How to hide photos on iPhone

Most people who search this want one thing. They want a photo that stays out of view when someone else scrolls their camera roll. iOS does that with no extra app. This guide shows the steps, then what the built-in options protect and what they leave open. We checked every step against Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 on 2026-10-02. The steps are the same in iOS 18 and later.

Hide a photo and lock the album

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Open the photo or video you want to hide. To hide many at once, tap Select and tap each item.
3. Tap the More button, then tap Hide. The item moves to the Hidden collection.
4. Go to Settings, tap Apps, then tap Photos. Make sure Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID or Use Passcode) is on.
5. On the same screen, turn off Show Hidden Album if you do not want the album to show in Photos.

Step 4 is on by default. Apple locks the Hidden and Recently Deleted collections from the start. You only need to check that nobody turned the lock off. The same switch controls both collections, so turning it off also opens Recently Deleted without Face ID.

Where do hidden photos go?

A hidden photo moves to the Hidden collection. To find it, open Photos, tap Collections, and look below Utilities. Tap Hidden, tap View Album, then unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Apple says hidden items do not appear in the Library, in other albums or in the Photos widget on the Home Screen.

To bring a photo back, open it inside the Hidden collection, tap the More button, then tap Unhide. It returns to your library. The Hidden album guide covers the album in more detail, including what to do when it seems to be missing.

How to completely hide photos on iPhone

“Completely” means three different things to different readers. Each one has a different answer.

Out of the camera roll. The Hide step does this. The photo leaves the Library and every album you made.

Out of sight in Photos. Turn off Show Hidden Album. The Hidden collection then does not show in Photos at all. You turn the switch back on when you want to see the album.

Behind a lock even when your phone is unlocked. Keep Use Face ID on for the Hidden album. For a stronger step, lock the whole Photos app. Touch and hold the Photos icon, then tap Require Face ID. Apple’s iOS 26 guide lists the built-in apps that cannot be locked: Calculator, Camera, Clock, Contacts, Find My, Maps, Shortcuts and Settings. Photos is not on that list. The steps are in our guide to locking photos on iPhone.

Built-in apps cannot be hidden, only locked. So the Photos icon stays on the Home Screen. That is fine for most people, because every iPhone has Photos and nobody reads anything into it.

What the Hidden album does not protect

The Hidden album is a good first step. It also has limits that Apple’s own pages make clear.

• Your device passcode opens it. Face ID can fail over to the passcode, and anyone who knows your passcode can open the album. A partner, a parent or a child who knows the code is the person most readers want to keep out. Apple offers no separate password for this album.
• It stays in your normal library. With iCloud Photos on, a hidden photo is hidden on every device that uses the same Apple Account. On a Mac, the Hidden album is off by default and opens with Touch ID or the login password. On iCloud.com, Apple’s steps show the album after a tap on Show Hidden Photos. Anyone who can sign in to your Apple Account can get there.
• iCloud encryption depends on a setting. Under standard data protection, Apple says Photos is encrypted in transit and on the server, and Apple holds the keys. With Advanced Data Protection on, Photos is end-to-end encrypted. Some metadata stays under standard protection even with Advanced Data Protection on. Apple’s list includes “whether an item has been marked as a favorite, hidden, or marked as deleted”.
• It does not cover copies elsewhere. A photo you sent in Messages, saved in Files or posted to a shared album has its own copy. Hiding the one in Photos does not touch the others.

Other ways to hide photos without an app

iOS has three tools for this. They differ in what opens them.

Method	What opens it	A password that differs from your passcode	Works with video
Hidden album	Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode	No	Yes
Photos app with Require Face ID	Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode	No	Yes
Locked note in Notes	Device passcode or a custom Notes password	Yes, with a custom password	No
Photo vault app	The app’s own code	Yes	Yes, in most apps

A locked note is the only built-in option with its own password. You add the photos to a note, then lock it with a custom password. Apple does not let you lock a note that has a video, audio, PDF or other file attachment. The note title also stays visible in the list. Apple also says it cannot help you if you forget a custom Notes password. Our guide to password protecting photos has the full steps.

When does a photo vault app make sense?

A photo vault app keeps photos inside its own storage, behind a code that is not your iPhone passcode. It helps when the person you need privacy from knows your passcode. It also helps if you want a decoy code, a disguised icon or a log of wrong codes.

It also adds a new risk. In our study of 836 App Store reviews of 7 vault apps, 136 reviews (16%) said photos or videos disappeared. At least 7 of those users had already deleted the originals from Photos, so the vault copy was the only copy. Before you pick an app, check three things. It backs up every item. It has a recovery path you control. It never locks your own photos behind a payment. Our guide to the best photo vault apps for iPhone scores 8 apps on those points. To check an app yourself, read are photo vault apps safe.

What York Vault does

York Vault is a photo vault for iPhone, iPad and Android, on the App Store and Google Play. Plus adds a Mac app, and Pro adds a web app. It:

• Opens with a code you choose: a PIN, a passcode with letters, or a pattern. Face ID is an option on top. See lock options.
• Encrypts each photo, video and file on your iPhone before it saves it.
• Backs up every item, encrypted, to your own iCloud, or Google Drive on Android, at no cost. See encrypted backup.
• Removes the originals from Photos only after it checks its own copy, then shows you how to empty Recently Deleted. See import and cleanup.

Viewing, export and restore of your own items stay free on every plan. The pricing page lists what Plus and Pro add. Download York Vault on the App Store or Google Play.

Before you delete the originals

Whatever you use, a photo you delete from Photos goes to Recently Deleted for 30 days. It is still on your iPhone, and in iCloud if iCloud Photos is on. If you move photos into any vault app, open the vault first and check that each photo opens. Then delete the originals and empty Recently Deleted. The Recently Deleted guide shows both steps.