Snapchat My Eyes Only: How It Works and the Passcode Catch

That's the one thing everyone using My Eyes Only should know before they put anything important in it. It isn't a vault with a reset button. It's private precisely because nobody, Snapchat included, can open it without your code.

Here's how to set it up, how to move Snaps in, how to change the passcode safely, and the limits Snapchat lists in its support pages.

Find My Eyes Only

1. Swipe up from the Camera screen to open Memories.
2. Swipe left until you reach the My Eyes Only tab.
3. Enter your passcode to see what's inside.

Set it up for the first time

You need at least one Snap or Story saved in Memories, or something shared from your camera roll to Snapchat, before you can start.

1. Swipe up from the Camera screen to open Memories.
2. Press and hold a Snap. On iPhone, tap More, then Hide Snap (My Eyes Only). On Android, tap Hide.
3. Tap Quick Setup.
4. Choose a 4-digit passcode and enter it again to confirm.
5. Acknowledge that Snapchat can't recover the passcode or your private Snaps if you forget it, and tap Continue.
6. Tap Finish.

If four digits feels too easy to guess, tap Use Passphrase at the bottom of the passcode screen and create a longer passphrase with letters and numbers instead.

Move Snaps into My Eyes Only

1. Open Memories.
2. Tap the selector icon at the top.
3. Tap the Snaps and Stories you want to hide.
4. Tap Hide Snaps (My Eyes Only) at the bottom, then Move.
5. Enter your passcode if asked.

A limit that surprises people: only photo Snaps and video Snaps shorter than 10 seconds can be moved into My Eyes Only. Longer videos stay where they are.

Save straight to My Eyes Only

On iPhone you can make it the default, so Snaps you save go straight in:

1. Tap the gear icon in My Account to open Settings.
2. Scroll to Memories under My Account.
3. Switch on Save to My Eyes Only by Default.

Change your passcode (while you still know it)

1. Swipe left in Memories to My Eyes Only.
2. Tap Options.
3. Tap Change Passcode and enter your current one.
4. Create the new passcode and enter it again.
5. Acknowledge the warning, tap Continue, then Finish.

Changing it this way keeps your Snaps. That's the important difference from resetting it.

If you've forgotten the passcode

Snapchat does let you create a new passcode, but read this before you do it:

1. Swipe left in Memories to My Eyes Only and tap Options.
2. Tap Forgot Passcode.
3. Enter your Snapchat account password and tap Next.
4. Acknowledge that creating a new passcode will delete all Snaps in My Eyes Only.
5. Create and confirm the new passcode, then tap Finish.

What you do	What happens to your Snaps
Change Passcode (you know the old one)	They stay
Forgot Passcode and reset	Everything in My Eyes Only is deleted
Ask Snapchat Support to help	Support can't recover the passcode or the deleted Snaps

If there's any chance you'll remember it, keep trying before you reset. Once you've confirmed a new code, the old Snaps are gone.

Before you log out or change phones

Snapchat's advice is to make sure your Memories are completely backed up before you log out, log in on a different device or uninstall the app. That applies to everything in Memories, so it's worth checking before any phone swap. My guide to downloading all your Snapchat Memories shows how to keep a copy of the rest.

Is My Eyes Only the right place for it?

It's good for keeping private Snaps out of sight if someone scrolls through your Memories. It's not a backup. If losing a photo would upset you, keep a copy somewhere else as well, because a forgotten code wipes the lot.

And if you're clearing things out rather than hiding them, here's how to delete Memories on Snapchat.

What you can keep in it

• Snaps and Stories you've saved to Memories.
• Photos and videos from your camera roll, moved in through Memories.
• Photo Snaps and video Snaps under 10 seconds long.

Everything inside needs the passcode every time you open the tab. That's the point: if someone picks up your phone while it's open and scrolls through Memories, those Snaps don't show.

Common mistakes

• Using a birthday or an obvious four digits as the code.
• Resetting the code in a panic when a few more tries might have worked.
• Treating it as the only copy of photos you care about.
• Uninstalling Snapchat before checking Memories are fully backed up.

Viewing hidden Snaps

To look at what you've hidden, swipe up from the Camera screen to open Memories, swipe left to the My Eyes Only tab and enter your passcode or passphrase. There's no other way in, which is exactly why Snapchat makes you confirm the warning about forgotten codes during setup.

My advice

Use a passphrase rather than four digits, write it down somewhere safe, and change it with Change Passcode rather than Forgot Passcode whenever you can. Treat My Eyes Only as a locked drawer, not a safe deposit box: brilliant for privacy, useless if you lose the key.

Frequently asked questions

What is My Eyes Only on Snapchat?

It's a passcode-protected section of Memories for Snaps you want to keep extra private. You need your passcode to see anything inside.

What happens if I forget the My Eyes Only passcode?

You can create a new one with Forgot Passcode, but doing so deletes every Snap in My Eyes Only, and Snapchat Support can't recover them.

Can Snapchat recover My Eyes Only photos?

No. Snapchat says its Support team can't recover forgotten My Eyes Only passcodes or deleted Snaps.

Can I put long videos in My Eyes Only?

Only photo Snaps and video Snaps shorter than 10 seconds can be moved into My Eyes Only.

Can I use a password instead of a 4-digit code?

Yes. Tap Use Passphrase on the Create New Passcode screen to set an alphanumeric passphrase.