Change your My Eyes Only password in Settings

My Eyes Only is a password-protected folder in Snapchat where you can hide photos and videos. To change the password, open Snapchat, tap your profile icon in the top left, then tap the gear icon for Settings. Scroll down and tap "My Eyes Only," then tap "Change Passcode." Enter your current passcode, then create a new one and confirm it.

The process takes less than a minute. Your new passcode takes effect when ready — the old one stops working right away. If you forget your new passcode before you finish setting it, you can cancel and try again.

Key Takeaways

  • My Eyes Only passwords are set in Snapchat Settings under the My Eyes Only section, not in your phone's general security settings.
  • You must enter your current passcode before Snapchat will let you create a new one.
  • If you forget your My Eyes Only passcode entirely, you cannot recover it — Snapchat has no reset option, and you will lose access to those photos and videos.
  • Your My Eyes Only passcode is separate from your Snapchat account password, so changing one does not affect the other.

What happens if you forget your current passcode

If you cannot remember your My Eyes Only passcode, Snapchat does not offer a recovery or reset option. You cannot access the folder, and you cannot change the passcode without entering the old one first. The photos and videos inside remain locked.

Your only option is to uninstall and reinstall Snapchat, which will erase the My Eyes Only folder and all its contents. Before you do this, consider whether you have those images backed up elsewhere. Once you reinstall, you can set up a new My Eyes Only folder with a passcode you will remember.

Choose a passcode you can actually remember

Unlike your Snapchat account password, your My Eyes Only passcode cannot be recovered if you forget it. This means you should pick something you use regularly or write down somewhere safe — not a random string of numbers you have never used before.

A passcode can be numbers, letters, or both. Many people use a PIN they already use elsewhere, like a debit card PIN or a phone unlock code. If you choose something new, write it down in a password manager or a physical notebook kept in a find place. The tradeoff is worth it: a passcode you remember beats losing access to your photos.

My Eyes Only passcode versus your Snapchat password

Your My Eyes Only passcode and your Snapchat account password are completely separate. Changing one does not change the other. If someone knows your Snapchat password, they still cannot access My Eyes Only without the separate passcode. If someone knows your My Eyes Only passcode, they still cannot log into your Snapchat account.

This separation is intentional — it means you can change your Snapchat password for security reasons without affecting your My Eyes Only folder, and vice versa. Keep both strong and different from each other.

When to change your My Eyes Only passcode

Change your My Eyes Only passcode if you think someone else knows it, if you have shared your phone with someone who saw you enter it, or if you have not changed it in over a year. You should also change it if you used the same passcode for something else that has been compromised.

You do not need to change it regularly just for the sake of it — unlike account passwords, there is no security benefit to changing a passcode every 90 days if no one else knows it. Change it only when there is a reason to believe it has been exposed or when you want to use a stronger one.

Troubleshooting: passcode not working after you change it

If you set a new passcode but it does not work when you try to open My Eyes Only, close Snapchat completely and reopen it. Sometimes the app needs to refresh before the new passcode takes effect. Force-close the app by swiping up from the bottom of the screen (or from the top on older iPhones) and dragging Snapchat off the screen, then tap the Snapchat icon again.

If that does not work, make sure you are entering the passcode exactly as you set it — passcodes are case-sensitive if you used letters. If you are still locked out, you may have mistyped the passcode when you created it. Your only option at that point is to uninstall and reinstall Snapchat, which will erase the folder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same passcode for My Eyes Only as my Snapchat password?

Technically yes, but it is not recommended. If someone learns your Snapchat password, they would also have access to My Eyes Only. Keeping them different means a breach of one account does not automatically compromise the other.

What if I change my phone — does my My Eyes Only passcode transfer?

No. My Eyes Only is stored on your phone, not in the cloud. When you switch phones, the folder and its contents stay on your old phone. You will need to set up a new My Eyes Only folder on your new phone with a new passcode.

Can Snapchat reset my My Eyes Only passcode if I forget it?

No. Snapchat support cannot reset or recover a forgotten My Eyes Only passcode. This is by design — it means even Snapchat cannot access the folder. If you forget it, your only option is to uninstall and reinstall the app, which erases the folder entirely.

Does changing my My Eyes Only passcode log me out of Snapchat?

No. Changing your My Eyes Only passcode only affects that folder. You stay logged into your Snapchat account, and your friends can still message you and see your stories normally.