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Can You Password-Protect Photos on iPhone? A Step-by-Step Guide

Mehmet Ali Kısacık · Developer of Secure Folder · July 14, 2026 · 5 min read

Updated October 4, 2026

How to lock photos on iPhone depends on which lock you want. Photos has no separate password you can assign to one picture, but you can use the Hidden album, lock the Photos app, or lock a note; for a dedicated photo vault with its own PIN, use a vault app.

Hide private photos in a PIN-protected vault.

Secure Folder is free to download on the App Store, and your photos and videos stay on your iPhone.

Get Secure Folder→
Secure Folder screen for locking photos with a six-digit passcode keypad and Face ID unlock option.
Unlock with your PIN or with Face ID.
In this article

Lock selected photos with the Hidden album

The Hidden album is a built-in option when you want selected photos out of the main Library view. Apple says hidden items move to the Hidden album, and the album is locked by default in iOS 16 and later.1

Hide a photo and open it behind authentication

  1. 1.

    Hide the photo

    In Photos, touch and hold the photo or video, tap Hide, then confirm.1

  2. 2.

    Open the Hidden album

    Go to the Hidden album and choose View Album.1

  3. 3.

    Authenticate to view it

    Use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock the album. Apple's iPhone User Guide also lists the device passcode as an unlock method for Hidden.1,2

The photo stays inside Photos, but it is moved into Hidden instead of appearing elsewhere in the app. If you also want to control whether the album is visible, see how to hide photos on iPhone.1

Lock the whole Photos app

If the issue is someone opening Photos at all, iOS can lock the app so it requires Face ID, Touch ID, or the iPhone passcode before it opens. Apple says a locked app locks again after you quit it.3

Require authentication for Photos

  1. 1.

    Open the app menu

    Touch and hold the Photos app until the Quick Actions menu opens.3

  2. 2.

    Require authentication

    Tap Require Face ID, or the Touch ID or Passcode version shown on your iPhone, then confirm.3

This protects the whole Photos app rather than only the Hidden album. If you are comparing it with time limits, see Screen Time app lock vs photo vault. If your goal is to make an app less visible, see hiding apps vs disguised icons.1,3

Lock a photo inside a note

Notes is another built-in route when you want a photo inside a lockable note. Apple lets you protect a note with the iPhone passcode or create a separate password for Notes.4

Put the image in a locked note

  1. 1.

    Add the photo to a note

    Place the photo you want to protect in a note in the Notes app.

  2. 2.

    Open the lock command

    Open the note, tap More, then tap Lock.4

  3. 3.

    Choose what unlocks the note

    Follow Apple's prompts to use your iPhone passcode or create a password for Notes. Face ID or Touch ID can also be used with locked notes.4

This route locks the note that contains the image. It does not assign a password to the original photo in Photos. For a focused comparison of the two approaches, see locked notes vs a private notes vault.4

Choose the lock that matches what you need

Four ways to put private photos behind an extra lock on iPhone, compared by what is locked, where the image lives, and what opens it.1,2,3,4
MethodWhat it locksWhere the photo livesWhat opens it
Hidden albumThe Hidden collectionPhotos, inside HiddenFace ID, Touch ID, or iPhone passcode
Lock Photos appThe whole Photos appPhotosFace ID, Touch ID, or iPhone passcode
Locked noteAn individual noteA copy inside NotesiPhone passcode or a Notes password, with Face ID or Touch ID support
Secure Folder: Privacy VaultThe vault galleryProtected storage on the iPhoneA separate 6-digit vault PIN

Use a separate vault PIN for photos and videos

Secure Folder locks its private gallery behind a 6-digit numeric PIN set at first launch. That PIN is separate from the iPhone passcode, so the iPhone passcode does not open the vault.

That separation is useful when you sometimes lend the phone to family, a partner, or someone else who already knows the phone passcode. You can change the vault PIN later in Security > Change PIN.

The same vault holds videos as well as photos, so private videos can stay behind the same vault lock.

Move the originals out of the camera roll

If the original is still sitting in Photos, it can still appear in the camera roll. In Secure Folder, importing places a copy in the vault, and the original leaves Photos once you delete it.

Import photos and remove the originals

  1. 1.

    Import the photos

    Choose the photos you want to place in the vault and import them.

  2. 2.

    Choose what happens to originals

    On the first photo import, Secure Folder asks whether to remove originals after import. Your answer becomes the Auto-Delete Originals setting, which you can change later in Settings.

  3. 3.

    Confirm the iOS deletion

    When originals are removed, iOS asks you to confirm each deletion.

  4. 4.

    Manage originals later

    Delete Originals (Free Up Space) can remove originals later, and Restore to Photos puts items back in Photos.

Once an original is deleted from Photos, the private copy remains in the vault instead of the camera roll.

Sources

  1. 1.Apple Support, “Hide photos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision Pro with the Hidden album,” support.apple.com
  2. 2.Apple iPhone User Guide, “Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone,” support.apple.com
  3. 3.Apple iPhone User Guide, “Lock or hide an app on iPhone,” support.apple.com
  4. 4.Apple Support, “How to lock or unlock notes on your iPhone or iPad,” support.apple.com

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