How to Hide Photos on Your iPhone: A Complete Privacy Guide

Controlling your photo privacy on your iPhone is simpler than you might think. Apple’s Photos app offers a built-in feature to hide sensitive or personal photos and videos, keeping them out of your main photo library and tucked away in a dedicated Hidden album. This ensures that your private moments remain private, whether you’re sharing your device or simply prefer a cleaner photo stream.

This guide will walk you through the steps to effectively hide photos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even Apple Vision Pro. We’ll cover everything from hiding and unhiding photos to managing your Hidden album and ensuring your private media stays secure across all your Apple devices.

Hiding Photos on Your iPhone and iPad

The process for hiding photos on both iPhone and iPad is identical, ensuring a seamless experience across your iOS devices.

1. Open the Photos App: Launch the Photos app directly from your Home Screen.

2. Select the Photo or Video: Navigate to the photo or video you wish to hide. Tap on the specific media to view it.

3. Access the Hide Option: Tap and hold on the photo or video thumbnail. This will bring up a quick actions menu.

4. Choose “Hide”: From the options presented, tap “Hide”.

5. Confirm Hiding: A confirmation prompt will appear at the bottom of your screen asking “Hide Photo?”. Tap “Hide Photo” to confirm and move the selected media to the Hidden album.

   Dropdown menu highlighting the Hide feature feature for a photo.

   Image: Hide photo option highlighted in the options menu when long-pressing a photo on iPhone.

Unhiding Photos on Your iPhone and iPad

Need to bring a hidden photo back into your main library? Unhiding is just as straightforward.

1. Open Photos and Access Albums: Open the Photos app. On iPad, you might need to tap the sidebar icon in the upper-left corner to view your albums.

2. Scroll to Utilities and Find Hidden: Scroll down the Albums list until you reach the “Utilities” section. Here, you will see the “Hidden” album.

3. Unlock the Hidden Album: Tap “Hidden”. You’ll be prompted to “View Album” and use Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to unlock and access the album, adding an extra layer of security.

4. Select Media to Unhide: Once inside the Hidden album, tap and hold the photo or video you want to unhide.

5. Choose “Unhide”: In the actions menu that appears, tap “Unhide”. The photo or video will be moved back to your main Photos library, appearing in your “Recents” album and chronological order.

Finding and Managing the Hidden Album on iPhone and iPad

The Hidden album is your vault for private photos. Here’s how to find and manage it:

1. Open Photos and Access Albums: Open the Photos app and navigate to the “Albums” tab. On iPad, ensure the sidebar is visible.

2. Locate Hidden Under Utilities: Scroll down to the “Utilities” section within the Albums list. The “Hidden” album will be listed here.

   Hidden album highlighted under Utilities.

   Image: Hidden Album option located under Utilities section in iPhone Photos app.

Turning Off the Hidden Album Visibility

For even greater privacy, you can make the Hidden album itself invisible in the Utilities section.

1. Open Settings App: Go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad Home Screen.

2. Navigate to Photos Settings: Scroll down and tap on “Photos”.

3. Toggle Off “Show Hidden Album”: Under the “Albums” section, find the “Show Hidden Album” toggle. Switch this toggle to the off position (grey).

When “Show Hidden Album” is turned off, the Hidden album will not appear in the Utilities section of your Photos app. To access your hidden photos, you’ll need to re-enable this setting.

How to Hide Photos on Your Mac

Hiding photos on your Mac follows a similar principle, ensuring consistency within the Apple ecosystem.

1. Open the Photos App: Launch the Photos app on your Mac.

2. Select Photo and Control-Click: Select the photo or video you intend to hide. Control-click (or right-click) on the selected media.

3. Choose “Hide Photo”: From the contextual menu, select “Hide Photo”. Alternatively, you can navigate to the menu bar, click “Image,” and choose “Hide Photo,” or use the keyboard shortcut Command + L.

4. Confirm Hiding: A dialog box will appear asking “Are you sure you want to hide the selected photo?”. Click “Hide” to confirm.

Unhiding Photos on Mac

Restoring hidden photos on your Mac is also simple.

1. Show the Hidden Album: In the Photos app menu bar, click “View” and select “Show Hidden Photo Album”.

2. Access the Hidden Album: The “Hidden” album will now appear in the sidebar under “Photos.” Select “Hidden”.

3. Unlock if Locked: Click “View Album”. You may be prompted to use Touch ID or your login password to unlock the album.

4. Select and Control-Click to Unhide: Select the photo or video you wish to unhide. Control-click (or right-click) on the selected media.

5. Choose “Unhide Photo”: From the contextual menu, select “Unhide Photo”. You can also use the menu bar by clicking “Image” and then “Unhide Photo,” or use the shortcut Command + L. The photo will return to your main library.

Finding the Hidden Album on Mac

Accessing the Hidden album on Mac is slightly different as it’s hidden by default.

1. Open Photos App: Launch the Photos application on your Mac.

2. Show Hidden Album from View Menu: In the menu bar at the top of your screen, click on “View”.

3. Select “Show Hidden Photo Album”: From the dropdown menu, click “Show Hidden Photo Album”. This will make the Hidden album visible in the sidebar of your Photos app, under the “Photos” section.

   Hidden album highlighted in MacOS Photos app.

   Image: Hidden Album option shown in the View menu of MacOS Photos app.

How to Hide Photos on Apple Vision Pro

For users of Apple’s spatial computer, hiding photos on Vision Pro is equally important for privacy.

1. Open the Photos App: Open the Photos app within visionOS.

2. Select and Hold to Hide: Navigate to the photo or video you want to hide. Select and hold on the media.

3. Tap “Hide”: In the options that appear, tap “Hide”.

4. Confirm Hiding: Confirm that you want to hide the photo or video when prompted.

Unhiding Photos on Vision Pro

Unhiding photos on Vision Pro is similar to iPhone and iPad.

1. Open Photos and Access Collections: Open the Photos app and tap “Collections” in the sidebar.

2. Scroll to Utilities and Tap Hidden: Scroll down the sidebar to the “Utilities” section and tap “Hidden”.

3. Select and Hold to Unhide: Tap and hold the photo or video you want to unhide.

4. Tap “Unhide”: Tap “Unhide” from the options.

Finding the Hidden Album on Apple Vision Pro

1. Open Photos App and Go to Collections: Open the Photos app and tap the “Collections” tab in the sidebar.

2. Locate Hidden Under Utilities: Scroll down to the “Utilities” section in the sidebar. The “Hidden” album is located here.

Turning Off Hidden Album Visibility on Vision Pro

Similar to iPhone and iPad, you can also hide the Hidden album in visionOS settings.

1. Open Settings App: Go to the Settings app on your Apple Vision Pro.

2. Navigate to Photos Settings: Tap “Apps,” then tap “Photos”.

3. Toggle Off “Show Hidden Album”: Scroll down and turn off the “Show Hidden Album” toggle.

Secure Your Photo Privacy Across Apple Devices

Utilizing the Hidden album feature in Apple Photos is an effective way to manage your photo privacy across your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. By following these simple steps, you can ensure your personal photos and videos remain hidden from prying eyes, adding an extra layer of security and peace of mind to your digital life. Remember to keep your software updated to benefit from the latest security features and enhancements to the Hidden album.