To hide a photo on iPhone, open Photos, touch and hold the photo, tap Hide, then confirm. It moves to the Hidden album, which is locked by default on iOS 16 and later. To get it back, open Collections, then Utilities, then Hidden.

At a glance

  • Hide: touch and hold a photo or video in Photos, tap Hide, confirm.
  • Find it: Photos, Collections, Utilities, Hidden, View Album. Open it with Face ID or Touch ID.
  • Make the album invisible: Settings, Apps, Photos, turn off Show Hidden Album.
  • Not a delete: Hide frees no space and removes nothing.

Some photos belong on your phone but not in your main grid. A gift you have not wrapped yet, a receipt, a screenshot of a test result. Or a picture you would rather not have swiping past when you hand someone your phone.

How to Hide Photos on iPhone (and Find Them Again)

How to Hide Photos on iPhone (and Find Them Again)

How do I hide a photo or video on iPhone?

At a glance

Cost
Free, forever
Account
None needed
App Store
No install
Runs on
iPhone, via Shortcuts
  1. Open Photos.
  2. Touch and hold the photo or video you want to hide.
  3. Tap Hide, then confirm.

Per Apple, hidden photos and videos do not appear anywhere else in Photos: not in the Library, not in other albums, not in the Home Screen Photos widget. If you use iCloud Photos, they are hidden on your other devices too.

Where do hidden photos go?

Open Photos, tap Collections, and scroll down to Utilities. Tap Hidden, then View Album, and open it with Face ID or Touch ID.

On iOS 16 and later that lock is on by default. You do not set anything up.

Can I hide the Hidden album itself?

Yes. The album is locked, but it still shows up in the Utilities list. To remove it from view:

  1. Open Settings and tap Apps, then Photos.
  2. Scroll down and turn off Show Hidden Album.

While it is off, your hidden photos and videos are not visible in the Photos app at all. Turn it back on when you need to get in.

How do I unhide a photo?

  1. Go to Collections, then Hidden under Utilities. If you turned the album off, switch Show Hidden Album back on first.
  2. Tap View Album and authenticate.
  3. Touch and hold the photo or video, then tap Unhide.

Hide, delete or hide the album: which one?

Option What it does Frees storage?
Hide Moves the photo to the locked Hidden album No
Turn off Show Hidden Album Removes the album from Photos until you switch it back on No
Delete Moves the photo to Recently Deleted before it is removed Only after it leaves Recently Deleted

What does Hide not do?

Hide is a privacy screen, not a vault. It does not delete anything, and it does not free up space, because the photo is still stored on your phone.

If space is what you are after, you want delete. Deleted items go to Recently Deleted first, so there is a short window to change your mind. Duplicates are the easy win: delete duplicate photos on iPhone in under a minute. If the phone is already full, what to delete first sorts the order.

Planning to share a photo? Here is how to remove the location from a photo on iPhone.

Where does Grabio fit?

Grabio is a free iOS Shortcut. Share a link and it opens a clean site that downloads the video. Share a file and it converts on your device, with nothing uploaded. It has no part in hiding photos. That is all done by the Photos app.

The only overlap: whatever lands in your Photos app, you can hide the same way. If you want the downloader itself, start with the best free video downloader for iPhone.

Want a copy of your library somewhere else before you tidy up? Download photos from your iPhone covers it, and download photos from iCloud covers the cloud side. For what changed in the app itself, see the iOS 26 Photos app changes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I hide photos on iPhone without an app?

Open Photos, touch and hold the photo, tap Hide and confirm. The photo moves to the Hidden album, which is locked by default on iOS 16 and later.

Where is the hidden album on iPhone?

Photos, then Collections, then Utilities, then Hidden. Tap View Album and authenticate. If the album is missing, Show Hidden Album is switched off in Settings, under Apps, then Photos.

Can someone see my hidden photos?

Not in your normal library, Home Screen widget or other albums. They only open in the Hidden album, which needs Face ID or Touch ID to open on iOS 16 and later.

Does hiding a photo delete it?

No. Hide moves the photo to the Hidden album and keeps it. Delete is a separate button, and deleted items go to Recently Deleted before they are gone.

Can I hide videos too?

Yes. Apple’s steps cover photos and videos alike: touch and hold, tap Hide, confirm.

Do hidden photos stay hidden on my other devices?

If you use iCloud Photos, yes. Per Apple, photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too.