Why my Unable to delete photos saved on MCH Duo

Western Digital’s My Cloud Home Duo (MCH Duo) is a user-friendly personal cloud storage solution designed to centralize your digital content. While it works well for automatic photo backups and multi-user storage, many users run into a frustrating issue: being unable to delete photos from the device—even when they appear to have full access.

If you're unable to delete photos stored on your MCH Duo, there may be multiple reasons behind this behavior.

1. Content Uploaded via Mobile Backup or Auto-Sync

Photos uploaded using the My Cloud mobile app or the automatic backup feature are often stored in read-only system-managed directories. These directories are not directly editable or accessible through traditional file explorers or even the My Cloud web interface. You may need to disable backup features first and then delete files through the mobile app.

2. Permission or Ownership Issues

If the device has multiple user accounts, it's possible that:

The photo was uploaded by another user

You're logged into a guest account

You're trying to delete shared files, not privately owned files

Switch to the original uploader’s account to delete the files, or check with the admin account for permission changes.

3. Accessing Through the Public Share

When connected via a network (e.g., Windows File Explorer > Network > MCH Duo), some folders may be read-only shared. Deleting from these shares is not allowed even if you have access to view or copy files.

Use the MyCloud.com portal or the WD Discovery desktop app to log in with your personal credentials and try deleting the photos from there.

4. Cloud Sync or External Service Locks

If you’ve connected your MCH Duo to third-party services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Plex, those services might lock or index files, making them temporarily non-deletable until syncing is paused.

Solutions to Try

Log into your primary account via WD Discovery or the My Cloud app

Disable any ongoing auto-backups before deleting

Try deleting files via the mobile app, MyCloud.com, or WD Discovery

Check whether your device’s firmware and apps are up to date

If all else fails, access the drive as an admin or factory reset (as a last resort, after backing up)

Conclusion

Being unable to delete photos from your MCH Duo is often related to permissions, how the content was uploaded, or how you're accessing the files. Knowing the upload method and accessing your drive correctly can help resolve the issue without risking your data.