How to hide photos on Samsung (Gallery, Secure Folder)

October 20, 2026

A Samsung Galaxy gives you more built-in ways to hide photos than most phones, and they behave very differently. Some are real locks. Some only tidy the Gallery. Here is each one for current One UI, who it keeps out, and what goes wrong when you forget a password or buy a new phone. For the Android-wide picture, see how to hide photos on Android.

1. Private album in Gallery (One UI 8.5)

This is the newest option, and it is the closest thing to a “hide photos on Samsung Gallery” button. In Gallery, tap the menu button and choose Private album, then follow the prompts. After that, select photos, tap the three dots, and choose Move to private album.

Samsung says it is protected by your device’s security lock, and that screenshots are blocked inside it. It opens with your fingerprint or screen lock. Two limits: Samsung says it is only on select Galaxy devices with One UI 8.5, and its page does not say whether the album is backed up. If you do not see it, you do not have it yet. (Samsung: Private album)

The key is your screen lock. Anyone who knows your phone PIN can open it.

2. Hide an album in Gallery

On older One UI versions this is the usual answer. Open Gallery > Albums, tap View all, tap the three dots, choose Hide albums, and switch on the albums you want out of sight. Switch them off again to bring them back. (Samsung: hide and unhide albums)

There is no lock. The album only leaves the Gallery view: the files stay in the same folder, and My Files or any other gallery app still shows them. Use it for clutter, not for anything private.

3. Secure Folder

Secure Folder works on older One UI versions too. Go to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder, sign in to your Samsung account if asked, and choose a PIN, password or pattern. It has its own lock, separate from your screen lock.

To add photos, touch and hold one in Gallery, tap More, then Move to Secure Folder. Only files stored on the phone or an SD card can be moved. Files that exist only in a cloud account cannot. (Samsung: Use Secure Folder)

4. Locked Folder in Google Photos

If you use Google Photos on your Galaxy, open Collections > Locked > Set up Locked Folder. Google says it needs Android 6 or later, and that your Locked Folder password is the same as your device screen lock. Items inside cannot be added to albums, edited or shared. (Google: Locked Folder)

What happens if you forget the Secure Folder password

During setup, Secure Folder asks whether to turn on Reset with Samsung account. Samsung is blunt about the choice: without it, you will not be able to get into Secure Folder if you forget the passcode.

If you turned it on, tap Forgot on the lock screen, tap Reset, sign in to the same Samsung account, and pick a new lock. You need a working internet connection. (Samsung: reset the Secure Folder password)

If you did not, Samsung’s fallback is to reinstall Secure Folder. That page does not say what happens to the contents. Uninstalling normally deletes them, so assume they are gone.

What happens when you switch phones

Samsung’s current guidance is short: backing up Secure Folder is no longer supported, and on Android 16 with One UI 8 or later you cannot restore from a backup. The route is Smart Switch. Put both phones side by side (or join them with a cable), open Smart Switch, and pick Secure Folder as one of the things to send. Then open Secure Folder on the new phone and check that everything arrived. (Samsung: back up and restore Secure Folder)

Two cautions. This needs your old phone to still work, so do it before it breaks or is sold. And Secure Folder only works on a Samsung phone, so a move to another brand means taking the photos out first, which leaves them unprotected on the way.

For how Secure Folder compares to Android’s own Private space, see Private space vs Secure Folder.

What none of these do

All four stop a casual scroll through your Gallery. Private album and Locked Folder open with your screen lock, so a partner who knows your PIN gets in. Secure Folder has its own lock, which is better, but it is still a lock on your phone, not a key you hold. None of them gives you an encrypted backup you can restore on any phone. If someone makes you unlock your phone, none has an answer for that either.

When a vault app fits

If you want a lock that is not your screen lock, a backup you control, or a phone that might not be a Samsung next time, an encryption app makes sense. VaultIt encrypts photos, videos and documents on the device with AES-256-GCM, using a key from a drawn pattern. It has a 12-word recovery phrase, an encrypted backup file you save yourself, no account and no ads. The trade-off: uninstalling it or clearing its data deletes the vault, so only a backup kept off the phone survives. If Private album or Secure Folder covers your worry, use them.

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Quick answers

How do I hide photos on my Samsung phone? On One UI 8.5, use Private album in Gallery. On other versions, use Secure Folder, or Locked Folder in Google Photos.

Can I hide photos in Samsung Gallery without Secure Folder? Yes. Hide albums takes an album out of the Gallery view, but it has no lock. Private album, on select One UI 8.5 devices, does have one.

I forgot my Secure Folder password. Can I get in? Yes, if you turned on Reset with Samsung account during setup. If not, Samsung says you cannot.

Does Secure Folder transfer to a new phone? Use Smart Switch and choose Secure Folder. Check the contents on the new phone afterwards.