--- title: "Notes Privacy on iPhone: Hide, Lock and Limit It (iOS 27)" description: "Notes privacy settings on iPhone: lock, hide, limit and keep its photos private. Every iOS and in-app setting, checked for iOS 27." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/notes lang: en published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # Notes privacy on iPhone: every setting > Every way to hide, lock and limit Notes on iPhone, from iOS and from the app itself. Published 2026-10-31 - Updated 2026-10-31 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against iOS 27 - Oct 31, 2026 ## Quick answer You can lock Notes with Face ID: touch and hold it and tap Require Face ID. It comes with iPhone, so it can't go in the Hidden folder. Notes has its own lock too: Locked notes (device passcode or custom password). Inside the app, lock a note, open (unlock) locked notes, keep Notes out of Search and Siri and turn off Lock Screen access to Notes are available. - **Developer:** Apple - **Own lock:** Locked notes (device passcode or custom password) (own code) - **Can be hidden:** No (built-in app) - **iPad app:** Yes You can lock Notes with Face ID: touch and hold it and tap Require Face ID. It comes with iPhone, so it can't go in the Hidden folder. Notes has its own lock too: Locked notes (device passcode or custom password). Inside the app, lock a note, open (unlock) locked notes, keep Notes out of Search and Siri and turn off Lock Screen access to Notes are available. This page collects every privacy setting for Notes on iPhone, from iOS and from Apple, checked against official help pages in October 2026. ## Notes guides | Task | Fastest method | Time | Guide | |---|---|---|---| | Hide apps | Remove from Home Screen | 10 sec | [How to hide Notes on iPhone](/hide-apps/notes) | | Lock apps | Require Face ID | 10 sec | [How to lock Notes on iPhone](/lock-apps/notes) | | Hide photos | Don't save Notes photos to Photos | 1 min | [How to hide photos in Notes](/hide-photos/notes) | ## What iOS can do with Notes | Setting | Available for Notes | Where | |---|---|---| | Lock with Face ID | Yes | Touch and hold the icon -> Require Face ID | | Hide in the Hidden folder | No | -- | | Remove from Home Screen | Yes | Touch and hold -> Remove App -> Remove from Home Screen | | Hide notification previews | Yes | Settings -> Notifications -> Notes -> Show Previews | | Exclude from Siri and search | Yes | Settings -> Siri -> Excluded Apps | | Limit with Screen Time | Yes | Settings -> Screen Time -> Time Allowances | ## Notes privacy settings ### Locked notes (device passcode or custom password) Go to **Settings -> Apps -> Notes -> Password -> [account] -> Use Device Passcode or Use Custom Password; then in Notes: open the note -> Note Actions button -> Lock**. You can lock notes with your device passcode (and Face ID or Touch ID) or with a custom password that's separate from your iPhone passcode. When a note is locked, its title remains visible in the notes list. ### Lock a note Go to **Notes -> open the note -> Note Actions button -> Lock**. Only the note's contents are hidden. The title remains visible in the notes list. To remove the lock: Note Actions button -> Remove. ### Open (unlock) locked notes Go to **Notes -> tap the locked note -> View Note -> Face ID, Touch ID, device passcode, or Notes password**. Opening one locked note opens all locked notes in the same account for several minutes. To lock them again, tap the lock button or tap Lock Now at the top of the notes list. ### Keep Notes out of Search and Siri Go to **Settings -> Apps -> Notes -> Siri / Search**. Search: 'Allow suggestions and content from Notes to appear in Search and widgets.' Siri: allow Siri to make suggestions based on how you use Notes. ### Turn off Lock Screen access to Notes Go to **Settings -> Apps -> Notes -> Access Notes from Lock Screen**. Choose Always Create New Note or Resume Last Note, or turn it off to prevent access from the Lock Screen. ### Don't save Notes photos to Photos Go to **Settings -> Apps -> Notes -> Save to Photos**. This setting saves photos and videos taken in Notes to the Photos app. Turn it off to keep them only in Notes. ### Notification previews Go to **Settings -> Notifications -> Notes (below Notification Style) -> Show Previews**. Notes also has Mention Notifications (Settings -> Apps -> Notes) for when your name is mentioned in shared notes. ## Keep Notes photos out of your camera roll Photos you save from Notes land in the Photos app, outside any app lock. Move private ones into a vault and delete the originals. > **Lock this in VaultForYou.** Keep Notes photos in an encrypted vault that opens only with a pattern you draw. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you lock Notes on iPhone? Yes. Touch and hold Notes, tap Require Face ID and confirm. It then needs Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode to open. Notes also has its own lock, Locked notes (device passcode or custom password). ### Can you hide Notes on iPhone? Not in the Hidden folder, because Notes comes with iPhone. You can remove it from the Home Screen so it only appears in App Library and search. ### Does Notes have its own passcode? Notes has Locked notes (device passcode or custom password). You can lock notes with your device passcode (and Face ID or Touch ID) or with a custom password that's separate from your iPhone passcode. When a note is locked, its title remains visible in the notes list. It uses a code separate from your iPhone passcode. ### Do Notes settings sync to my iPad? The iOS lock and hidden status don't sync with iCloud; set them on each device. Notes has an iPad app, so repeat the steps there. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios) - [Apple Support: Lock your notes on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-notes-iphf177bb154/ios) - [Apple Support: Change your Notes settings on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/change-notes-settings-iph92579feda/ios) - [Apple Support: Lock or hide an app on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-or-hide-an-app-iph00f208d05/ios) ## Notes guides - [How to hide Notes on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps/notes) - [How to lock Notes on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps/notes) - [How to hide photos in Notes](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-photos/notes) ## Other apple apps apps - [Photos privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/photos) - [Safari privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/safari) - [Camera privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/camera) - [Files privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/files) - [FaceTime privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/facetime) - [Health privacy on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps/health) ## Browse - [All apps](https://www.vaultforyou.app/apps) - [Hide apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-apps) - [Lock apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/lock-apps) - [Block apps on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/block-apps) - [Hide photos on iPhone](https://www.vaultforyou.app/hide-photos) --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000