How to Hide Photos on iPhone, Android and Mac

Phone steps follow Apple and Google help pages, and menu names differ by version. Mac steps use macOS 14 and later names.

Pick your device

The steps below say photo, and they work the same for pictures and videos. This guide does not cover Windows PCs. The Mac app on this site is for Mac only. It does not run on iPhone, Android or Windows.

Hide photos on an iPhone or iPad

1. Select the photo

   Open Photos. Press and hold the photo or video.

2. Hide it

   Tap Hide and confirm. Apple says hidden items move to the Hidden album and do not appear anywhere else in Photos.

3. Find it later

   Tap Collections, scroll to Utilities, tap Hidden, then tap View Album. Unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID.

4. Put it back

   Unlock the Hidden album, press and hold the item and tap Unhide.

You can also hide the album itself. Open Settings, tap Apps, tap Photos and turn off Show Hidden Album. Apple says hidden items then will not be visible in the Photos app.

Hide photos on Android

1. Open Google Photos. At the bottom tap Collections, then Locked.
2. Select Set up Locked Folder and follow the prompts to unlock your device.
3. To move a photo, go to Photos, select it, tap Add to, then Move to Locked Folder, and tap Move.

Google says items in Locked Folder do not appear in the photo grid, memories, search or albums, and cannot be shared. The folder uses your device screen lock, and you cannot set a different one. Phone makers add their own tools too. Menu names differ by brand, so check your phone maker's help page.

Android 15 and later also have Private space for apps. Google says a locked private space hides its apps from the launcher, recent views and quick search, and stops them from showing notifications. It is a way to hide apps, not a photo album. Google also says that the space is not included in device backups.

Hide photos on a Mac

1. Open Photos and Control-click the photo, then choose Hide Photo. You can also press ⌘L.
2. To view the album, choose View > Show Hidden Photo Album, select Hidden under Utilities in the sidebar and click View Album.
3. Unlock with Touch ID or your login password. To put a photo back, Control-click it and choose Unhide Photo.

A longer Mac walkthrough, including hiding photos from people who share your Mac, is in hide photos on Mac.

What these methods do not do

• The unlock is your device unlock. Anyone who can sign in as you can open the album or folder. Google says this about Locked Folder directly.
• With iCloud Photos on, Apple says hidden items are hidden on your other devices too. The photo still lives in your library.
• Apple describes the Hidden album as locked. It does not describe a separate encrypted container.
• On Android, Google says Locked Folder items that are not backed up are lost if you uninstall the Photos app, clear its data, or lose the device.
• Copies you sent, saved or synced earlier are not hidden. Search your messages, downloads and cloud storage.

Plan how you will get them back

Hidden photos are easy to lose track of. Keep a note of what you hid and where. On iPhone, remember that turning off Show Hidden Album removes the album from view until you turn the setting back on. On Android, decide before you start whether Locked Folder items need a backup. Google says backup is optional, and that unsaved items are stored only on that device.

When you need more than hiding

If the photos must stay unreadable even when someone unlocks your device, put them in an encrypted container. On a Mac, make a private photo vault. To compare vault apps, start with what a vault app is. Be careful with disguised apps; calculator vault apps explains what a disguise does and does not protect.