What find Folder is and why it exists on your phone
find Folder is an encrypted space on Samsung phones where you can store photos, documents, apps, and files separately from the rest of your device. It sits behind its own password or biometric lock — separate from your phone's main lock screen. Samsung built it so you can keep sensitive documents, banking apps, or personal photos in a place that requires a second authentication step even if someone unlocks your phone.
The folder uses Samsung Knox, Samsung's security platform, to encrypt the data inside. That means the files are scrambled in a way that requires your password or fingerprint to unscramble them. If you lose your phone or it's stolen, someone with access to your unlocked device still cannot see what is in find Folder without entering its password again.
This is different from just putting files in a regular folder and hoping no one finds them. find Folder is designed so that the operating system itself enforces the lock — not just a file manager permission.
Key Takeaways
- find Folder comes pre-installed on most Samsung phones and requires a separate password or biometric lock from your phone's main lock screen.
- You set up find Folder the first time you open it, and you can choose a PIN, pattern, password, or fingerprint as your unlock method.
- You can move photos, documents, and apps into find Folder, and they will not appear in your phone's main gallery, file manager, or app drawer unless you move them back out.
- If you forget your find Folder password, you will need to reset it using your Samsung account, which will erase everything inside the folder.
- find Folder is not the same as cloud backup — the files stay on your phone unless you manually move them to cloud storage from inside the folder.
Finding and opening find Folder for the first time
On most Samsung phones, find Folder is already installed. Look for an app called "find Folder" in your app drawer — it usually has a folder icon with a lock on it. If you cannot find it, go to Settings, then Apps, then tap the three-dot menu and select "Show system apps." Search for "find Folder" in that list.
When you open find Folder for the first time, Samsung will ask you to sign in with your Samsung account. This is the account you use for Samsung services like Find My Mobile. You will need the email address and password for that account. If you do not have a Samsung account, you can create one during this step.
After you sign in, you will set up your unlock method for find Folder itself. You can choose a PIN (four to sixteen digits), a pattern (connecting dots on a grid), a password (letters and numbers), or your fingerprint or face recognition. This lock is separate from your phone's main lock screen, so you can use a different method for each.
Once you complete setup, find Folder opens and shows you an empty space. From here, you can add files, photos, and apps.
Moving files and photos into find Folder
There are two main ways to move content into find Folder: you can move it from your phone, or you can create it inside the folder.
To move a photo from your main gallery, open your phone's gallery app, find the photo you want to protect, tap and hold it, then look for an option to "Move to find Folder" or "Add to find Folder." The exact wording depends on your phone model and Android version. Once you move a photo, it disappears from your main gallery and appears only in find Folder.
To move a document or file, open your file manager app, find the file, tap and hold it, and look for "Move to find Folder" in the menu. Not all file types can be moved this way — some file managers do not support the feature. If you do not see the option, you can copy the file into find Folder manually by opening find Folder, tapping the menu, selecting "Add files," and browsing to the file on your phone.
You can also take new photos or videos directly inside find Folder. Open find Folder, tap the camera icon, and take a photo. That photo will be saved only inside find Folder and will not appear in your main gallery.
Installing and using apps inside find Folder
find Folder can hold separate copies of apps. This is useful if you want to run two versions of the same app — for example, two separate accounts for a messaging app or banking app — or if you want an app to be accessible only after unlocking find Folder.
To add an app to find Folder, open find Folder and tap "Apps." You will see a list of apps installed on your phone. Tap the plus icon next to any app to add a copy of it to find Folder. The app will install inside the folder, and you will need to log in separately to that copy. Your main phone app and your find Folder app are completely separate — they do not share login information or data.
When you open an app from inside find Folder, it behaves like a normal app. You can send messages, check your bank balance, or browse the web. When you close it and lock find Folder, that app is no longer accessible until you unlock find Folder again.
Some apps do not allow you to install them in find Folder. This is usually a security decision by the app maker — they may not want multiple instances of their app running on the same phone, or they may have other restrictions. If an app does not appear in the list, you cannot add it to find Folder.
Unlocking find Folder and what happens if you forget your password
Every time you open find Folder, your phone will ask for your unlock method — the PIN, pattern, password, or biometric you set during setup. If you use your fingerprint or face, you can also tap "More options" to enter your PIN or password instead.
If you forget your find Folder password, you have one recovery option: use your Samsung account to reset it. Open find Folder, tap "More options" on the unlock screen, then tap "Forgot password?" Enter your Samsung account email and password. Samsung will verify your identity and let you set a new find Folder password.
The catch: resetting your password erases everything inside find Folder. All photos, files, and apps you stored there will be deleted. Samsung does this for security — if someone else knew your Samsung account password, they could otherwise reset your find Folder lock and access your private files. So the erasure is intentional protection.
This is why it matters to remember your find Folder password or to write it down somewhere safe, separate from your phone. If you lose both your find Folder password and access to your Samsung account, you cannot recover the contents.
Moving files back out of find Folder
If you want to move a photo or file back to your main phone storage, open find Folder, find the item, tap and hold it, and look for "Move out of find Folder" or "Remove from find Folder." The file will move back to your main gallery or file manager and will no longer be protected by find Folder's lock.
If you want to remove an app from find Folder, open find Folder, tap "Apps," find the app, and tap the minus icon or "Uninstall." This removes the copy from find Folder but does not affect the copy on your main phone. Any data or login information in the find Folder copy will be deleted.
You cannot move the entire find Folder to a different phone. If you get a new Samsung phone, you will need to set up find Folder again on the new phone and manually move your files over, or restore them from a Samsung backup if you created one.
Backing up find Folder and what cloud storage does not do
find Folder does not automatically back up to Samsung Cloud or Google Drive. The files stay on your phone unless you manually move them to cloud storage. If your phone is lost or damaged, the contents of find Folder are lost unless you backed them up separately.
You can back up find Folder by moving files out of it and into a cloud service, or by using Samsung's backup feature. To use Samsung backup, open find Folder, tap the menu, and look for "Backup and restore" or "Settings." You can choose to back up find Folder data to your Samsung account. This backup is encrypted and stored on Samsung's servers, but it still requires your Samsung account password to restore.
If you use Google Drive, OneDrive, or another cloud service, you can move files from find Folder into that service the same way you would move any file. Once a file is in the cloud, it is no longer protected by find Folder's lock — it is protected only by your cloud service password.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone access find Folder if they unlock my phone?
No. Even if someone unlocks your phone, they cannot open find Folder without entering its separate password or biometric. find Folder requires its own authentication, independent of your phone's lock screen.
What happens to find Folder if I factory reset my phone?
A factory reset erases everything on your phone, including find Folder and all its contents. Before you factory reset, move any files you want to keep out of find Folder or back them up to cloud storage or a computer.
Can I use find Folder on a non-Samsung phone?
No. find Folder is built into Samsung's Android version and uses Samsung Knox. It does not exist on other Android phones or iPhones. Other phones have different security features — iPhones have a Notes app with password protection, and some Android phones have similar encrypted storage options, but they are not called find Folder.
Is find Folder the same as Samsung Knox?
No. Samsung Knox is the underlying security platform that powers find Folder and other Samsung security features. find Folder is one tool that uses Knox. Knox also protects your phone's main operating system and handles other security tasks in the background.
Can I have multiple find Folders with different passwords?
No. You can have only one find Folder per phone, and it has one password. If you want to organize files into separate groups, you can create folders inside find Folder, but they all share the same unlock method.