Select the pictures or videos, tap More at the top and choose Move to Locked Folder, then confirm with Move. First-timers are prompted to set it up. From then on those items drop out of search, albums and sharing, and opening them needs your phone's screen lock or your Google Account password.
Things to know before you lock anything
- Access is guarded by whatever already secures the device, or by your Google Account password.
- You can't give the folder a separate password of its own.
- Anyone who knows your Google Account password can open it.
- If you turn on backup for it, those items count towards your storage quota.
- Copies and edited versions of a photo don't move with the original.
Moving pictures into Locked Folder on your phone
- Open the Photos app and tap Photos.
- Select the photos and videos you want hidden.
- Tap More at the top.
- Tap Move to Locked Folder.
- Tap Move to confirm.
The very first time, you're prompted to set Locked Folder up before anything moves. On a computer, the set-up lives at photos.google.com: click Locked Folder, choose Set up Locked Folder and follow the instructions on screen.
One detail is easy to miss. The Google Photos help page on Locked Folder points out that related items, such as copies, edited versions and shared photos that other people saved, aren't moved with the original. If privacy matters, track those down and move them too. Edit anything you want to change before you lock it as well, since editing isn't possible once it's inside.
How locked items behave afterwards
Once inside, items stop appearing in search, albums, shared items and new memories, and they aren't available to share through other apps. While they're locked, you also can't add them to an album, edit them, share them or move them to Trash.
That last point has a consequence worth spelling out. Because locked items can't go to Trash, deleting one from inside Locked Folder is permanent, with no bin to rescue it from. Be sure before you remove anything there.
What you can do is move them back out, delete them permanently, or view them in Locked Folder after passing your screen lock or password. To get there on a computer, click Locked Folder; on a phone, tap Collections and then Locked.
Backup decides whether locked photos survive
This is the part to settle before you rely on the feature. With backup off, Locked Folder contents are deleted if you factory reset the device, clear the app's data or delete the Photos app. Turning on Locked Folder backup keeps them safe through any of those, and the backed-up items then count towards your storage quota. Think about it before a factory reset.
Related reading on the wider backup settings: switching it off and picking a different account for it.
One more thing to rule out before you panic. If pictures seem to have vanished from your main library, check Locked Folder first, because anything moved there stops showing in the usual views. Our guide to Google Photos not showing all photos covers the other causes.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I set a PIN just for Locked Folder?
No. It relies on the screen lock you already use or your account password.
Will locked pictures turn up in Memories?
No, they're left out of any new memories, so a hidden picture won't resurface in a highlight reel later.
Can I edit a picture that's been locked?
Not while it's in there.
Does deleting the app remove locked items?
Yes, if their backup is off, which is why switching it on matters.
Is archiving a photo the same as locking it?
No. Archived pictures can still be reached, so they aren't hidden in the same way.
Can I move pictures out again later?
Yes. Moving items out is one of the actions allowed inside,.
