How to Make a Private Photo Album on iPhone

To make a private photo album on iPhone, hide the photos you want to keep private. Hidden photos move into the Hidden album, which iOS locks with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and you can switch the album off so it no longer shows in Photos at all. Apple documents no separate “new private album” option, so the Hidden album is the private album.

This guide walks through each step on current iOS, including how to unhide photos and how to remove the album from view. It also covers what a private album cannot do, so you know when to use something else. Each step comes from Apple Support and is linked.

Before you start

• The Hidden album is already on your iPhone. You do not create it.
• Hiding a photo moves it out of your Library and other albums. Apple says hidden photos don’t appear anywhere else in Photos, even in the Photos widget on your Home Screen.
• Since iOS 16, the Hidden album is locked by default and needs authentication to open.

Step by step: make a private album

Hide one photo or video

1. Open Photos.
2. Touch and hold the photo or video you want to hide.
3. Tap Hide, then confirm.

You can also open the photo and use the more (…) button, then tap Hide, as Apple’s iPhone guide shows.

Hide many at once

1. In Photos, open your Library or an album.
2. Tap Select, then tap each photo or video you want.
3. Tap the more (…) button, then tap Hide.

Hiding in bulk is the quickest way to build a private album from a trip or an event.

Open your private album

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

If you can’t find it, the album may be switched off. See the next section.

Unhide a photo

1. Open the Hidden album as above.
2. Touch and hold the photo or video, then tap Unhide.

The photo returns to your Library. Apple’s steps are the same on iPhone and iPad.

Remove the album from Photos

By default the Hidden album is visible under Utilities, and anyone who opens Collections will see that it exists even if they can’t open it. To remove it from view:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Photos.
2. Turn off Show Hidden Album.

While it is off, your hidden photos are not visible in the Photos app. Turn it on again when you want to unhide something. Apple describes this in its Hidden album article.

Can you hide an album on iPhone?

Not directly. Apple’s Hidden album article describes hiding individual photos and videos, which move into the Hidden album. It lists no option to hide an album you created yourself, and the album stays in your list. The only album-level switch is the one for the Hidden album itself, covered above.

The closest real option takes three steps:

1. Open the album, tap Select, and tap the photos and videos you want out of sight.
2. Tap the more (…) button, then tap Hide and confirm. They leave the album and move to the Hidden album.
3. Go to Settings > Apps > Photos and turn off Show Hidden Album.

The album itself stays visible, just without those photos. To get them back, turn Show Hidden Album on again and unhide them from Utilities. If the album’s name is the thing you want private, rename it, because the name is visible to anyone who opens Photos.

Check the lock is switched on

In Settings > Apps > Photos, make sure Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID or Use Passcode) is on. Apple says turning it off makes the Recently Deleted and Hidden collections unlocked by default.

What a private album on iPhone can’t do

• It is not password-based. The Hidden album unlocks with Face ID, Touch ID or the passcode you already use, so anyone who knows your passcode can open it.
• It follows iCloud Photos. If you use iCloud Photos, Apple states that photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too. The photos are still in your library and in your Apple Account.
• There is only one. The lock settings Apple documents cover the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums. We found no equivalent lock for an ordinary album you create yourself. Photos in an ordinary album are visible to anyone who opens Photos.
• Deleted photos linger. Photos you delete go to Recently Deleted for 30 days, per Apple. That collection has its own lock, set in the same place.

For a longer look at who can see the album and in what situations, read is the iPhone Hidden album private.

Alternatives to the Hidden album

A locked note. For a few photos, you can lock a note with a password or Face ID. Videos can’t go in a locked note. The guide to locking photos on iPhone has the steps and limits.

Locking the Photos app. In iOS 18 and later you can require Face ID to open an app. This protects the whole app, not an album.

A vault app. A vault keeps files in its own encrypted storage behind its own lock, away from your Photos library. You then manage that lock, so know how recovery works before you move photos in, which is covered in the photo vault recovery guide.

Forevault is our vault app for iPhone. Files are encrypted on the device with AES-256-GCM. You open it with a pattern on a 5×5 grid or a passcode or password, and Face ID is optional. You can keep separate vaults per pattern, and the lock screen doesn’t list them. There is a 12-word recovery phrase, an encrypted backup to your own iCloud with “Test a restore”, and export to Photos or Files is always free. No account, no data collected. The free tier covers 100 photos, 10 videos and 3 vaults. It protects against someone holding your phone, not forensic analysis. Details are on the homepage and the support page. Download Forevault on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a private album with a different password than my passcode?

Not for the Hidden album. It uses your device authentication. Locked notes can use a separate password.

Why did my hidden photos disappear?

Check whether Show Hidden Album is off in Settings > Apps > Photos. Apple notes that when the Hidden album is off, hidden photos aren’t visible in the Photos app. They are not deleted.

Does hiding a photo delete it from iCloud?

No. Hidden photos stay in your library. With iCloud Photos on, they are hidden on your other devices as well.

Can you hide an album on iPhone?

Not an album you created. Apple documents hiding photos and videos, which move to the Hidden album, and turning the Hidden album off in Settings > Apps > Photos. To keep an album’s contents out of sight, hide its photos and switch off Show Hidden Album.