How to Hide Photos on iPhone (Photos, Videos, Hidden Album)

To hide a photo on iPhone, open Photos, touch and hold the photo or video, tap Hide and confirm. It moves to the Hidden album, which you find under Collections > Utilities > Hidden and unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Videos hide the same way, and you can switch the Hidden album off completely in Settings > Apps > Photos.

Below are the exact steps for hiding, finding and unhiding, how to lock and hide the album itself, and what hiding does not protect. Every iOS detail is linked to the Apple Support page it comes from.

Hide photos and videos on iPhone

Apple’s Hidden album page gives the quickest route.

1. Open Photos.
2. Touch and hold the photo or video.
3. Tap Hide and confirm.

You can also hide from inside the item. Apple’s iPhone guide says to open the photo or video, tap the more (…) button, then tap Hide.

To hide several at once

1. Open your library or a collection.
2. Tap Select, then tap the photos and videos you want to hide.
3. Tap the more (…) button, then tap Hide.

Apple says hidden photos move to the Hidden collection and you can’t view them anywhere else in Photos. They no longer appear in the Library, other albums or the Photos widget on your Home Screen.

Find and unhide hidden photos

1. In Photos, tap Collections.
2. Scroll down and tap Hidden, which sits below Utilities.
3. Tap View Album and unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.

To bring a photo back into your library, open it in the Hidden album, tap the more (…) button, then tap Unhide. Apple’s guide describes this under “Stop hiding photos and videos”. The photo reappears in your Library.

If you cannot see a Hidden album at all, someone (probably you) turned it off. See the next section.

Hide the Hidden album itself

By default the Hidden album sits in Collections, so anyone who opens Photos can see that it exists, even though they cannot open it. Apple says you can add an extra layer of privacy by removing it from view:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps, then tap Photos.
3. Turn off Show Hidden Album.

With that switch off, the Hidden album no longer shows up in Photos. Nothing is deleted. Turn the switch back on when you want to open the album, and the photos are still there.

Lock the Hidden album with Face ID

Since iOS 16, Apple locks the Hidden album by default, and it unlocks with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. You do not need to switch anything on. You only need to make sure nobody switched it off.

To check, go to Settings > Apps > Photos. Apple’s guide says that turning off Use Face ID, Use Touch ID or Use Passcode changes the default from locked to unlocked, so leave the one shown on your iPhone turned on. The same setting covers the Recently Deleted album.

For other ways to lock photos, including a locked note and locking the Photos app, see how to lock photos on iPhone.

What happens on your Mac and other devices

If you use iCloud Photos, Apple says any photos you hide are hidden on all your devices, and the iPhone guide says the same for deleting. So hiding a photo on your iPhone also hides it on an iPad or Mac signed in to the same Apple Account.

On a Mac the setup differs. According to Apple’s Hidden album page:

• The Hidden album is off by default on Mac. To show it, choose View > Show Hidden Photo Album, and it appears in the sidebar under Utilities.
• To hide a photo on a Mac, Control-click it and choose Hide Photo, or select it and press Command-L.
• You unlock the Hidden album on a Mac with Touch ID or your login password.

The practical result is that your hidden photos are in your iCloud library and can be opened from any device signed in to your Apple Account, each protected by that device’s own authentication.

What hiding does not do

Hiding is a privacy screen on your photo library. It is useful, and it has limits.

• It does not stop someone with your passcode. The Hidden album unlocks with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, so a person who knows the passcode can open it.
• The photos stay in your Photos library. Apple says hidden photos are moved to the Hidden collection, which is part of Photos. They are not stored somewhere separate.
• It does not delete anything. A hidden photo still takes up the same space and is still backed up if you use iCloud Photos.
• It does not unshare copies. If you already sent the photo, added it to a shared album or exported it, those copies are unaffected.
• Deleting is a different action. Apple says deleted photos stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days before they are removed from all your devices.

We found no Apple page that describes the Hidden album as a separately encrypted store. For who can and cannot see your hidden photos in each situation, read is the iPhone Hidden album private.

When a vault app fits better

The Hidden album is the right tool for keeping a few photos out of casual view. It is a weaker fit when the files are sensitive, when you share a passcode or Apple Account with someone, or when you do not want them in your Photos library or iCloud library at all.

A vault app keeps files in its own storage behind its own lock, so a photo in the vault is not in your Photos library. You then manage that lock yourself, and if you lose it, what you can recover depends on the app. The photo vault recovery guide covers what to check before you trust one.

Forevault is our app for this. It encrypts files on the device with AES-256-GCM and opens with a pattern on a 5×5 grid or a passcode or password, with Face ID as an option. You can keep separate vaults for different patterns, and the lock screen does not list them. You get a 12-word recovery phrase and an encrypted backup to your own iCloud, with “Test a restore” so you can check it works. Export to Photos or Files is always free. There is no account and no data collected. The free tier holds 100 photos, 10 videos and 3 vaults. It protects against someone holding your phone, not forensic analysis. Questions go to the support page. Download Forevault on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

How do I hide videos on iPhone?

The same way as photos. In Photos, touch and hold the video, tap Hide and confirm. Apple’s Hidden album page covers photos and videos together, and hidden videos go to the Hidden album next to your photos.

Where is the hidden folder on iPhone?

It is the Hidden album. In Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Utilities and tap Hidden, then tap View Album and unlock. If it is not there, Show Hidden Album is switched off in Settings > Apps > Photos.

Can someone see my hidden photos?

Not through Photos without Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, since the Hidden album is locked by default. Anyone who knows your passcode can open it, and anyone signed in to your Apple Account on another device can reach it there with that device’s authentication.

Does hiding a photo delete it?

No. A hidden photo moves to the Hidden album and stays in your library. Deleting is separate, and Apple keeps deleted photos in Recently Deleted for 30 days.

How do I lock hidden photos on iPhone?

The Hidden album is already locked by default on iOS 16 and later. Check Settings > Apps > Photos and make sure Use Face ID, Use Touch ID or Use Passcode is on. Apple’s guide says that turning it off makes the album unlocked.

Why did my hidden photos disappear from my library?

Hiding removes a photo from the Library and other albums. Open Collections > Utilities > Hidden to find it again, and use Unhide to put it back.