Where hidden photos go on iPhone, and how to see them
Hidden photos on iPhone aren't gone. They sit in the Hidden album, in Photos, under Utilities. Open it with Face ID, Touch ID or your phone's passcode. If you can't see the album at all, it's been switched off in Settings, and one toggle brings it back.
Find the Hidden album
- Open Photos.
- Go to Collections and scroll down to Utilities.
- Tap Hidden and unlock it.
On older versions of iOS, it's under Albums, then Utilities, then Hidden. On a Mac, open Photos and choose View, then Show Hidden Photo Album. On an iPad, it's in the sidebar under Utilities.
The Hidden album isn't there
Open Settings, then Apps, then Photos, and turn on Show Hidden Album. On iOS 17 and earlier it's in Settings, then Photos. Turning it off only takes the album out of the sidebar. The photos were there the whole time, and still synced to iCloud.
Make the Hidden album harder to find
Turn off Show Hidden Album (Settings, then Apps, then Photos) and the album disappears from Utilities, so someone scrolling through Photos won't see that it exists. When you want to look at those photos, go to Settings first, turn it back on, open the album, and turn it off again when you're done.
It's a good extra step, not a lock. The photos are still in iCloud Photos and on your other devices, and anyone who knows the setting can turn it back on. Opening the album still needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
Unhide a photo
Open the photo in the Hidden album, tap the More button (•••), then Unhide. It goes back into your library on the date it was taken, not at the bottom of your scroll. To unhide several, tap Select, pick them, tap More and choose Unhide.
Not in Hidden? Check Recently Deleted
A photo you deleted, rather than hid, goes to Recently Deleted, also under Utilities. It stays there for about 30 days before iPhone removes it for good. Open the album, unlock it, select the photo and tap Recover.
Searching won't find them
Hidden photos are left out of search, Memories, Featured Photos and the Photos widget. That's the point of hiding. It also means the Hidden album is the only place to look, which is why it's easy to forget what's in there.
What the Hidden album doesn't do
Anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can open it. Every iPhone, iPad and Mac signed in to your Apple Account shows the same Hidden album, and so does iCloud.com. Are hidden photos saved to iCloud? covers the syncing, and Can someone see my hidden photos? covers who.
If that's more reach than you want, keep those photos in a separate app with its own passcode. Mavaul encrypts each photo and video with AES-256 on the iPhone, has no account and no cloud, and offers to delete the originals from Photos after you import them. The free plan holds 30.
Questions
Can someone tell that I have hidden photos?
If Show Hidden Album is on, anyone using your phone can see the album in Utilities. They still need Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open it.
Why do my hidden photos show up on my iPad?
Because the iPad is signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud Photos on. My photos showed up on the family iPad explains how to stop it.
Can I put a separate password on the Hidden album?
No. It opens with the phone's own Face ID, Touch ID or passcode. For a separate code you need a vault app.