Short answer: select the photos in the Photos app, tap ••• and choose Hide. They move to the Hidden album in Utilities, which is locked with Face ID or your passcode. To make the album itself disappear, turn off Settings › Apps › Photos › Show Hidden Album. Anyone who knows your passcode can still open it; for a separate PIN, use a vault app.
Steps
- Open Photos and tap Select. Choose the photos and videos to hide.
- Tap ••• (More) and then Hide, and confirm.
- Find them later in Photos › Collections › Utilities › Hidden (on iOS 18, scroll down to Utilities). Unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
- Make sure the lock is on: Settings › Apps › Photos › Use Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).
- To hide the album from Utilities too, turn off Settings › Apps › Photos › Show Hidden Album.
- To unhide, open the Hidden album, select the photos, tap ••• › Unhide.
What the Hidden album does and doesn't do
| Feature | Hidden album |
|---|---|
| Out of Library, Memories and widgets | ✓ |
| Locked with Face ID | ✓ (on by default) |
| Separate PIN from your iPhone passcode | — |
| Hidden from people who know your passcode | — |
| Hidden on your other devices | ✓ with iCloud Photos, in their Hidden album |
| Kept out of iCloud | — (synced and backed up like any photo) |
The Hidden album is a privacy screen, not a safe. It's great for keeping photos out of the main library when you hand someone your phone. It doesn't protect them from someone who knows your passcode.
Locking the whole Photos app
On iOS 18 and later you can also lock apps: touch and hold the Photos icon, tap Require Face ID and confirm. Photos then asks for Face ID every time it opens. That protects your whole library, not just selected photos.
When to use a vault instead
A vault app keeps photos in its own encrypted storage, behind a code that's different from your iPhone passcode. Things to check before choosing one:
- Does it store photos only on the iPhone, or upload them to the developer's server?
- Is there a backup, and is it encrypted? If you delete a vault app without a backup, its photos are gone.
- Calculator-style "disguised" vaults are popular; check the App Store privacy label and who makes them before trusting them with private photos.
Doing it with Spaceclear's Secret Space
Spaceclear's Secret Space is a vault on your iPhone with its own PIN and Face ID, separate from your passcode. It's encrypted on the device and locks the moment you leave. It adds:
- a decoy PIN that opens an empty look-alike vault,
- a break-in photo taken with the front camera after two wrong PINs in a row,
- private notes and hidden contacts,
- an optional encrypted iCloud backup.
After adding photos, Spaceclear offers to delete the originals from Photos; they go to Recently Deleted for 30 days, so empty it to remove them completely (how). Secret Space is part of Spaceclear Pro. Spaceclear has no server: nothing in the vault is sent anywhere except your own iCloud backup, if you turn it on. See how it compares in Spaceclear vs Cleanup.
FAQ
Where is the Hidden album on iPhone?
In Photos › Collections › Utilities › Hidden on iOS 26, or scroll down to Utilities on iOS 18. If it's missing, turn on Settings › Apps › Photos › Show Hidden Album.
Can someone see my hidden photos?
Anyone who can unlock your iPhone with your passcode can open the Hidden album. With iCloud Photos on, hidden photos also appear in the Hidden album on your other devices, such as a shared iPad or Mac.
Do hidden photos still take up storage?
Yes. Hiding doesn't delete or shrink anything; hidden photos use the same iPhone and iCloud storage as before. To get space back, see free up iPhone storage.
Updated 2026-11-13