How to hide photos on Samsung, and which way is safest.

You have three built-in options on a Samsung Galaxy phone. Hide albums in Gallery just takes an album off the screen. Secure Folder moves photos into a separate area with its own lock. Locked Folder in Google Photos keeps photos out of search, albums and sharing, behind your screen lock. If you only want a photo off the main grid, hide the album. If you want a lock, use Secure Folder or Locked Folder.

Option 1: Hide an album in Gallery

This is the lightest option. It changes what Gallery shows, nothing more.

1. Open Gallery.
2. Tap Albums, then View all.
3. Tap the three-dot menu, then Hide albums.
4. Switch on the albums you want to hide.

To show an album again, repeat the steps and switch it off. Samsung’s help pages use slightly different names for the menu (Menu on one page, More options on another), and the Australian page is written for Australian devices, so your screen may differ a little.

The trade-off. Hiding an album isn’t a lock. The steps above don’t ask for a PIN or fingerprint, so anyone who has your unlocked phone and opens the same menu can show the album again. Samsung’s own troubleshooting page lists hidden albums as a reason photos seem to go missing from Gallery, and tells people to switch the album off in that same menu to bring it back. Samsung also separates hiding from moving: if you want photos moved out of view, its help page points to Secure Folder.

This works best for keeping photos out of sight from a casual glance, not for anything you’d mind someone finding.

Option 2: Secure Folder

Secure Folder is a Samsung feature that keeps photos, files and apps in a separate area with its own lock. Samsung says it’s protected by Knox, its security platform.

To set it up, go to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder, sign in to your Samsung account if asked, and pick a lock. Turn on Reset with Samsung account when offered.

To move photos in:

1. Open Gallery and touch and hold the photos.
2. Tap More, then Move to Secure Folder.

To hide the Secure Folder icon too, go back to the same Settings screen and turn off Add Secure Folder to Apps screen.

The trade-offs.

• Without Reset with Samsung account, a forgotten lock can’t be recovered. You’d have to remove Secure Folder and start again, and the contents are gone.
• Samsung says backing up Secure Folder is no longer available, so it mostly lives on your phone. Smart Switch is the transfer route Samsung describes for a new Galaxy phone.
• Hiding the icon doesn’t remove it from Settings.

Full steps, forgotten lock and new-phone details are in the Samsung Secure Folder guide.

Option 3: Google Photos Locked Folder

If you use Google Photos, you can move photos into its Locked Folder:

1. Open Google Photos, select the photos, and tap Add to.
2. Tap Move to Locked Folder, then Move. Google sets it up the first time.
3. To view them later, tap Collections, then Locked, and unlock with your screen lock.

The trade-offs.

• The password is your screen lock. Google says you can’t set a different one, so anyone who knows your PIN can open it.
• Backup is optional. Google says photos you don’t back up exist only on that phone, and are lost if you uninstall the app, clear its data or reset the phone.
• Photos in Locked Folder can’t be shared or edited until you move them out.

More in the Google Photos Locked Folder guide.

Which one should you use?

• Hide an album if you just want photos out of the main Gallery and the risk is a quick glance.
• Secure Folder if you want a separate lock, or want to hide apps and files as well as photos, and you’re happy to keep the photos only on your phone.
• Locked Folder if you already use Google Photos and want the option to back the photos up. Remember that your screen lock is its key.

Moving photos doesn’t remove copies you’ve already made. If a photo was sent in a chat or saved in another album, that copy stays where it is. For other Android brands and the full list of built-in options, see how to hide photos on Android. Before you share a photo you’ve taken out of hiding, you can look at its hidden data or remove it.

Questions

How do I hide photos in Gallery on a Samsung phone?

Open Gallery, tap Albums, then View all, tap the three-dot menu and choose Hide albums, then switch on the album you want to hide.

Can someone find photos I hid in Gallery?

Yes, if they have your unlocked phone. Hiding an album isn’t protected by a lock, and the same menu shows the album again.

Does Secure Folder show up in Gallery?

No. Photos you move there leave the normal Gallery and are opened from inside Secure Folder. You can also hide the Secure Folder icon.

Is hiding photos the same as deleting them?

No. A hidden album still exists on your phone. Moving to Secure Folder or Locked Folder changes where the photos are kept, and Google notes that earlier copies and edits stay where they were.