The quickest way to hide photos on your iPhone

Open the Photos app, find the photo or video you want to hide, tap Select in the bottom right, then tap the three dots menu and choose Move to Hidden Album. The photo moves when ready to a separate album called Hidden, which is password-protected by default and does not appear in your main library or search results.

The Hidden Album exists on every iPhone running iOS 16 or later. It is not a folder you create — it is built into the Photos app. Once you move a photo there, it stays hidden until you explicitly unhide it or delete it. The album itself is locked behind your Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode, so someone picking up your phone cannot see what is inside without unlocking it.

Key Takeaways

  • You move photos to Hidden Album one at a time or in batches using the three-dot menu in the Photos app.
  • Hidden Album is password-protected by your Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode and does not show in your main photo library.
  • You can change whether Hidden Album requires authentication each time you open it in Settings > Photos.
  • Hiding a photo does not delete it or back it up separately — it just moves it out of sight in the same place.

Moving one photo to Hidden Album

Open the Photos app and find the photo you want to hide. Tap it to open it full-screen, then tap Select in the bottom right corner. A checkmark appears on the photo.

Tap the three dots (more options) in the bottom right, then scroll down and tap Move to Hidden Album. The photo disappears from your main library and moves to the Hidden Album when ready. You will see a confirmation message that says "Photo moved to Hidden Album."

Hiding multiple photos at once

If you want to hide several photos together, open the Photos app and tap Select in the top right of any view (your library, a specific album, or a date range). Tap each photo you want to hide — a checkmark appears on each one. You can tap as many as you want.

Once you have selected all the photos, tap the three dots menu at the bottom right and choose Move to Hidden Album. All selected photos move to Hidden Album at once. This is faster than hiding them one by one, especially if you have a lot of photos to move.

Finding and opening Hidden Album

Hidden Album does not appear in your main Albums view by default. To find it, open the Photos app and go to the Albums tab at the bottom. Scroll down to the Other Albums section — Hidden Album is listed there.

Tap Hidden Album to open it. If you have set up authentication (Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode), your iPhone will ask you to unlock it before showing the contents. Once you are inside, you can view, edit, or unhide any photo stored there. The album shows a lock icon next to its name to remind you it is protected.

Setting up or changing Hidden Album security

By default, Hidden Album is locked behind your Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. You can change whether it requires authentication every time you open it, or only when you first unlock your phone.

Go to Settings > Photos and scroll down to find the Hidden Album section. You will see an option that says Require Authentication with a toggle. If the toggle is on, you must authenticate (Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode) every time you open Hidden Album. If it is off, you only need to authenticate once per phone unlock.

If you want Hidden Album to require authentication every single time, leave the toggle on. If you want it to stay unlocked as long as your phone is unlocked, turn the toggle off. Either way, the album is hidden from your main library and search results.

Unhiding photos when you want them back

Open Hidden Album, find the photo you want to unhide, and tap Select. Tap the three dots menu and choose Unhide. The photo moves back to your main library in the same place it was before you hid it — organized by the date you took it.

You can unhide multiple photos at once the same way you hide them: tap Select, tap each photo you want to unhide, tap the three dots menu, and choose Unhide. All selected photos return to your main library when ready.

What hiding does and does not do

Hiding a photo removes it from your main library, search results, and albums — but it does not delete it. The photo still takes up storage space on your phone and is still backed up to iCloud if you have iCloud Photos turned on. If someone knows Hidden Album exists and can unlock your phone, they can find the photo.

Hiding is useful for keeping photos out of sight from casual browsing, but it is not encryption. If you need to truly protect sensitive photos, consider using a separate password manager or encrypted notes app instead. Hidden Album is a privacy tool for everyday use, not a security vault.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide photos on older iPhones?

Hidden Album is only available on iPhone running iOS 16 or later. If you have an older iPhone, you can check your iOS version in Settings > General > About. If you are running iOS 15 or earlier, you cannot use Hidden Album, but you can move photos to a private album or use a third-party app instead.

What happens to hidden photos if I delete them?

If you delete a photo from Hidden Album, it goes to the Recently Deleted album for 30 days, then is permanently removed. You can recover it during those 30 days by opening Recently Deleted, tapping Select, tapping the photo, and choosing Recover.

Will hidden photos show up in iCloud Photos or on my other devices?

If you have iCloud Photos turned on, hidden photos are still backed up to iCloud and will appear in Hidden Album on your other Apple devices (iPad, Mac, etc.). The Hidden Album status syncs across all your devices, so a photo hidden on your iPhone is also hidden on your iPad.

Can someone see hidden photos if they have my passcode?

Yes. If someone knows your passcode or can unlock your phone with Face ID or Touch ID, they can open Hidden Album and see everything inside. Hiding is not the same as password-protecting — it just keeps photos out of sight from casual browsing.

Can I move videos to Hidden Album the same way?

Yes. Videos move to Hidden Album using the exact same steps as photos. Open the video, tap Select, tap the three dots menu, and choose Move to Hidden Album. Videos are treated the same as photos in the Hidden Album.