How-To

How to Hide and Unhide Photos on Your iPhone

By Brian Burgess

Updated November 16, 2023

Want to keep certain photos hidden from your iPhone camera roll? Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how.

When you show photos to people on your iPhone, you might want some to stay hidden so you can find them later.  Hiding photos is helpful when you want to keep select shots away from prying eyes. You might want to show someone pictures of a family trip or work project, not your embarrassing selfies.

Whatever the reason, Apple has allowed you to hide photos on your iPhone since iOS 14 was released in 2020. Plus, it’s easier than locking photos, although you might want to do that too.

We’ll show you how to hide and unhide photos on your iPhone below.

How to Hide Photos on Your iPhone

While you’ve been able to hide photos and videos on your iPhone in the Photos app for some time, the process has slightly changed as iOS has been updated over the past few years. You can now keep your photos hidden in a folder that can only be opened using Face ID. That feature adds an extra layer of protection to ensure people can’t see select shots on your phone.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Select the photo or video you want to hide and tap the three-dot menu button in the top right corner.
3. Tap Hide from the menu that appears.
4. Tap the Hide Photo option when the verification message appears at the bottom.
5. Alternatively, you can long-press a photo thumbnail in the Photos app, tap Hide from the menu, and confirm your choice.

Once you hide a photo, it will be stored in the Hidden album and will no longer appear in the main camera roll.

How to Find Your Hidden Photos on iPhone

When you hide photos or videos on your iPhone, you’ll need to know how to access the Hidden folder to view them later.

1. Open the Photos app and tap the Albums button at the bottom of the screen.
2. Scroll down the Albums screen to the Utilities section and tap Hidden.
3. The photos you set to Hidden will be displayed in this folder.

How to Protect Your Hidden Photos on Your iPhone with Face ID

You can require Face ID verification to access the Hidden album, which prevents others from viewing hidden photos.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and select the Photos from the menu.
3. Swipe down the following screen and toggle the Use Face ID switch to the on position.
4. Once enabled, your Face ID verification will be required to see the contents in the Hidden folder. It’s also important to note that this feature secures the Recently Deleted Photos album.

How to Hide the Hidden Album from View on Your iPhone

If you want to take your security a step further, you can keep the Hidden album hidden so other users can’t tap on it.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and select Photos from the list.
3. Toggle off the Show Hidden Album switch.
4. Once toggled off, the Hidden album will no longer appear in the Albums tab or under the Utilities section.

How to Unhide Photos on iPhone or iPad

If you want certain photos to display in the camera roll as usual and not in the Hidden album, you can unhide them.

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone and open the Hidden folder.
2. Select the photo or video you want to appear and tap the three-dot button in the top right corner.
3. Tap Unhide from the menu that appears.

Once you follow the steps, the photos will reappear in your main camera roll as before they were hidden.

Managing Photos on iPhone and iPad

If you want to ensure certain photos or videos on your iPhone or iPad are inaccessible and out of sight when handing your device to someone, you can hide and unhide photos on your iPhone.

For additional security, you can keep photos and videos locked up by requiring Face ID and hiding the Hidden folder entirely. If you want the items to display in your camera roll in the future, unhiding them is just a couple of taps away.

Want to touch up your photos next? You can remove red eye from your iPhone photos easily using the Photos app.