How to hide videos on iPhone: 4 ways, and who can still see them

The short answer#

To hide a video on iPhone, open the Photos app, touch and hold the video, tap Hide, then confirm. It moves to the Hidden album, which on iOS 16 and later opens only with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Apple's steps are the same for photos and videos, per its Hidden album support page.

That keeps a video away from a casual scroll, not from anyone who knows your passcode. Videos also bring problems photos don't: they're large, they upload to iCloud at full resolution, a locked note can't hold them, and every clip you record with the Camera app lands in your library first. This guide covers the four ways that work for video and what each one leaves exposed. If you're hiding photos too, start with how to hide photos on iPhone.

What's different about hiding videos#

They're big, and they move with your library

Apple says iCloud Photos keeps videos "in their original formats at full resolution", including 4K, slo-mo and time-lapse, and that syncing can use cellular data (iCloud Photos support page). Hiding a video doesn't change any of that. A hidden video is still part of your library, so it still uploads, still takes up iCloud storage and still appears in the Hidden album on every device signed in to your Apple Account.

If Optimize iPhone Storage is on, your iPhone may keep only a smaller version and leave the full-size original in iCloud. Moving that video somewhere else (Files or a vault) means your iPhone has to fetch the original first, which can take a while for a long clip.

Deleting the original doesn't free space straight away

When you move a video out of Photos, the original goes to Recently Deleted, where Apple keeps it for 30 days before removing it for good. With iCloud Photos on, deleting it on one device removes it from all of them. Until you empty Recently Deleted, the copy you wanted gone is still there.

Live Photos are videos too

Apple says a Live Photo records what happens 1.5 seconds before and after you take the picture (Live Photos support page). Hiding a Live Photo hides the whole thing. But if you've ever used Save as Video on one, Apple says the new video appears in Recently Saved while the Live Photo stays in your library (Live Photo to video). Hide or delete both.

Your Camera can share automatically

If you use iCloud Shared Photo Library, the Camera can add new shots to it automatically when you're near other participants. Apple says all participants can add, edit and delete content in the Shared Library (Shared Photo Library support page). Before you record anything private, check your Shared Library settings and set Sharing from Camera to Share Manually.

Way 1: Hide videos with the Hidden album#

1. 1

   Find the video in Photos

   Under Media Types, tap Videos to see only your videos.
2. 2

   Touch and hold it

   Or tap Select to choose several, then tap the More button (three dots).
3. 3

   Tap Hide and confirm

   The video leaves your library, your other albums and the Photos widget.
4. 4

   Take the album out of view

   In Settings, tap Apps, then Photos, and turn off Show Hidden Album. Hidden videos then don't appear anywhere in Photos.

This is the only free way that handles long 4K videos with no extra storage, because nothing is copied. The trade-off is the lock: it's your iPhone's own. We cover exactly who can open it in where hidden photos are on iPhone.

Why a locked note won't work for videos#

For photos, a locked note is a handy free option. For videos it's a dead end. Apple's guide to locking notes says you can't lock notes that have PDFs, audio or video. Add a video to a note and the Lock option won't be available for that note.

Even for photos, Apple notes that if you use a separate notes password and forget it, there's no way to access your locked notes. Skip Notes for video.

Way 2: Move videos to the Files app and lock it#

The Files app can hold any file, including videos, outside your photo library. That takes them out of Photos, out of search in Photos, and out of iCloud Photos.

1. 1

   Save the video to Files

   Open the video in Photos, tap Share, and choose Save to Files.
2. 2

   Pick On My iPhone

   Apple describes On My iPhone as files saved locally, and iCloud Drive as files that sync across your devices. Choose On My iPhone if you don't want a cloud copy.
3. 3

   Delete the original from Photos

   Then empty Recently Deleted so no copy is left.
4. 4

   Lock the Files app

   Touch and hold the Files icon, tap Require Face ID (or Touch ID or Passcode), and confirm.

Locking an app keeps its content out of notification previews, search and Siri suggestions, according to Apple's guide to locking apps. Apple also says apps that come with iOS can't be hidden, only locked, so the Files icon stays on your Home Screen. More on what locking and hiding apps can and can't do in how to hide apps on iPhone (and lock them).

Way 3: Use a vault app#

A vault keeps videos in a separate, encrypted space that opens with a lock that isn't your iPhone passcode. For video, that's the only option here that holds up against someone who knows your passcode. Here's how it works with VaultShield, our photo vault for iPhone:

1. 1

   Import your videos

   Choose videos from your library. Each one is encrypted on your iPhone before it's stored.
2. 2

   Remove the originals

   After importing, VaultShield offers to clear out the originals from Photos in one step. iOS asks you to confirm.
3. 3

   Empty Recently Deleted

   The originals wait there until you delete them. Do it now, so the video isn't still in Photos or iCloud Photos.
4. 4

   Open it with your own pattern

   The vault opens with a pattern you choose, with Face ID as an optional extra layer.

Videos in the vault stay out of your camera roll, Recents and iCloud or iTunes device backups. If you keep different kinds of videos, you can add a second lock to locked folders inside the vault.

Way 4: Record videos straight into a vault#

Every video you shoot with the Camera app is saved to your library first. Apple lists Camera among the built-in apps that can't be locked. So even if you move a clip later, it has already spent time in your library, and possibly been uploaded to iCloud Photos or added to a Shared Library.

VaultShield's in-app camera records photos and videos directly into the vault. They never appear in your camera roll, so there's nothing to hide, move or delete afterwards.

Which way should you use?#

If nobody else knows your passcode, the Hidden album with Show Hidden Album turned off is usually enough, even for long videos. If someone does, or you don't want the video in iCloud Photos at all, use a vault, and record new videos inside it.

Frequently asked questions#

Is there a secret folder for videos on iPhone?

The closest built-in option is the Hidden album in Photos, under Utilities. It holds videos as well as photos, opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode, and disappears from Photos entirely when you turn off Show Hidden Album.

How do I put videos in my Hidden album?

In Photos, touch and hold the video and tap Hide, then confirm. To hide several at once, tap Select, choose the videos, tap the More button and tap Hide.

Can you hide videos in the Notes app?

Not behind a lock. Apple says notes that contain video can't be locked, so a video in a note is visible to anyone who opens Notes. Use the Hidden album, the Files app or a vault instead.

Do hidden videos still upload to iCloud?

Yes. Hiding changes where a video shows up in Photos, not where it's stored. With iCloud Photos on, hidden videos upload at full resolution and are hidden on all your devices.

How do I find hidden videos on iPhone?

Open Photos, go to Collections (or Albums), scroll to Utilities and tap Hidden, then tap View Album. If Hidden isn't there, turn Show Hidden Album back on in Settings, Apps, Photos.

The bottom line#

Hiding a video on iPhone takes seconds with the Hidden album, and for most people that's enough. But videos are large, sync to iCloud, can't go in a locked note, and start life in your library. If you need them hidden from someone who knows your passcode, move them into a vault, empty Recently Deleted, and record new ones inside the vault so they never reach your camera roll.