Sometimes you might not want certain pictures shot on your iPhone or iPad to be visible in your Photo Library, but for whatever reason, you might not want to outright delete them either. That's why Apple's Photos app includes an option to hide certain photos from the main library.

ios14 hide folders but the folders have photos soooo

Prior to iOS 14, this option would hide pictures from the ‌Photos‌ and For You sections of the ‌Photos‌ app, but they would still show up in the Albums section under an album called "Hidden," which wasn't exactly an inconspicuous way of squirreling away private pictures.

With that in mind, Apple has added an option in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 that allows users to hide the Hidden album from the ‌Photos‌ app, quite literally. The following steps run you through the process of hiding a picture and then making sure the Hidden album is concealed in the ‌Photos‌ app.

Once you've completed the steps, the Hidden album won't show up in the ‌‌Photos‌‌ app; just be aware that you'll still see the Hidden album when you use the image picker in third-party apps, so it's not completely invisible from prying eyes.

How to Hide a Photo

  1. Launch the Photos app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.
  2. Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen.
  3. Tap the pictures you want to hide.
  4. Tap the Share button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. (It looks like a square with an arrow pointing out.)
  5. In the Share Sheet's actions menu, select Hide.
    photos
  6. Tap the prompt that appears at the bottom of the screen to confirm.

Again, this hides the photo from the general album view, but conspicuously places the photo in an album called "Hidden". To hide that "Hidden" folder in iOS 14:

How to Hide the 'Hidden' Folder in Photos

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and select Photos.
  3. Make sure the switch next to Hidden Album is in the grey OFF position.
    photos

If you ever want your Hidden album to appear in ‌Photos‌ again, go to Settings -> Photos and then toggle the switch next to Hidden Album so that it's in the green ON position.

Note that while the album is hidden in the ‌Photos‌ app, it can appear in the photo picker from 3rd party apps. At best this just makes it harder for casual snoopers from running across your private photos.

Related Stories

iOS 14: How to Sort Images and Videos in Apple's Photos App

Monday September 14, 2020 4:55 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick

In iOS 14, Apple tweaked its stock Photos app to improve user navigation, discoverability, and album management. One of these improvements is the addition of new sort options within albums. The new sort options enable you to view the contents of your albums in order from oldest to newest, newest to oldest, or in a custom order entirely of your choosing, making it easier to find what you're...

How to Transfer Your Apple iCloud Photos to Google Photos

Thursday March 4, 2021 9:02 am PST by Tim Hardwick

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to transfer your iCloud photos to Google Photos, look no further. Apple now offers a service that's designed to streamline the process of moving your photos and videos to Google's cloud platform. Keep reading to learn how it works and how to get started with it. First of all, make sure that Apple's iCloud-to-Google Photos transfer service is available ...

How to Add an AirTag to Find My on Your iPhone

Friday April 30, 2021 12:18 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple's AirTags are small, button-shaped devices that are designed to be attached to items like keys and wallets to allow these accessories to be tracked using Bluetooth right alongside Apple devices in the Find My app. If you've just got hold of a new AirTag, you'll want to get it set up and ready for use. Before you do, make sure you've updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 14.5 or iPadOS...

How to Stop Apps From Tracking You in iOS 14.5

Monday April 26, 2021 10:48 am PDT by Juli Clover

With the launch of iOS 14.5, apps are no longer allowed to access the IDFA or tracking advertiser on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV without your express permission, keeping your app data more private. Apps use your IDFA to track you across different apps and websites, keeping tabs on your preferences and app usage habits. When an app wants to use your IDFA, you'll see a popup that says...

How to Pair a PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X Controller With iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV

With the release of iOS 14.5 and tvOS 14.5, Apple users can now connect their PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers to an iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Keep reading to learn how it works. Since iOS 13 and tvOS 13, users have been able to connect popular console controllers to an iPhone or Apple TV to play Apple Arcade games and other iOS games, instead of having to spend extra money on...

How to Record Your Mac's Screen

If you've ever wanted to record a video of your Mac's screen but don't know quite how to do so, then you've come to the right place. Keep reading to learn how you can record any Mac desktop activity in just a few simple steps. Recording the activity on your Mac's screen can be useful for a number of reasons. For example, if you want to teach someone how to perform a particular function on...

How to Back Up Your iPhone Photos

Wednesday May 12, 2021 9:26 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Backing up the photos you take on your iPhone might not sound like a thrilling prospect, but it's far from a thankless task. On the contrary, it's a crucial step in ensuring that your most precious pictures are never lost. Plus, once you have a system for backing up your photos in place, you can get on with enjoying taking pictures with your smartphone in the confidence that they're safe. You...

How to Hide Like and View Counts on Instagram Posts

Wednesday May 26, 2021 8:05 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Instagram has added new options on the platform that allow users to hide the number of like and view counts of other people's posts, as well as the same counts on their own posts. The new options have been introduced to "depressurize people's experience" on the platform, the Facebook-owned social media company said. Instagram has been testing out the options in several countries since 2019,...

How to Clear Cookies in Firefox on Mac and iOS

Monday April 19, 2021 11:24 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Whenever you browse the web in Firefox, the browser stores website data including cookies so that it doesn't have to do so again each time you revisit a site. In theory this should speed up your browsing experience, but there are some scenarios where you might want to clear the cache and start anew. Keep reading to learn how it's done on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. There are a couple of...

How to Optimize Photos to Take Up Less Storage Space on iPhone and iPad

Tuesday March 30, 2021 9:10 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

The photos that you keep on your iPhone or iPad naturally take up storage space on your device, which can fill up quickly depending on the available storage capacity and how much content you have. If you see a message that your device's storage is full, it's worth checking out a system option called Optimize Storage, which is designed to work with iCloud Photos. This feature replaces...