How to create a secret folder on iPhone
Written for iPhone owners (especially former Android or Samsung users) looking for a secret folder to keep private photos, videos and documents out of sight
Short answer
Unlike Samsung phones with Knox Secure Folder, an iPhone does not have a single built-in 'Secret Folder' with its own passcode. Instead, iOS splits the job across three system features, the Hidden album in Photos, the Hidden folder in App Library (iOS 18+), and custom-password Apple Notes, none of which gives you an encrypted multi-album folder with a separate lock. If you want a true secret folder for photos and videos that your iPhone passcode cannot open, use a dedicated on-device encrypted vault app.
On this page
If you switched to iPhone from a Samsung Galaxy phone or a Pixel running Android 15+, you probably went looking for Secure Folder or Private Space, a sealed workspace on the phone with its own password where you can drop private albums, files and apps.
Apple does not build an equivalent container into iOS. Instead, people who want a “secret folder on iPhone” choose from four options depending on whether they are hiding photos, apps or documents, and whether anyone else knows their iPhone passcode.
All 4 “secret folder” options on iPhone compared
| Feature | Photos Hidden Album | App Library Hidden Folder | Locked Apple Note | Encrypted Vault App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it stores | Photos & videos (1 flat folder) | Third-party App Store apps | Text & still photos (no videos) | Organised photo & video albums |
| Separate password from iPhone? | No | No | Optional (if Custom Password set) | Yes (pattern or PIN derives key) |
| Hidden from casual view? | Yes (when Show Hidden Album is off) | Yes (sits in blank bottom folder) | Visible in Notes list with a lock icon | Can use alternate icon or calculator cover; each pattern opens its own vault |
| Syncs to iCloud by default? | Yes (with iCloud Photos) | No | Yes (with iCloud Notes) | No (stays on your iPhone) |
Method 1: Turn the Photos Hidden album into an invisible folder
By default, the Hidden album in Apple Photos sits in plain sight at the bottom of the Collections view under Utilities. You can make that folder disappear from the Photos app menu entirely in four steps (Apple Support 104987):
- Open the Photos app, touch and hold the photos or videos you want to move, tap Hide, and confirm Hide Photos.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone, scroll down to the bottom, tap Apps, and tap Photos.
- Verify that Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID) is switched on so the album remains locked.
- Switch Show Hidden Album off; the Hidden row immediately vanishes from Utilities inside the Photos app until you return to Settings and toggle it back on.
Why this is “out of sight” rather than “secret from a passcode holder”: anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can open Settings > Apps > Photos, flip Show Hidden Album back on in five seconds, and unlock the folder with that same passcode.
Method 2: Use the iOS 18+ Hidden Apps folder in App Library
When you touch and hold a third-party app icon on your Home Screen and choose Require Face ID > Hide and Require Face ID (iPhone User Guide), iOS removes the icon from your Home Screen and places it inside the Hidden folder at the very bottom of your App Library (swipe all the way to the right-most Home Screen page).
Keep two limits in mind:
- You cannot hide Apple’s built-in Photos or Files apps, only apps downloaded from the App Store.
- Hidden apps are still listed by name inside Settings > Apps > Hidden Apps, Settings > General > iPhone Storage, Screen Time and your App Store purchase history.
Why iOS Shortcuts “fake folder” tricks are a bad idea
You may have seen TikTok or YouTube guides showing how to build an Apple Shortcut that asks for a PIN, converts a photo to Base64 text, and saves it deep inside the Files app. Avoid relying on that for anything you care about:
- Zero encryption: the saved file inside the Files app is completely unencrypted, and anyone opening Files > Recents or searching by file extension can open it without running your Shortcut.
- Easy to corrupt: Base64 text blocks inside Shortcuts frequently truncate or crash on 48 MP Live Photos and 4K videos, destroying your only copy if you already deleted the original.
Method 3: Create real secret folders inside an encrypted vault app
If you want what Samsung Secure Folder or Android Private Space provides, multiple named folders (Passports, Trips, Receipts, Personal) locked behind a secret that is completely separate from your phone unlock code, use an on-device encrypted vault app:
- Every photo and video you import is encrypted on your iPhone with a key derived from your pattern or PIN.
- Each pattern you set up opens its own separate vault with no list or counter showing that another vault exists.
- Once imported, confirm Remove from Photos and empty Utilities > Recently Deleted so no unencrypted copy remains in your camera roll or iCloud.
Questions
Does iPhone have a Secret Folder or Secure Folder like Samsung?
No. Samsung Galaxy phones include a Knox-isolated Secure Folder with its own PIN and separate app copies, and Android 15+ includes Private Space. On iPhone, Apple offers only the Hidden album in Photos and the Hidden Apps folder in App Library, both of which unlock with your regular iPhone passcode.
Can I put a password on a folder inside the iPhone Files app?
No. The iPhone Files app has no folder-password feature. You can lock individual PDF documents with a password or require Face ID to open the entire Files app, which still falls back to your iPhone passcode at home.
What is the Hidden folder at the bottom of the iPhone App Library?
Introduced in iOS 18, the Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library holds third-party App Store apps you chose to Require Face ID and Hide. It cannot hold individual photos or built-in Apple apps like Photos or Files.
Why are iOS Shortcuts 'secret folder' tricks risky?
Social media tutorials often show a Shortcut that base64-encodes a photo into a text file inside iCloud Drive or Files. Those files are not encrypted, anyone browsing Files > Recents can find or delete them, and large videos crash the Shortcut action.
How do I make a secret folder that my iPhone passcode cannot open?
Use either a locked Apple Note set to Custom Password (for 1 to 5 static document photos) or a dedicated encrypted photo vault app where your 5x5 pattern or PIN derives an independent encryption key on the device.
Keep reading
Password-protect a folder on iPhone
The Hidden album and locked apps open with your phone’s passcode. A locked note can have its own password, and a vault app adds a separate lock.
GuideHow to make a secret photo album on iPhone
Apple’s Hidden album gives you one flat list tied to your iPhone passcode. Here is how to conceal it, or create organised encrypted albums.
GuideHow to lock photos on iPhone so nobody else can open them
Locking the Hidden album or the Photos app still falls back to your iPhone passcode. Here is how all four iPhone photo locks compare.
