Where are hidden photos on iPhone?

In the Photos app, tap Collections and scroll down to Utilities. Tap Hidden, then tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

How do I see hidden photos on my iPhone?

Open Photos → Collections → Utilities → Hidden. Tap View Album and unlock it. If you don't see Hidden, turn on Show Hidden Album in Settings → Apps → Photos.

Why can't I find the Hidden album on my iPhone?

Show Hidden Album is probably off. Go to Settings → Apps → Photos (Settings → Photos on iOS 17 or earlier) and turn it on. Then look under Utilities in Photos.

How do I unhide photos on iPhone?

Open the Hidden album and unlock it. Tap and hold a photo and tap Unhide. For several, tap Select, pick them, tap the More button, then tap Unhide.

Do hidden photos take up storage?

Yes. Hidden photos are not deleted. They stay on your iPhone, and in iCloud if you use iCloud Photos. To free space, delete the ones you no longer need, then empty Recently Deleted.

Are hidden photos hidden on my other devices?

Yes, if you use iCloud Photos. Apple says photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too. On a Mac, the Hidden album is off by default; turn it on with View → Show Hidden Photo Album.

How do I lock photos on my iPhone?

Hide them. Tap and hold a photo, then tap Hide. The Hidden album is locked with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode by default. Check that Use Face ID is on in Settings → Apps → Photos. On iOS 18 or later you can also lock the whole Photos app: touch and hold its icon and tap Require Face ID.

Can I lock a single album on iPhone?

Not a normal album. In the Photos app, only the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums lock. Move the photos to Hidden, or lock the whole Photos app on iOS 18 or later.

Does Pikondo hide or unhide photos?

No. Pikondo does not hide, unhide, lock, or unlock photos or change Photos settings. It helps you review and delete clutter like screenshots, duplicates, and blurry shots.

Photo cleanup guide

How to find hidden photos on iPhone (and why they still use space)

Find the Hidden album on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or iCloud.com. How to unlock it, lock photos with Face ID, bring the album back if it is missing, unhide photos, or delete the ones you no longer need.

By Pikondo team · Updated October 23, 2026

Pikondo review screen where marked photos can be checked before deletion

Short answer: open Photos, tap Collections, and scroll down to Utilities. Tap Hidden, tap View Album, and unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. Don't see Hidden? Go to Settings → Apps → Photos and turn on Show Hidden Album. Hidden photos are not deleted. They still take up space on your iPhone, and in iCloud if you use iCloud Photos. Want to lock photos? Hide them. The Hidden album is locked with Face ID by default. Pikondo does not hide, unhide, or unlock photos. It helps you clear clutter from your library.

Short answer: where hidden photos are

iPhone and iPad: Photos → Collections → Utilities → Hidden.
The album is locked. Tap View Album, then use Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
No Hidden album? Settings → Apps → Photos → turn on Show Hidden Album.
Mac: open Photos and choose View → Show Hidden Photo Album. It is off by default on a Mac.
iCloud.com: open Photos, click Hidden in the sidebar, then Show Hidden Photos.

Find hidden photos on iPhone or iPad

Open the Photos app.
Tap Collections. On iPad, you may need to tap the sidebar button in the top-left corner first.
Scroll down to Utilities and tap Hidden. On older iOS, open the Albums tab and scroll down to Utilities.
Tap View Album. Unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
Your hidden photos and videos show up here. Apple keeps them out of the rest of Photos: the Library, your other albums, and the Photos widget.

Hidden album missing? Turn it back on

Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Photos. On iOS 17 or earlier, tap Photos right in Settings.
Turn on Show Hidden Album.
Go back to Photos → Collections → Utilities. Hidden is there again.
Good to know: turning this switch off does not delete or unhide anything. It only takes the album out of view.

Why it asks for Face ID

Since iOS 16, the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums are locked by default. You unlock them with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.

Don't want the lock? Go to Settings → Apps → Photos and turn off Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID, or Use Passcode). Most people should leave it on.

How to lock photos on iPhone

Short answer: hide the photos. The Hidden album is where Photos lets you lock photos you keep, and it is locked with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode by default. You can't set a password on a single photo or on a normal album.

Want more? You can also lock the whole Photos app (iOS 18 or later), or put a few photos in a locked note. All three use built-in iPhone features. No extra app needed.

Lock photos with the Hidden album

Open Photos. Tap and hold the photo, then tap Hide. For several, tap Select, tap the photos, tap the More button (three dots), then tap Hide.
Go to Settings → Apps → Photos. Make sure Use Face ID (or Use Touch ID, or Use Passcode) is on.
Now the photos only show in Collections → Utilities → Hidden, and the album asks for Face ID before it opens.
Want the album out of sight too? In Settings → Apps → Photos, turn off Show Hidden Album. The photos stay hidden and locked.

Lock the whole Photos app (iOS 18 or later)

Go to your Home Screen and find Photos.
Touch and hold the Photos icon until the quick actions menu opens.
Tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode).
Tap Require Face ID again, then confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
Now Photos asks for Face ID every time it opens. To undo, touch and hold the icon again and turn the lock off.

Lock a few photos in Notes

The Notes app can lock a note with your passcode or a separate Notes password. Add the photos to a note, tap the More button, then tap Lock.

Apple won't lock a note that has a video, audio, PDF, or file. Photos are fine. The note title still shows in your notes list, so give it a plain name.

Adding a photo to a note makes a copy. The original stays in Photos until you delete it there and empty Recently Deleted.

What locking does not do

It does not free space. Hidden and locked photos still count toward iPhone storage, and iCloud if you use iCloud Photos.
An app lock stays on that one iPhone. Apple says the lock does not sync through iCloud, so lock Photos on each device.
Built-in apps like Photos can be locked but not hidden from the Home Screen. Apple only lets you hide apps you download.
Anyone who knows your iPhone passcode can open the Hidden album and a locked app. Keep your passcode private.

Unhide photos on iPhone

Open the Hidden album and unlock it.
Tap and hold a photo, then tap Unhide.
For several at once, tap Select, tap the photos, tap the More button (three dots), then tap Unhide.
The photos go back to your Library and albums. With iCloud Photos on, hiding and unhiding sync to your other devices.

Find hidden photos on a Mac

Open Photos.
In the menu bar, choose View → Show Hidden Photo Album.
In the sidebar under Utilities, click Hidden.
Click View Album. Unlock it with Touch ID or your login password.
To unhide, Control-click a photo and choose Unhide Photo. Or press Command-L.

Find hidden photos on iCloud.com

Go to icloud.com/photos and sign in with your Apple Account.
Click Hidden in the sidebar. If you don't see the sidebar, click the Show Sidebar button.
Click Show Hidden Photos.
To unhide, select a photo, click the More button, then click Unhide.

Still can't find a photo?

Check Recently Deleted. It sits next to Hidden under Utilities. Deleted photos wait there for 30 days. See /blog/recover-deleted-photos-iphone.
Check that iCloud Photos is on and done syncing. A photo from another device may not have arrived yet. See /blog/icloud-photos-not-syncing.
Check your Shared Library. Apple says a photo hidden in an iCloud Shared Photo Library moves to the Hidden album for everyone in it.
Check the Apple Account. Hidden photos only sync between devices signed in to the same account with iCloud Photos on.

Hidden photos still take up space

Hiding moves a photo out of view. It does not delete it. A hidden photo stays in your library on the iPhone, and in iCloud if you use iCloud Photos. It counts toward storage like any other photo.

If the Hidden album is full of things you no longer need, delete them. Open Hidden, tap Select, tap the photos, then tap the trash button. They move to Recently Deleted for 30 days. With iCloud Photos on, iCloud space comes back once the delete syncs. Empty Recently Deleted to make it final. See /blog/empty-recently-deleted-photos-iphone.

How Pikondo fits (and where it stops)

Pikondo is an on-device photo cleaner for iPhone. It helps you review screenshots, duplicates and similar shots, and blurry photos. Swipe to keep or mark, check the marked list, then confirm.

Pikondo does not hide, unhide, or lock photos, unlock the Hidden album, or change Photos settings. Use the Photos app for that. Deletes in Pikondo go through your Photos library and follow the same Recently Deleted and iCloud rules as the Photos app.

Related guides

For more on hidden photos and cleanup, see hiding photos (privacy, not storage) at /blog/hide-photos-iphone, recovering from Recently Deleted at /blog/recover-deleted-photos-iphone, emptying Recently Deleted at /blog/empty-recently-deleted-photos-iphone, selecting all photos at /blog/select-all-photos-iphone, organizing keepers at /blog/organize-photos-iphone, iCloud Photos not syncing at /blog/icloud-photos-not-syncing, deleting photos at /blog/how-to-delete-photos-iphone, and freeing iPhone storage at /blog/free-up-iphone-storage.

The key point

To find hidden photos on iPhone, open Photos → Collections → Utilities → Hidden, tap View Album, and unlock it. If Hidden is missing, turn on Show Hidden Album in Settings → Apps → Photos. On a Mac, choose View → Show Hidden Photo Album. To lock photos, hide them: the Hidden album is locked with Face ID by default. For more, lock the Photos app (iOS 18 or later) or use a locked note. Hidden photos still use space, so delete the ones you no longer need. Pikondo helps you clear clutter; it does not hide, unhide, or lock photos.

Frequently asked questions

Where are hidden photos on iPhone?: In the Photos app, tap Collections and scroll down to Utilities. Tap Hidden, then tap View Album and unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode.
How do I see hidden photos on my iPhone?: Open Photos → Collections → Utilities → Hidden. Tap View Album and unlock it. If you don't see Hidden, turn on Show Hidden Album in Settings → Apps → Photos.
Why can't I find the Hidden album on my iPhone?: Show Hidden Album is probably off. Go to Settings → Apps → Photos (Settings → Photos on iOS 17 or earlier) and turn it on. Then look under Utilities in Photos.
How do I unhide photos on iPhone?: Open the Hidden album and unlock it. Tap and hold a photo and tap Unhide. For several, tap Select, pick them, tap the More button, then tap Unhide.
Do hidden photos take up storage?: Yes. Hidden photos are not deleted. They stay on your iPhone, and in iCloud if you use iCloud Photos. To free space, delete the ones you no longer need, then empty Recently Deleted.
Are hidden photos hidden on my other devices?: Yes, if you use iCloud Photos. Apple says photos you hide on one device are hidden on your other devices too. On a Mac, the Hidden album is off by default; turn it on with View → Show Hidden Photo Album.
How do I lock photos on my iPhone?: Hide them. Tap and hold a photo, then tap Hide. The Hidden album is locked with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode by default. Check that Use Face ID is on in Settings → Apps → Photos. On iOS 18 or later you can also lock the whole Photos app: touch and hold its icon and tap Require Face ID.
Can I lock a single album on iPhone?: Not a normal album. In the Photos app, only the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums lock. Move the photos to Hidden, or lock the whole Photos app on iOS 18 or later.
Does Pikondo hide or unhide photos?: No. Pikondo does not hide, unhide, lock, or unlock photos or change Photos settings. It helps you review and delete clutter like screenshots, duplicates, and blurry shots.