How to Hide Photos in Google Photos
Google Photos has two tools. Locked Folder moves items out of the grid, search, albums and memories and protects them with your device lock. Archive only removes items from the main Photos view; they still show in albums and search. Neither is the same as keeping a photo off Google's servers.
Locked Folder
Google's help page describes Locked Folder as a private space protected by your device's lock. Items inside are kept out of the Photos grid, memories, search, albums and other apps. On Android you can use it from Android 6; on iPhone, Google's page says iOS 15 or later.
To use it, select a photo or video, tap Add to, then Move to Locked Folder, and confirm. The first time, Google prompts you to set the folder up.
What opens it depends on the device. Google says the Locked Folder password is the same as your device screen lock on Android, and on iPhone people with your Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode can unlock it. You cannot set a separate password. Anyone who knows your screen lock or passcode can open it.
Inside the folder you cannot add items to albums, edit them, share them or move them to Trash. To share a photo, move it out of the folder first. Related copies, edits and items others shared with you are not moved in with it.
Backup for Locked Folder is optional, and it changes the risk
Google lets you choose whether Locked Folder items are backed up to your Google Account. This choice matters more than the lock.
- Backup off. Google says the items exist only on that device. You lose them if you uninstall Photos, clear its app data, factory reset, or lose or damage the phone.
- Backup on. You can reach the folder from other devices signed in to your Google Account, and the items count toward your storage. They are then stored with Google, protected, according to Google's page, by its standard encryption practices.
So one setting decides whether a private photo stays only on your phone or also lives on Google's servers. If your aim is to keep a picture off a company's servers, leave backup off and accept that the photo has no second copy.
Archive
Archive is a tidy-up tool, not a privacy tool. Google's help page says archiving hides a photo from your Photos view, while archived photos still appear in the albums they were added to, in search results and in folders on your device. They still count toward your storage quota. To archive, open the photo, tap More, then Archive. Find them again under Collections > Archive on Android.
If a photo is in a shared album, archiving does not take it out of that album.
Which to use
| Goal | Locked Folder | Archive |
|---|---|---|
| Keep photos out of the grid | Yes | Yes |
| Keep them out of search and albums | Yes | No |
| Needs your device lock to open | Yes | No |
| Stays only on this phone | Only with backup off | No, stays in your Google library |
| Encrypted by a separate password you choose | No | No |
What neither one does
- Neither stops a person who knows your device passcode from opening the photos.
- Neither is a decision about where the photo is stored. That depends on your backup setting.
- Neither protects a photo that you already saved to your phone's gallery or shared elsewhere.
For the same question on an iPhone's own photo library, see is the iPhone Hidden album secure and how to hide photos on iPhone.
Related reading
- Is the iPhone Hidden album secure
- How to hide photos on iPhone
- What StrongRoom does not protect against
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Photos Locked Folder private?
It is protected by your device lock and hidden from search, albums and memories. Anyone who knows your screen lock or passcode can open it, and it does not use a separate password.
Does Locked Folder upload my photos to Google?
Only if you turn on Locked Folder backup. Google says items without backup exist only on that device.
What happens if I uninstall Google Photos?
Google says Locked Folder items you have not backed up are lost if you uninstall the app, clear its data, factory reset or lose the device.
Does Archive hide a photo from search?
No. Google says archived photos still appear in albums and search results.
Sources
- Hide sensitive photos and videos in Locked Folder, Android (Google Photos Help), checked on 2026-10-30.
- Hide sensitive photos and videos in Locked Folder, iPhone (Google Photos Help), checked on 2026-10-30.
- Move photos to archive (Google Photos Help), checked on 2026-10-30.