The quickest way is Google Photos: select a photo, tap Add to, then Move to Locked Folder. It opens with your phone's screen lock. If you need photos to stay private even from someone who knows your PIN, use a vault app that encrypts them under its own lock.
The four options at a glance
| Method | Works on | What opens it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Photos Locked Folder | Android 6 and later, with Google Photos | Your phone's screen lock | Anyone who knows your phone PIN can open it |
| Samsung Private album or Secure Folder | Samsung Galaxy phones | Your screen lock (Private album), or Secure Folder's own lock | Samsung only; menus differ between One UI versions |
A .nomedia folder | Any Android phone | Nothing, it isn't locked | Hides photos from galleries only; file managers still show them |
| An encrypted vault app, like Lockar | Any Android phone | The app's own pattern or PIN | If you lose the pattern and recovery words, the photos can't be recovered |
1. Google Photos Locked Folder
This is built into the Google Photos app that comes with most Android phones.
- Open Google Photos and go to Collections at the bottom.
- Tap Locked, then Set up Locked Folder, and unlock your phone when asked.
- To hide a photo, open it or select it, tap Add to, then Move to Locked Folder, and confirm with Move.
Locked Folder uses the same PIN, pattern or fingerprint as your phone, and you can't set a different one. You can turn on backup so the items appear on your other devices. Without backup, Google warns that you'll lose them if you uninstall Photos, clear its data, or lose your phone. Items in Locked Folder can't be shared or edited until you move them out.
2. Samsung Private album and Secure Folder
Galaxy phones have two options in addition to Google Photos.
Private album (One UI 8.5 and later)
- Open a photo or video in the Gallery app, or select several.
- Tap More (⋮), then Move to private album.
- Open it later from the Gallery menu. It unlocks with your fingerprint or screen lock, and screenshots are blocked inside it.
Secure Folder
Secure Folder is a separate, locked space on the phone with its own copy of apps like Gallery. You can give it a different PIN or pattern from your phone's screen lock, which is its main advantage. To use it, set it up in your phone's security settings, then select photos in Gallery and choose Move to Secure Folder from the menu. Moving files in and out takes a few more steps than the Private album.
For every Samsung option in detail, see how to hide photos on Samsung.
3. A .nomedia folder
Android's gallery apps skip any folder that contains an empty file named .nomedia. With a file manager app that can create files, make a new folder, add an empty file called .nomedia, and move your photos into the folder.
This only stops photos from appearing in galleries. There's no lock and no encryption, so anyone who opens a file manager can still find and view them. Photos already backed up to Google Photos also stay in your Google account.
4. An encrypted vault app
Vault apps keep photos inside the app behind their own lock, so knowing your phone PIN isn't enough. But they're not all equal. Many simply hide ordinary photo files behind a PIN screen. If someone copies the app's folder, the pictures open normally.
An encrypted vault scrambles each file before saving it. Lockar, for example, encrypts every photo with AES-256 and opens with a pattern that only works on your phone. Its file names and folders are encrypted too.
- Install Lockar and draw your pattern on the 5×5 grid.
- Write down the 12 recovery words it shows you.
- Tap ＋, choose Photos & videos from gallery, and select what to hide.
- When asked, remove the originals from your gallery.
Before you hide anything, check these two places
Hiding or moving a photo doesn't always remove every copy. Empty your gallery's recycle bin, and check photos.google.com for backed-up copies.
Which one should you use?
- You want photos out of sight when you hand your phone to someone: Locked Folder or Samsung's Private album is enough.
- Someone else may know your phone PIN: use Secure Folder with a different PIN, or an encrypted vault app.
- You want the files themselves to be unreadable, even if the phone's storage is copied: use an encrypted vault.
Want to hide the apps themselves too? See how to hide apps on Android.
Common questions
Can someone find hidden photos on my Android phone?
It depends on the method. Locked Folder and the Private album open with your screen lock, so anyone who knows your PIN can see them. A .nomedia folder only hides photos from galleries. An encrypted vault stores the photos scrambled, so they can't be viewed without the vault's own pattern.
Does hiding a photo delete it from Google Photos backup?
Not necessarily. If backup was on, a copy may already be in your Google account. Check photos.google.com and delete it there if you want it gone.
What happens to hidden photos if I uninstall the app?
Google says Locked Folder items that aren't backed up are lost if you uninstall Google Photos or clear its data. Vault apps that keep files on the phone, including Lockar, also lose them when uninstalled, so make a backup first.