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How to Hide & Lock Photos on iPhone (Step-by-Step)

Keep your private photos out of sight with iPhone's built-in Hidden album, automatically locked with Face ID. Here is exactly how to do it.

Quick answer: Open Photos, select the photos you want to hide, tap the Share button, tap Hide, and confirm. The Hidden album is locked with Face ID by default on iOS 16 and later. Your hidden photos will not appear in your main library, widgets, Memories, or search results.

How to Hide Photos on iPhone (5 Steps)

  1. Open Photos and select the photos you want to hide

    Launch the Photos app on your iPhone. Navigate to the photos you want to hide -- you can browse your library, search by date or location, or find them in a specific album. Tap Select in the top-right corner, then tap each photo (or video) you want to hide. You will see a blue checkmark on each selected item. You can select as many as you want in a single batch.

  2. Tap the Share button

    With your photos selected, look for the Share button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. It looks like a square with an upward-pointing arrow. Tap it to open the iOS share sheet. If you are hiding a single photo, you can also tap the Share button while viewing the photo full-screen.

  3. Scroll down and tap "Hide"

    In the share sheet, scroll down past the app icons and action suggestions. Near the bottom of the list, you will see Hide. Tap it. If you do not see the Hide option, keep scrolling -- it is typically one of the last items in the share sheet. On iOS 18, it may appear under a "More" section depending on your share sheet configuration.

  4. Confirm by tapping "Hide Photo"

    A confirmation dialog will appear explaining that the photo will be hidden from all areas of the Photos app except the Hidden album. Tap Hide Photo (or Hide X Photos if you selected multiple). The photos are immediately removed from your main library view, the For You tab, widgets, and Memories.

  5. Verify they are in the Hidden album

    To confirm your photos were hidden successfully, go to the Albums tab in the Photos app. Scroll to the very bottom of the page. Under the Utilities section, you will see Hidden. Tap it, then authenticate with Face ID (or Touch ID on compatible models). Your hidden photos should appear inside this album.

Done! Your photos are now hidden from your main library and protected behind Face ID. They will not appear in photo widgets, Memories, the For You tab, or search results within the Photos app.

How to Ensure the Hidden Album Requires Face ID

On iOS 16 and later, the Hidden album is locked by default. However, it is worth verifying this is enabled, especially if you upgraded from an older iOS version or restored from a backup.

  1. Open Settings
  2. Scroll down and tap Photos
  3. Look for Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID on older models)
  4. Make sure the toggle is ON (green)

When this setting is enabled, both the Hidden album and the Recently Deleted album require biometric authentication to open. If someone tries to access either album without your face (or fingerprint), they will be prompted for your device passcode instead.

What if the toggle is missing?

If you do not see the "Use Face ID" toggle in Settings > Photos, make sure you are running iOS 16 or later. You can check by going to Settings > General > About and looking at the Software Version. If you are on iOS 15 or earlier, the Hidden album is NOT locked and can be accessed by anyone who has access to your unlocked phone. We strongly recommend updating to at least iOS 16.

How to Unhide Photos

Changed your mind? Here is how to move photos back to your main library.

  1. Go to Albums > Utilities > Hidden
  2. Authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID
  3. Tap Select and choose the photos you want to unhide
  4. Tap the Share button (square with arrow)
  5. Tap Unhide

The photos will immediately return to your main Photos library in their original position based on their date taken. Any albums they previously belonged to will also show them again.

Alternative: Lock Photos in the Notes App

For an extra layer of security beyond the Hidden album, you can store photos inside a locked note in the Notes app. This provides a second, separate locked container.

How to create a locked note with photos

  1. Open the Notes app and create a new note
  2. Tap the camera icon in the toolbar and select Choose Photo or Video
  3. Select the photos you want to store in the note
  4. Tap the Share button (three dots in top-right) for the note
  5. Tap Lock
  6. The note is now locked with Face ID and requires authentication to open
Important: Photos stored in a locked note still exist in your Photos library. If you want them ONLY in the locked note, you need to delete them from Photos after adding them to the note. Also remember that locked notes are still included in iCloud backups.

When to use Notes vs Hidden album

When Hiding Is Not Enough: Permanently Delete with Swype

Hiding photos keeps them on your device and in your iCloud backup. If you truly do not need certain photos anymore, deleting them is more effective than hiding them. Deleted photos free up storage and leave no trace after 30 days (or immediately if you empty Recently Deleted).

The challenge is that reviewing thousands of photos to decide what to delete is tedious in the native Photos app. This is where Swype Photo Cleaner makes the process dramatically faster.

With Swype, you swipe through your entire camera roll one photo at a time:

You can review hundreds of photos in minutes. Swype processes all deletions at once when you finish. And because Swype is 100% on-device with no uploads, no account, and no internet required, it is completely private -- ideal for reviewing sensitive content.

Clean Up Your Camera Roll Privately

Swype Photo Cleaner works entirely on your device. No uploads, no accounts, no tracking. Swipe left to delete, right to keep.

Download Swype Free

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Hidden album on iPhone?

The Hidden album is in the Photos app under the Albums tab. Scroll to the very bottom of the Albums page and look under the Utilities section. You will see "Hidden" listed there. On iOS 16 and later, tapping it requires Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open. If you do not see it, go to Settings > Photos and make sure "Show Hidden Album" is toggled on.

Can someone see my hidden photos?

On iOS 16 and later, the Hidden album requires Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open. Someone casually browsing your phone cannot see your hidden photos. However, if someone knows your device passcode, they can access the Hidden album using the passcode as a fallback for Face ID. Hidden photos are also included in iCloud and local backups, so anyone with access to an unencrypted backup could potentially view them.

Does hiding photos save storage?

No. Hiding photos does not save any storage space. The photos remain on your device at their full original size -- they are simply moved out of the main library view into the Hidden album. If your goal is to free up storage, you need to delete photos (not hide them) and then empty the Recently Deleted album. Use Swype Photo Cleaner to quickly identify and delete photos you no longer need.

How do I hide videos on iPhone?

The process for hiding videos is identical to hiding photos. Select the video(s) in the Photos app, tap the Share button, scroll down and tap Hide, then confirm. Videos are moved to the same Hidden album as photos and are protected with the same Face ID lock. You can hide photos and videos together in a single batch -- just select both types before tapping Share.

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