Forgot your Secure Folder password? Here's what works.

You can reset a forgotten Secure Folder PIN, pattern or password only if Reset with Samsung account was turned on before you forgot it. Then you open Secure Folder, enter a wrong lock, tap Forgot, tap Reset, sign in to your Samsung account and choose a new lock. If that option was off, Samsung says you won’t be able to get back in. The only way forward is to remove Secure Folder and set up a new one, which deletes everything inside.

This page is about Samsung’s Secure Folder. For setting it up, moving photos in and out, and new phones, see the full Secure Folder guide.

Reset your Secure Folder lock with your Samsung account

1. Open Secure Folder and enter your best guess at the PIN, pattern or password.
2. When it’s wrong, tap Forgot. Some Samsung country pages call it Forgot PIN or Forgot pattern, so the label depends on your lock type.
3. Tap Reset on the pop-up.
4. Sign in to the Samsung account linked to Secure Folder.
5. Choose a new PIN, pattern, password or registered fingerprint, and follow the on-screen steps.

Samsung’s UAE page adds two checks: the phone needs an internet connection during the reset, and the Samsung account must be the one linked to Secure Folder. Your photos stay where they are. Only the lock changes.

If there’s no Forgot button

Samsung’s troubleshooting page is direct about this. If Reset with Samsung account wasn’t turned on when you set the lock, the Forgot prompt doesn’t appear, and you can’t recover access to Secure Folder.

Samsung’s pages describe no other way in, and no tool or setting that skips the lock.

What’s left is starting over. Samsung’s Australian page gives this route:

1. Open Settings and tap your Samsung account.
2. Sign out.
3. Open Secure Folder again and tap Uninstall.
4. Sign back in to your Samsung account and set up Secure Folder again.

Warning: uninstalling removes all of Secure Folder’s contents, as Samsung’s US page puts it. The photos and files inside are gone. Before you do this, think about whether the photos exist anywhere else: Google Photos, a computer, a chat you sent them in, or the original Gallery if you copied rather than moved them.

If you forgot your Samsung account password too

Fix the Samsung account first, then reset Secure Folder. Samsung’s US page gives these steps in a web browser:

1. Go to the Samsung account sign-in page and select Sign in.
2. Enter your email address and select Next.
3. Select Forgot password?
4. Choose the phone number linked to your account, enter the full number, and select Continue.
5. Enter the code you receive, select Verify, and create a new password.

If you’ve forgotten which email you used, select Find ID on the sign-in page instead and enter your name and date of birth. An emailed reset link expires after 30 minutes. If you can’t reach the email or phone number on the account, Samsung says to contact Samsung Support. Its UK page says the same if you’ve lost both your Secure Folder lock and your Samsung account password.

What not to try

Some “fixes” make things worse. Samsung warns about these:

• Clear data. Clearing the Secure Folder app’s storage (Settings > Apps > Secure Folder > Storage > Clear data) deletes everything in the folder. Samsung’s UK page says so next to the steps.
• Rooting or a custom ROM. Samsung’s Australian page says Secure Folder locks itself automatically if the phone is rooted or runs a custom ROM, and you may lose access to its apps and data.
• Guessing endlessly. The reset doesn’t need your old lock, only your Samsung account. If the Forgot button is there, use it.

What each situation means

Your situation	What Samsung says happens
Forgot the lock, Reset with Samsung account on	Tap Forgot, then Reset, sign in, set a new lock. Nothing is lost
Forgot the lock and the Samsung account password	Recover the Samsung account first, then reset
Lost both and can’t verify the account	Contact Samsung Support
Forgot the lock, Reset with Samsung account off	No way back in. Removing Secure Folder deletes its contents

Stop it from happening again

While you still know your lock, check that the reset option is on:

1. Open Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder, and enter your lock if asked.
2. Tap Lock type.
3. Turn on Reset with Samsung account.

Samsung’s US page says this is where the option lives, and warns at setup that without it you can’t get in if you forget your passcode. Turning it on has a trade-off: anyone who controls your Samsung account can reset the lock, so give that account a strong password too.

Keep copies of anything you can’t lose. Samsung’s US troubleshooting page says Secure Folder backup is no longer supported, and its Australian page advises backing up important data on other storage before you move it into Secure Folder. For other ways to keep photos private on a Galaxy, see how to hide photos on Samsung.

Forgot your Safe folder PIN instead?

Safe folder is a different feature, in the Files by Google app. Many people search for it as “secure folder”. Google’s help page says that if you forget your Safe folder PIN or pattern, you can’t access your files. There’s no account reset.

You can reset Safe folder (Menu > Settings > Safe folder > Reset your Safe folder, then Reset), but Google warns that the files in it will be permanently lost. Google also says not to clear storage or cache for the app. Other built-in options are covered in how to hide photos on Android.

Questions

Can Samsung unlock my Secure Folder for me?

Samsung’s pages don’t say Samsung can open a Secure Folder. They say to contact Samsung Support if you’ve lost both your Secure Folder lock and your Samsung account password. The reset itself always runs through your own Samsung account.

Will resetting the Secure Folder password delete my photos?

No. A reset with Forgot and your Samsung account only changes the lock. Uninstalling Secure Folder or clearing its data is what deletes the contents.

Can I turn on Reset with Samsung account after I forgot the password?

No. It’s in Lock type, which asks for your current lock first. It has to be on before you forget.

Can I get my photos back after uninstalling Secure Folder?

Samsung’s pages describe no way to recover them. Look for other copies: Google Photos, a computer, old backups, or chats you shared them in.

Why don’t I see the Forgot button?

Samsung says the Forgot prompt only appears if Reset with Samsung account was on when you set the lock. If it doesn’t show after a wrong entry, the option was off.