Google Photos Archive vs Locked Folder.

Google Photos has two ways to take a photo out of your main Photos view, and they do very different jobs. Archive is for clutter. Archived photos leave the main view, but Google says they still show up in albums, in search results and in the folders on your device, and there’s no lock. Locked Folder is for private photos. Its items don’t appear in search, albums, memories or other apps, and on a phone it opens only with your screen lock. If you’d mind someone finding the photo, use Locked Folder.

What Archive does in Google Photos

Google’s help page says Archive hides photos from your Photos view, to help you organize them and hide photos you don’t want to see often. Any photo you archive:

• still appears in any albums it was added to;
• still appears in search results;
• still appears in the folders on your device;
• isn’t used to create highlight videos or animations;
• still counts toward your storage quota.

So Archive is a tidy-up tool, not a privacy tool. A screenshot of a bill or a photo of a parking spot can go to Archive. A photo you don’t want anyone else to see shouldn’t, because anyone who searches your library or opens the right album can still see it.

Archive vs Locked Folder at a glance

	Archive	Locked Folder
Out of the main view	Yes	Yes
Out of search	No	Yes
Out of albums	No	Yes
Out of other apps	Not stated	Yes
Lock	None	Screen lock (web: Google password)
Own backup setting	No	Yes, optional
Edit or share there	Not stated	No, move it out first
Uses storage	Yes	If backed up
Can lose photos	Not stated	Yes, if not backed up

“Not stated” means Google’s Archive page doesn’t say. Google’s Locked Folder page puts the difference in two lines: Locked Folder keeps items hidden and protected by your device screen lock or Google Account password, while archived items can still be accessible. Locked Folder items don’t show up when you search in Google Photos, and archived items do.

How to archive photos in Google Photos

On an Android phone or tablet

1. Open the Google Photos app and sign in to your Google Account.
2. Select a photo.
3. At the top, tap More.
4. Tap Archive.

On a computer

1. Open photos.google.com and sign in to your Google Account.
2. Select a photo.
3. Click More, then Archive.

Archiving doesn’t delete anything. The photo stays in your library and in your albums, and you can bring it back at any time.

Where is Archive in Google Photos?

On a phone, open Google Photos and tap Collections, then Archive. Google says that if you open Archive often, you might also find it at the top. On a computer, open photos.google.com and click Archive on the left.

If a photo or screenshot is missing from your main view, Google’s “Find lost photos” page says it may be in your archive. To bring a photo back:

1. Open Collections, then Archive (on a computer, Archive on the left).
2. Select the photo.
3. Tap or click More, then Unarchive.

The photo goes back to your main Photos view. If you can find a photo by searching but not by scrolling, it’s probably archived. For every other place hidden photos end up, see how to find hidden photos on Android.

What Locked Folder does differently

Locked Folder is a separate place in Google Photos, protected by your device screen lock. Google says items in it:

• don’t appear in search results, albums, shared items, the Photos grid or new memories;
• are removed from existing memories and draft print orders;
• aren’t available to other apps on your phone that can see your photos and videos;
• don’t show on Google smart displays like Nest Hub or through Chromecast, though this can take up to an hour.

On a phone, the Locked Folder password is your screen lock, and you can’t set a different one. On the web, Google says it’s your Google Account password. Anyone who knows the one that applies can open it.

To move a photo in on a phone, tap Photos, select the photo, tap Add to, then Move to Locked Folder, then Move. To open it, tap Collections, then Locked. On a computer, click Locked Folder. The Google Photos Locked Folder guide covers setup, backup and opening it on another device.

Before you move photos into Locked Folder

This is the one part of the comparison that can cost you photos. Google’s Archive page describes no backup change. Locked Folder has its own backup setting, and you choose whether to turn it on.

Google’s Locked Folder page says:

• Google Photos backups of the items you move are deleted if backup for Locked Folder isn’t turned on. After that, the copy in Locked Folder on that phone may be your only one.
• Items you haven’t backed up are lost if you uninstall the Photos app, clear the Photos app’s data, factory reset the phone, or the phone is damaged or lost.
• If backup is off, those items aren’t moved in USB-to-USB or cloud data transfers to a new phone.
• If you set up Locked Folder on a phone and don’t turn on backup, you won’t find its items on the web.

To keep them, turn on Back up Locked Folder in Photos settings > Backup, or back up single items from inside Locked Folder. Do that before you move anything you can’t afford to lose. And before you reset or replace a phone, open Locked Folder and check that your photos are backed up.

Which one to use

Use Archive when you want your main view cleaner and don’t mind the photo being found. Screenshots, receipts, documents and near-duplicates are good fits. It has no lock and no separate backup setting to get wrong.

Use Locked Folder when the photo is private. It’s the only one of the two that keeps a photo out of search and albums and puts a lock in front of it. Turn on its backup first, and remember it’s only as private as your screen lock.

Neither one changes copies you already made. Google says that when you move a photo to Locked Folder, copies, edited versions and photos you shared that someone else saved stay where they are. If you share a photo after moving it out, you can remove its location and other metadata first. For a wider look at every built-in option, including Samsung’s Secure Folder, see how to hide photos on Android.

Questions

What does Archive do in Google Photos?

It removes photos from your main Photos view. Google says archived photos stay in albums, search results and the folders on your device, and aren’t used for highlight videos or animations.

Does archiving photos free up storage?

No. Google says archived photos still count toward your storage quota.

Does Archive delete photos?

No. Archive only hides a photo from the main view. You can unarchive it at any time from Collections > Archive.

Where are my archived photos?

On a phone, tap Collections, then Archive. On a computer, open photos.google.com and click Archive on the left.

Is Archive private?

No. There’s no lock, and archived photos still appear in search and albums. Anyone with your unlocked phone can find them. Use Locked Folder for private photos.

Is Locked Folder better than Archive?

For privacy, yes. For tidying up, no: Locked Folder blocks editing, sharing and adding to albums until you move a photo out, and items you don’t back up can be lost. Pick by what the photo is.