it’s time to worry about themselves rather than how their ex will feel and react if they remove photos of him or her.

So if you’re wondering why guys keep their exes’ photos on social media (Facebook, Instagram, or forums), know that your ex is okay with keeping your photos for now and that your ex probably won’t keep them on his or her profile forever.

When your ex thinks it’s safe to remove them or that it’s unsafe to keep them (if your ex meets someone else and their relationship gets serious), he will probably delete them and focus on the life ahead. That’s when your ex will prioritize his new partner’s happiness and remove pictures of you from social media.

For most dumpers, it’s only a matter of time before they stop feeling bad and start deleting photos of their ex. They just need a little bit of time to deal with things that are preventing them from deleting photos of their ex.

As for dumpees, they tend to delete them when they make emotional progress and realize that photos are holding them back from moving on. Either that or they remove them when they meet someone else and think the new person won’t like it.

With that said, here’s why dumpees and dumpers keep their ex’s photos on social media.

If your ex dumped you and is keeping photos of you on social media, try not to analyze your ex’s actions too much. Photos aren’t signs of doubt and regret. They’re a sign that your ex feels safe and comfortable with the way things are.

You should probably give your ex some time to figure out what he wants to do.

Why do guys keep photos of their exes on phones, computers, and storage devices?

It’s important to respect that exes’ electronic devices are their private property and that their pictures shouldn’t be viewed without permission. If they’re viewed secretly, it could cause a lot of anger, bitterness, and mistrust.

Most of the time, new romantic partners are the ones who notice that their partner still has pictures of exes on his devices.

When this happens, they often assume that their partner is still in love with their ex/exes when in reality, he’s just too lazy and complacent. He doesn’t feel the urgency to delete photos of his ex(es) right away. He prefers to keep the pictures for the meantime and delete them sometime in the future when he has the time, energy, and courage to do that.

Some guys have lots of photos—and it would take them ages to go through all of them. It’s simply too much of a hassle for them to delete them. Perhaps some of the pictures are too intimate or sensitive and discourage them from seeing them and deleting them.

Dumpers are masters of prolonging things. They delay breakups and everything connected to them as doing so allows them to focus on things that make them feel good.

Some of the things dumpers intentionally delay often due to guilt, trepidation, or anger are:

• finalizing divorce
• giving closure
• expressing regrets
• taking accountability
• returning their ex’s stuff
• and deleting photos with/of their ex

They prefer to do these things when they feel ready. And they feel ready when they’ve enjoyed their space for a while and stopped worrying about the consequences their actions will have on their ex and others.

Should you ask your exes to delete photos of you?

If my exes had photos of me online or on their profiles, I wouldn’t reach out to them just to tell them to delete my photos. I wouldn’t do that regardless of whether I was dumped or did the dumping.

I’d prioritize my happiness and let them keep my photos, delete them, or print them.

What my exes do with photos of me is not my concern. My partner, on the other hand, might not be okay with everything. She’d probably have a hard time understanding why my exes still have my photos and would wonder if they want me back.

This is especially true if they were to reach out and act like we’re friends.

Since I don’t keep in touch with my exes, for me personally, asking my exes to delete their photos of me would be unnecessary. The reach-out itself would probably pose a greater risk than the photos.

That’s why in my situation, it’d be counterproductive to reach out and bother my exes. It’d be better for all of us not to communicate.

Your situation might be different though. Maybe it bothers you or your partner a lot and you need those pictures gone very badly. Maybe your ex has sexual pictures of you.

In that case, it’s probably worth the risk of reaching out and asking your ex to delete your pictures. Say you’d be grateful if he or she could take your pictures off social media and delete them from electronic devices—and that you’ll do the same if he or she wants.

Make sure to wait a couple of months or longer after breaking up so your ex doesn’t feel that you’re demanding things and just trying to protect yourself while ignoring his or her feelings.

If you express yourself politely, your ex will probably do what you ask of him and let you focus on yourself.

What’s your opinion on this topic? Why do you think guys keep photos of their exes on social media and their devices? We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Post them below.👇

However, if you’re interested in talking with us about why your ex might be holding onto photos of his or her previous partners, sign up for our breakup coaching services.

Zan

My name is Zan and I’m the founder of Magnet of Success. I enjoy writing realistic relationship and breakup articles and helping readers heal and grow. With more than 5 years of experience in the self-improvement, relationship, and breakup sphere, my goal is to provide advice that fosters positivity and success and avoids preventable mistakes and pain. Buy me a coffee, learn more about me, or get in touch today.