How to Hide Videos on iPhone (and Keep Them Private)
iOS can hide a video without an app. Open it in Photos, tap the three dots, then Hide. That removes it from your library view, but it is not encryption.
What do I need to know?
- Hiding is a filter. The video is still stored like every other video.
- The Hidden album opens with Face ID or your passcode. Anyone who knows the passcode can open it.
- For real privacy, use a vault. Encrypted files stay closed to anyone without the key.
How do I hide a video with iOS?
These steps work on iOS 16 and later. The menu names below are from iOS 18.
- Open Photos and tap the video.
- Tap the three dots at the top right.
- Tap Hide, then confirm Hide Video.
To hide several at once, tap Select, pick the videos, tap the three dots, then Hide.
Where do hidden videos go?
- They move to the Hidden album under Utilities.
- They stay out of Library, Search and Memories.
- To open them, use Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
- To remove the album from view, turn off Show Hidden Album in Settings → Apps → Photos.
How do I get a hidden video back?
- Open Albums, then Hidden under Utilities.
- Tap the video, then the three dots.
- Tap Unhide.
How do I hide a video for real?
Move it into an encrypted vault, then delete the original.
- Add the video to the vault.
- Delete it from Photos.
- Open Recently Deleted and delete it there too. It stays 30 days otherwise.
If iCloud Photos is on, the original is deleted from your other devices too. Check that the vault has the video first.
Can someone still find a hidden video?
- Yes, with your passcode. Face ID is a shortcut to it.
- Yes, through apps with Full Access to your library.
- Yes, on iCloud. Hidden videos sync like other videos.
Our guide to the Hidden album covers each case. To send a video privately, see encrypting a video before sending it.
What this doesn't protect against
The Hidden album stops casual glances only. A vault protects files at rest, but not from someone who watches you unlock it or from malware on your phone. A short pattern is weak, so use 8 or more cells. If you lose the pattern and the recovery phrase, the vault is gone.
Do it with Cryptile
Cryptile encrypts each video with AES-256-GCM, under a key made on your phone from a drawn pattern. It has no account and no server. The developer never holds your keys.
Cryptile is free for up to 3 vaults, 100 photos and 10 videos. Plus removes the limits for $19.99 a year (7-day free trial), $39.99 once, or $1.99 a week. The price is the same every day.
Cryptile Send, Files access and shared vaults are coming and are not available yet. Search inside the vault is part of Plus.