[6 Easy Ways] How to Hide Photos on iPhone 2026?

How to hide photos on your iPhone in the Photos app?

iPhones with iOS 14 and later let you hide selected photos directly in the Photos app so they no longer show in the camera roll or widgets. If you use iCloud Photos, hidden items stay hidden on your other signed-in Apple devices too. If you want to hide selected photos, follow these steps:

Steps

1. Open your Photos app and select pictures you want to hide.
2. Click on the Share button that looks like a box at the bottom of your screen.


Select the "Share" icon

3. Select 'Hide' from the pop-up menu.


Tap ‘Hide’

4. Confirm your action by clicking 'Hide Photo'. That's all. Your photos are hidden now.

Select ‘Hide photo again’

How to hide the hidden album in the Photos app?

Do you want to keep everything in a single album and hide it in a more organized way? If yes, follow these steps after you have moved your photos to a hidden album.

Steps

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone and open the 'Photos' tab. On newer iPhones, you may need to tap Apps first.


Select Photos tab from the Setting list

2. Scroll down to find the 'Show Hidden Album' option and toggle it off.


Toggle off the Hidden Album option

Note:
• If you're using iOS 16 or later, the Hidden album is locked by default and opens with Face ID or Touch ID.
• On iOS 14 and iOS 15, you can't lock the album, but you can still hide it entirely so it does not show in Photos.
3. Your hidden album will no longer appear in the photos app.
4. If you want to unhide the album, toggle the option on.

How to hide photos on your iPhone in the Notes app?

Keeping a daily journal in the Notes app is so much easy, fun, and interesting. But wait. Are you also hesitant and don't want anyone to see the pictures you add to your notes? Follow these steps and make them a secret no one can access.

Steps

1. Add your photos to the Notes by selecting the desired photos, clicking on the Share button, locating the Notes app from the list, and tapping it.


Save your photos in Notes app

2. Now, in the Notes app, click the three dots on the top-right corner of the Note your photos are in.


Click three dots in the top-right corner for options

3. Choose the Lock option from the pop-up menu.


Select ‘Lock’ option

4. Enter a password and create a hint, or use your device passcode if Notes is already set up that way.

Your note with the photos is locked now. The note title can still show in the list, so avoid using an obvious title.

Image is locked in Notes app

How to hide photos in texts on your iPhone?

If someone knows about the Hidden album, a simple workaround is to send the photo to yourself in a text and remove the copy from Photos.

Steps

1. Send the photo to yourself via Text message.


Send Photos to Yourself

2. Delete it from the album or anywhere else.
3. Now, your photo is saved in a text message instead of the Photos library, though anyone who opens Messages can still find it.

How to See the Hidden Album on iPhone?

You learned how to hide the hidden album in the photos app but now the concern is how to see it if does not appear in the photos app. Here are the steps you can follow to see the hidden album:

Steps

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and go to the Albums tab.
2. Scroll down till you find the Utilities section.
3. Locate the Hidden tab and open it.

Now, you will be able to see hidden albums on your iPhone.

How to see the hidden album on iPhone

How to Unhide photos on iPhone?

Well, you no longer want to hide photos or videos, what should you do? Unhide them with the following steps and enjoy smooth navigation through them.

Steps

1. Launch the iPhone's Photos app.
2. Go to the Album tab and open Hidden under the Utilities section


Open Hidden tab under Utilities section

3. Select the photos you want to unhide and click the Share button.
4. Select Unhide from the pop-up that appeared on the screen

Select Unhide from the menu

Your photos are now unhidden and you can see them in the gallery like before.

FAQs

1. Can iPhone videos be hidden?

Yes, it is possible to hide videos on your iPhone just like you hide photos. You can select videos while following the steps to hide them. You can only hide videos in the gallery app and the hiding feature is not available with the notes app on iPhone.

2. Which iPhone models support hiding photos?

Apple introduced the hiding photos and videos feature in iOS 14, and any iPhone that can run iOS 14 or later supports it. In practice, that includes iPhone 6s and newer models, while the locked Hidden album experience requires iOS 16 or later.

3. How to lock iPhone Photos with a Password?

On iOS 16 and later, the Hidden album is locked by default and requires authentication before it opens. If you still want another layer for a few files, a locked note or third-party app can help.