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iPhone and iPadHow to Hide and Unhide Photos on iPhone and iPad

[Updated] How to Hide and Unhide Photos on iPhone and iPad

By Michael | Last Updated

Do you know how to hide your photos on iPhone? There is no doubt that it is a great experience for iPhone users to take photos and share these photos with others. But there are times when you want to make some photos in private and do not want others who can access to your device to view them. Luckily, Apple took this into consideration and carried out the Hide and Unhide function which were first introduced in iOS 8. With this feature, you can easily hide or unhide personal photos on your iPhone or iPad just as you want. In the following parts of this article, you will learn how to hide and unhide photos on iPhone and iPad.

hide and unhide photos in iphone and ipad

Why Hide Photos on Your iPhone or iPad?

Before diving into the steps, let’s explore why you might want to hide photos in the first place:

1. Protecting Your Privacy: You might have personal or sensitive photos that you don’t want others to see when they browse through your gallery. Hiding these images keeps them out of the main view.

2. Organizing Your Gallery: Hiding photos can help you declutter your photo library. You can keep less relevant images out of sight without deleting them.

3. Keeping Work and Personal Photos Separate: If you use your device for both work and personal purposes, hiding photos can help you separate the two and maintain a more organized gallery.

Part 1: How to Hide Photos on iPhone and iPad

In Part 1, you will learn how to hide pictures on iPhone and iPad. If you don't know how to hide a photo on your iPhone, follow the below actual steps and then practice how to do it on your own device.

Step 1: Launch the Photos app from the Home screen on your iPhone and iPad.

Step 2: Browse and select the photos or videos that you want to hide in your device.

Step 3: Tap on the Share icon at the bottom left corner of the screen and then you will get a series of options, choose the Hide option to proceed.

Step 4: Click the button of Hide Photos to confirm that you want to hide the photos or videos.

hide photos

Then these photos will be hidden from all the places in your library but can be found in the Hidden album.

Part 2: How to Unhide Photos on iPhone and iPad

After you hide photos or pictures on your iPhone or iPad, if you change your mind, you can choose to unhide your photos and make them visible again in your Photos tabs with the following steps.

Step 1: Open the Photos app and go to the Albums tab on your iPhone or iPad.

Step 2: Scroll down the page until you see the Hidden album below Other Albums.

Step 3: Click the Select button at the top right corner of the screen to select the photos that you want to unhide.

select photos that you want to unhide

Step 4: Tap on the Share icon at the bottom left corner of the screen and choose Unhide. Then, the photo will appear on its original album folder.

unhide photos

Tips: For the iCloud Photo Library users, if they hide a photo on iPhone, the photo will also be hidden on other related devices, such as iPad and iPod Touch. This rule is also applicable for unhiding a photo.

FAQs about Hide and Unhide Photo in iPhone/iPad

1. How to View Hidden Photos on iPhone and iPad?

Your hidden photos are moved to a special album called "Hidden." This album isn’t easily visible, but you can find it at any time: Tap the Photos App; At the bottom of the screen, tap on the "Albums" tab to view your albums; Scroll down to the "Utilities" section. Here, you’ll see an album labeled "Hidden." Tap on it to view all the photos and videos you’ve hidden.

2. Can I hide the hidden album in my iPhone 11?

Yes, of course. If you do not want the hidden album to appear in your albums tab, you can access Settings> Photos> Hidden Album. Then toggle Hidden Album option off. This operation will hide the Hidden album from the Photos app.

3. When you unhide a photo, where does it go?

The photo will go back to its original album folder. You can go to Photos app to have a check.

4. Is it possible to back up hidden photos?

Yes, the hidden photos can be backed up to iCloud. But you are unable to view them until they are unhidden.

5. How do I permanently delete hidden photos?

To permanently delete hidden photos, go to the Hidden album, select the photos, and delete them. They will then be moved to the "Recently Deleted" album, where you can permanently delete them.

Conclusions

By following this guide, you can easily manage your photos on your iPhone or iPad, keeping your private images hidden and secure while still being able to access and unhide them whenever necessary. If you want to back up photos before hiding it, you can use iSunshare iSyncGenius to back up only photos from iPhone/iPad to PC.