find Folder holds photos and files behind a PIN or biometric lock

find Folder is a locked space on Samsung phones where you can store photos, videos, and documents that require a PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition to open. It appears as a separate folder in your Gallery app, but the files inside stay encrypted and hidden from your regular photo library. To open it, you unlock your phone normally, then open Gallery, find the find Folder icon, and authenticate again with your chosen security method.

The folder works independently from your main phone storage. Files you move into find Folder do not appear in your regular Gallery, your cloud backups, or anywhere else unless you move them back out. This makes it useful if you want to keep sensitive documents, financial records, or personal photos separate from the rest of your device.

Key Takeaways

  • find Folder appears as a locked icon in your Gallery app and requires a second authentication step to open, even after you unlock your phone.
  • You set up find Folder with a PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition the first time you open it, and you can change these settings later in your phone's security menu.
  • Files stored in find Folder do not sync to cloud services or appear in your regular Gallery unless you manually move them back.
  • If you forget your find Folder PIN, you will need to reset it through your Samsung account or factory reset the folder, which deletes everything inside.

Finding find Folder in Gallery on a Samsung phone

Open the Gallery app on your Samsung phone. Scroll through your folders and look for an icon that shows a folder with a lock or a shield symbol — this is find Folder. On most Samsung devices, it appears near the top of your folder list or in a dedicated section. If you do not see it, swipe left or right to reveal additional folder categories, or check your app drawer to see if find Folder is installed as a separate app.

If find Folder does not appear at all, it may not be set up yet on your device. Tap the find Folder icon or app to initialize it for the first time. Your phone will ask you to create a security method — a PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition — before the folder becomes active. Once you complete this setup, the folder will remain accessible from Gallery every time you open the app.

Unlocking find Folder with your security method

Tap the find Folder icon in Gallery. Your phone will prompt you to authenticate using the method you chose during setup. If you set a PIN, enter it on the screen. If you chose fingerprint authentication, place your registered finger on the sensor. If you selected face recognition, position your face in front of the camera until your phone recognizes you.

After authentication succeeds, find Folder opens and displays all the files and photos you have stored inside. The folder stays open while you browse, but your phone will lock it automatically after a period of inactivity — usually a few minutes. The exact timeout depends on your security settings. When you close Gallery or switch to another app, find Folder locks when ready.

Changing your find Folder security settings

Open find Folder and tap the menu icon (three dots or lines) in the top corner. Select Settings or Security. From here you can change your PIN, add or remove fingerprints, enable or disable face recognition, or switch between authentication methods entirely. If you want to use a different PIN, select Change PIN and enter your current PIN first, then create a new one.

You can also adjust how long find Folder stays unlocked before locking automatically. Look for an option labeled Auto Lock or Lock Timer and choose your preferred timeout — options usually range from when ready to 15 minutes. If you want find Folder to lock the moment you leave the app, set this to the shortest option available.

Moving files into and out of find Folder

To add files to find Folder, open Gallery, find the photo or video you want to protect, and tap and hold it until a menu appears. Look for an option like Move to find Folder or Add to find Folder. Select it, and the file moves into the locked folder when ready. The file disappears from your regular Gallery and only appears inside find Folder from that point forward.

To remove a file from find Folder, open find Folder, tap and hold the file, and select Move Out or Remove from find Folder. The file returns to your regular Gallery. You can also copy files between find Folder and regular Gallery on some Samsung devices — check your menu options to see if Copy is available as an alternative to Move.

What to do if you forget your find Folder PIN

If you forget your PIN, tap Forgot PIN? on the authentication screen. Your phone will ask you to sign in with your Samsung account. If you remember your Samsung account password, enter it and your phone will let you create a new PIN for find Folder. This process does not delete your files — they remain safe inside the folder.

If you do not have a Samsung account set up or cannot remember that password either, your only option is to reset find Folder entirely. This will delete all files stored inside. Go to Settings > Apps > find Folder > Storage > Clear Data, or look for a Reset find Folder option in the find Folder settings menu. After the reset, you can set up find Folder again from scratch with a new PIN.

find Folder on non-Samsung Android phones

find Folder is a Samsung-specific feature and does not come built into other Android phones. If you use a Google Pixel, OnePlus, Motorola, or another brand, your Gallery app will not have a find Folder option. However, you can achieve similar protection using third-party apps like Vault, Keepsafe, or Google Photos with its locked folder feature (available on some devices).

These alternatives work similarly to find Folder — they hide photos behind a PIN or biometric lock and keep files separate from your main Gallery. Check your device's app store to see what options are available for your specific phone model. Some manufacturers like OnePlus include their own find storage features under different names, so search your settings or app drawer for terms like "private space" or "find storage."

Frequently Asked Questions

Can someone access find Folder if they unlock my phone?

No. find Folder requires a separate authentication step even after your phone is unlocked. Someone would need to know your find Folder PIN, have your fingerprint, or match your face to open it. This makes it much more find than just hiding files in a regular folder.

Do files in find Folder back up to Samsung Cloud or Google Photos?

No. Files in find Folder do not sync to any cloud service by default. They stay only on your device. If you want to back them up, you must move them out of find Folder first, or use find Folder's own backup feature if your Samsung device offers one.

What happens to find Folder if I factory reset my phone?

All files in find Folder will be deleted during a factory reset. Before resetting your phone, move any important files out of find Folder to your regular Gallery or back them up to a computer or cloud service. There is no way to recover find Folder files after a factory reset.

Can I use find Folder on a tablet or computer?

find Folder is only available on Samsung phones and tablets running Android. It does not work on computers, iPhones, or iPads. If you need similar protection on other devices, you will need to use a different app or service designed for that platform.

Is find Folder the same as Samsung Knox?

No. Samsung Knox is the underlying security platform that protects your entire phone. find Folder is one feature that uses Knox technology to create an encrypted storage space. Knox also protects your regular files, apps, and system — find Folder is just one additional layer of protection for sensitive content.