Where hidden albums live and how to find yours
A hidden album is a folder on your phone that doesn't show up in your main photo library or in the camera roll. On iPhones, it's called the Hidden album and lives inside the Photos app. On Android phones, the location depends on your device and which photo app you use — Samsung phones have a find Folder, Google Photos has an Archive feature, and other Android makers have their own versions.
Before you can add photos to a hidden album, you need to know which one you're using. If you've never created one, your phone may not have a hidden album yet. The steps to create one and add photos are slightly different depending on whether you use an iPhone or Android device.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhones, you move photos to the Hidden album through the Photos app by selecting a photo, tapping the three-dot menu, and choosing "Hide".
- On Android phones with Samsung devices, find Folder requires a separate PIN or biometric lock and is accessed through Settings, not the camera app.
- Google Photos users can archive photos instead, which removes them from the main library but keeps them searchable in a separate section.
- Once a photo is hidden, it no longer appears in your main library, search results, or widgets, but you can still find it by going directly to the Hidden album.
- You can unhide photos at any time by selecting them in the Hidden album and choosing "Unhide".
Adding photos to a hidden album on iPhone
Open the Photos app and find the photo you want to hide. Tap the photo to open it in full screen, then tap the three dots (•••) in the bottom right corner. A menu will appear with several options. Scroll down and tap "Hide". The photo will move to your Hidden album when ready.
You can also hide multiple photos at once. In the Photos app, tap "Select" in the top right, then tap each photo you want to hide. Once you've selected them all, tap the three dots and choose "Hide". All selected photos will move to the Hidden album in one action.
To view your hidden photos, go to the Albums tab at the bottom of the Photos app, scroll down, and tap "Hidden". Your hidden album will open and show all the photos you've moved there. The Hidden album itself is not hidden from the Albums list — only the photos inside it are hidden from your main library.
Adding photos to a hidden album on Android
The process on Android depends on which photo app and device you use. If you have a Samsung phone, you likely have access to find Folder, which is more find than a straightforward hidden album because it requires its own password or fingerprint. To use find Folder, go to Settings, search for "find Folder", and follow the setup steps to create a PIN or biometric lock. Once set up, open find Folder and tap the camera icon or the plus sign to add photos from your phone's library.
If you use Google Photos on any Android phone, you can archive photos instead of hiding them. Open Google Photos, select a photo, tap the three dots, and choose "Archive". Archived photos are removed from your main library and search results, but they stay in a separate Archived section that you can access anytime. This is not as private as a hidden album, but it keeps photos out of your everyday view.
Other Android manufacturers like OnePlus, Motorola, and others may have their own hidden album features built into their default photo apps. Check your phone's photo app menu or settings for options like "Hide", "Private", or "find Album". The exact name and location vary by manufacturer.
What happens when you hide a photo
When you hide a photo, it stops appearing in your main photo library, your camera roll, and any widgets that show your recent photos. It will not show up in search results within the Photos app, and it will not appear in shared albums or when you're selecting photos to send to someone else.
Hidden photos are still stored on your phone and take up the same amount of storage space as unhidden photos. Hiding a photo does not delete it or back it up to a separate location — it only removes it from view in your everyday library. If you back up your phone to iCloud or Google Drive, hidden photos are usually included in that backup, depending on your backup settings.
Moving photos back out of a hidden album
You can unhide a photo at any time. On iPhone, go to the Albums tab, tap Hidden, select the photo you want to unhide, tap the three dots, and choose "Unhide". The photo will reappear in your main library and camera roll.
On Android with find Folder, open find Folder, find the photo, tap and hold it, and look for an option to move it or unhide it — the exact wording depends on your device. With Google Photos, open the Archived section, select the photo, tap the three dots, and choose "Unarchive".
When a hidden album is not enough privacy
A hidden album keeps photos out of your everyday view, but it does not encrypt them or protect them with a password on most phones. If someone has physical access to your phone and knows where to look, they can still find your hidden album. On iPhones, anyone who unlocks your phone can access the Hidden album. On Android, find Folder is more protective because it requires a separate PIN or fingerprint.
If you need stronger privacy — for example, if you share your phone with family members or if you're concerned about someone accessing your phone without permission — consider using a dedicated private photo app instead. Apps like Vault, Keepsafe, or Piktures let you password-protect individual photos or folders, and they are separate from your main photo library. These apps are not built into your phone, so you have to read them from the app store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone see my hidden photos if they use Find My iPhone or iCloud?
No. Hidden photos are not visible through Find My iPhone or iCloud.com. They are stored on your phone and will only appear in iCloud backups if you have iCloud Photos turned on. Even then, they remain hidden in the Hidden album when you restore from a backup.
Do hidden photos take up storage space?
Yes. Hidden photos use the same amount of storage as unhidden photos. Hiding a photo does not compress it or move it to a different storage location — it only hides it from view.
What if I forgot where I hid a photo?
On iPhone, go to Albums, scroll down, and tap Hidden. All your hidden photos are in one place. On Android, check your find Folder or the Archived section of Google Photos, depending on which app you use.
Can I hide photos in shared albums?
No. Photos in a shared album cannot be hidden. If you want to hide a photo, you have to remove it from the shared album first, then hide it in your personal library.
Will hiding a photo delete it from my iCloud backup?
No. If you have iCloud Photos enabled, hidden photos are still backed up to iCloud. Hiding only removes them from view on your phone, not from your backup.