With the Photos app across your Apple devices, you have great control over the visibility of your media. You can easily manage which photos and videos are displayed and which ones are kept out of sight using the Hidden album feature.
When you choose to hide photos and videos, they are moved into a designated Hidden album. This ensures they no longer appear in your main Library, other albums you’ve created, or even the Photos widget on your Home Screen. For enhanced privacy, especially on iPhones and iPads with iOS 14 or later, you have the option to completely disable the Hidden album, making those photos truly invisible. Furthermore, devices running iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, and macOS Ventura or later automatically lock the Hidden album, requiring authentication like Face ID, Touch ID, or your password to access it. To ensure all these features work smoothly, keep your Mac, iPhone and iPad, and Apple Vision Pro updated with the latest software.
For users who utilize iCloud Photos, hiding photos on one Apple device will synchronize this action across all devices linked to the same iCloud account.
How to Hide Photos on Your iPhone or iPad
To start hiding photos or videos on your iPhone or iPad, follow these simple steps:
- Launch the Photos app on your device.
- Browse to the photo or video you intend to hide.
- Tap and hold on the selected media to bring up options.
- From the options, select Hide.
- Confirm your choice by tapping Hide Photo or Hide Video to finalize the action.
Tapping the hide option from the more menu on an iPhone to hide a photo.
How to Unhide Photos on iPhone or iPad
If you decide to make your hidden photos visible again, the process is just as straightforward:
- Open the Photos app. On iPad, you might first need to tap the sidebar icon located in the top-left corner to view your albums.
- Scroll down through your albums until you find Utilities, and then tap on Hidden.
- Tap View Album. You will be prompted to use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock and access the Hidden album for security.
- Once inside the Hidden album, tap and hold the photo or video you wish to unhide.
- From the options that appear, tap Unhide. The photo or video will be moved back to your main library and visible in albums.
How to Find and Manage the Hidden Album on iPhone or iPad
Locating the Hidden album and managing its settings is simple:
- Open the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Scroll down the album list to the Utilities section. Here, you will find the Hidden album. On iPad, ensure the sidebar is visible by tapping the sidebar icon if necessary.
The Hidden album option is clearly visible under the Utilities section in the Photos app on iPhone.
To toggle the visibility of the Hidden album itself:
- Open Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Photos.
- Under the Albums section, find the Show Hidden Album option and toggle the switch to turn it on or off as desired.
By default, the Hidden album is visible in the Photos app on iPhones and iPads. If you choose to turn off the Show Hidden Album option, the Hidden album, along with all photos and videos within it, will become completely invisible within the Photos app.
How to Hide Photos on Your Mac
Managing hidden photos on your Mac is also designed to be user-friendly:
- Open the Photos application on your Mac.
- Control-click (or right-click) on the photo or video you intend to hide.
- From the context menu, select Hide Photo. Alternatively, you can navigate to the menu bar, click Image, and choose Hide Photo. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command-L.
- Confirm your decision to hide the selected media when prompted.
How to Unhide Photos on Mac
To unhide photos on your Mac:
- Open Photos.
- In the menu bar at the top of your screen, click on View.
- Select Show Hidden Photo Album from the dropdown menu.
- In the sidebar on the left, under Photos, you will now see the Hidden album. Select it.
- Click View Album, and authenticate using Touch ID or your login password to unlock it.
- Select the photo or video that you want to unhide from the Hidden album.
- Control-click on the selected media and choose Unhide Photo. You can also use the Image menu in the menu bar and select Unhide Photo, or use the shortcut Command-L.
How to Find the Hidden Album on Mac
To access the Hidden album on your Mac:
- Open the Photos app.
- Go to the menu bar, click on View, and select Show Hidden Photo Album. The Hidden album will then appear in the sidebar under the Photos section.
The Hidden album is easily found in the sidebar of the Photos app on macOS after selecting Show Hidden Photo Album from the View menu.
On Mac, the Hidden album is initially turned off by default. Once you enable the Show Hidden Photo Album option from the View menu, the Hidden album will be visible in the sidebar for easy access.
How to Hide Photos on Your Apple Vision Pro
For Apple Vision Pro users, hiding photos is just as integrated:
- Open the Photos app on your Apple Vision Pro.
- Select and hold the photo or video that you wish to hide.
- Tap Hide from the options that appear.
- Confirm by tapping Hide Photo or Hide Video to proceed.
How to Unhide Photos on Vision Pro
To unhide photos on Apple Vision Pro:
- Open Photos on your Vision Pro.
- Tap Collections in the sidebar to navigate your albums.
- Scroll down through the collections until you locate the Utilities section and tap on Hidden.
- Tap and hold the photo or video you intend to unhide.
- Select Unhide from the options to make the media visible again in your library.
Find the Hidden Album on Apple Vision Pro
Accessing the Hidden album on Apple Vision Pro is similar to other devices:
- Open the Photos app.
- Tap the Collections tab located in the sidebar.
- Scroll down to the Utilities section, where you will find and can access the Hidden album.
To control the visibility of the Hidden album on Apple Vision Pro:
- Open Settings on your Vision Pro.
- Tap Apps, then select Photos.
- Scroll down and toggle the Show Hidden Album option to your preference.
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