--- title: "How to Hide Videos on iPhone: Hidden Album and Vault Options" description: "Hide videos on iPhone with the Hidden album, find them again, and see what it misses: passcode access, iCloud sync, storage, and moving videos to a vault." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/hide-videos-on-iphone lang: en published: 2026-10-29 updated: 2026-10-29 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # How to hide videos on iPhone, and what the Hidden album misses > Videos hide the same way photos do, but hiding only changes where Photos shows them. Here's how to do it, what it costs you in storage, and how to keep a video outside Photos altogether. Published 2026-10-29 - Updated 2026-10-29 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team ## Quick answer To hide a video on iPhone, open Photos, touch and hold the video, tap Hide, and confirm. It moves to the Hidden album under Collections -> Utilities -> Hidden, which unlocks with Face ID or Touch ID. The video isn't encrypted separately or removed from iCloud, and anyone who can unlock your iPhone can open it. - **How to hide:** Touch and hold the video -> Hide -> confirm. Use Select to hide several at once. - **Where is it?:** Photos -> Collections -> Utilities -> Hidden. Tap View Album, then unlock. - **Storage:** Hiding doesn't delete anything, so the video still uses space on your iPhone and in iCloud. - **Need more?:** Move the video into a vault outside Photos, then delete the original and empty Recently Deleted. Videos hide the same way photos do. The catch is that hiding a video changes what Photos shows you, not where the file lives, and videos are usually the biggest files on your iPhone. This guide covers the steps, where hidden videos go, what hiding does to your storage and iCloud, and what to do when the Hidden album isn't private enough. It's about hiding the video file itself, not blurring faces inside a video, which needs an editing app. ## How do you hide videos on iPhone? Open Photos, touch and hold the video, tap **Hide**, and confirm. The video leaves your library and moves to the Hidden album. To hide several at once: 1. Open the **Photos** app and go to your library or an album. 2. Tap **Select**, then tap each video you want to hide. 3. Tap the **More** button, then tap **Hide**. Apple says hidden items stop appearing in your library, your other albums and the Photos widget. Nothing is deleted. ## Where do hidden videos go? Hidden videos go to the **Hidden** album under **Collections -> Utilities -> Hidden** in Photos. On iPhone and iPad it's on and visible by default. 1. Open **Photos** and tap **Collections**. 2. Scroll down to **Utilities** and tap **Hidden**. 3. Tap **View Album** and unlock with Face ID or Touch ID. 4. Touch and hold the video, then tap **Unhide** to bring it back. On older iOS versions, the album sits in a slightly different place, under the Albums tab. ### Can't find the Hidden album? - **Show Hidden Album is off.** Turn it on in **Settings -> Apps -> Photos**. Nothing was deleted; it's just not displayed. - **The video was deleted, not hidden.** Check **Collections -> Utilities -> Recently Deleted**, where items stay for 30 days. - **You're on a different Apple Account.** Your library belongs to the account you're signed in with. For how the Hidden album works with photos, including who can open it, see [how to hide photos on iPhone](/blog/hide-photos-on-iphone). Videos follow the same rules. ## Can you lock a video with a password on iPhone? Not one video at a time. Photos has no per-video password. What you get is the Hidden album, which Apple says is locked by default on iOS 16 and later, and which unlocks with Face ID or Touch ID. That lock is your iPhone's own authentication, not a separate password for videos. If you turn off **Use Face ID** in **Settings -> Apps -> Photos**, the Hidden album opens without a check. For the other ways to lock photos and videos on an iPhone, see [how to lock photos on iPhone](/blog/lock-photos-on-iphone). ## Videos are big: does hiding free up storage? No. Hiding isn't deleting, so a hidden video keeps using space on your iPhone and, with iCloud Photos on, in iCloud. - **To free space, delete.** Export anything you want to keep first. - **Recently Deleted.** Apple says items there don't count toward your iCloud storage. But if you're over your iCloud limit, deleted videos are removed immediately and can't be recovered. - **Deleting syncs.** With iCloud Photos on, deleting a video on one device removes it from every device on the same Apple Account. ## What the Hidden album doesn't hide The Hidden album stops a casual scroll through your library. It doesn't stop people with access. | Who | Can they see hidden videos? | Why | |---|---|---| | Someone scrolling your library or albums | **No** | Hidden items leave the library view and other albums. | | Someone who knows your iPhone passcode | **Yes** | The passcode can unlock the Hidden album. | | Someone whose face or finger is enrolled | **Yes** | Face ID or Touch ID unlocks it. | | Someone using an iPad or Mac on your Apple Account | **Yes** (with iCloud Photos on) | Hidden status syncs; they can open Hidden there. | The video also stays inside Photos and syncs with iCloud Photos. If you'd rather a video not be there at all, see [how to stop iCloud Photos syncing](/blog/stop-icloud-photos-syncing) or keep reading. ## Hide videos with an app: moving them outside Photos If the person you're hiding from knows your passcode or uses your Apple Account, take the video out of the Photos library and put it behind a separate lock. VaultForYou is a private vault app for iPhone that keeps the photos, videos and documents you choose outside the Photos library, so they don't show up in Photos, search or widgets. Files are encrypted on your iPhone, and the keys stay in the iOS Keychain. A vault opens only with a pattern you draw, and no account is needed. We never see your pattern and can't see your files. > **Keep videos behind a pattern only you know.** Encrypted on your iPhone, outside the Photos library. No account needed. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ### Moving videos in, and getting them out Select many videos at once and move them in. VaultForYou shows how many were saved and any duplicates. Viewing, exporting and deleting your files is always free, and you can export every original at any time. Moving a video in creates a copy, so you still have to clean up Photos. Skip that and the original stays in your library and in iCloud Photos. 1. **Install VaultForYou and draw your pattern** Install VaultForYou on your iPhone (iOS 16 or later); no account is needed. Connect 4 or more dots to draw a pattern, then draw it again to confirm. 2. **Move the videos into the vault** Open the vault and add videos, selecting many items at once. If a hidden video doesn't appear, unhide it in Photos briefly, add it, and carry on. 3. **Check the import** VaultForYou shows how many items were saved and any duplicates. Play a few inside the vault before you delete anything. 4. **Delete the originals from Photos** Moving a video into a vault creates a copy. In Photos, select the same videos and delete them. With iCloud Photos on, they're deleted on your other devices too. 5. **Empty Recently Deleted** Open Collections -> Utilities -> Recently Deleted, tap View Album and unlock. Tap Select, choose the videos, then choose Delete. Otherwise they stay there for 30 days. Before you rely on it: - **Your pattern is the only key.** Forget it and that vault can't be opened, by you or by us. Export anything you can't afford to lose and keep a copy somewhere safe. - **The lock screen shows nothing.** No vault names, counts or previews appear on it. ### A decoy vault, if someone insists A different pattern opens a different vault. You can set a duress pattern that opens an ordinary-looking [decoy vault](/blog/decoy-vault-iphone), with no names, counts or activity pointing to your other vaults. Optionally, that pattern can also wipe your real vaults. It's off by default, and you decide. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I hide a video on iPhone? Open the Photos app, touch and hold the video, tap Hide, and confirm. To hide several, tap Select, choose the videos, and tap Hide from the menu. The videos leave your library, your other albums and the Photos widget, and move to the Hidden album. ### Where do hidden videos go on iPhone? They go to the Hidden album: open Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Utilities, and tap Hidden. Tap View Album and unlock with Face ID or Touch ID. If the album is missing, check that Show Hidden Album is turned on in Settings -> Apps -> Photos. ### Can I put a password or lock on a video on iPhone? Photos can't lock a single video with its own password. The Hidden album is locked by default, but it opens with your iPhone's own authentication, not a separate password. For a separate lock on videos, move them into a vault app that opens only with its own pattern. ### Does hiding a video free up storage? No. Hiding doesn't delete the video, so it keeps using space on your iPhone and, with iCloud Photos on, in iCloud. To free space you have to delete it. Apple says items in Recently Deleted don't count toward your iCloud storage. ### Do hidden videos sync to my other devices? Yes. With iCloud Photos on, a video you hide on one device is hidden on your other devices too, and anyone who can open the Hidden album there can still see it. If you share an iPad or Mac on the same Apple Account, that's worth checking. ### Are videos in a VaultForYou vault still in Photos? Only until you delete the originals. Moving a video into a vault creates a copy, so the original stays in Photos and iCloud Photos until you delete it and empty Recently Deleted. After that, the video lives only in the vault, outside the Photos library. ## Bottom line Hiding a video on iPhone takes a long press and one tap, and the Hidden album is fine for keeping videos out of casual view. It doesn't free any storage, doesn't add a separate password, and doesn't stop anyone who has your passcode or syncs with your Apple Account. For videos that must stay private, move them into a vault outside Photos, delete the originals, and empty Recently Deleted. For photos, the steps are in [how to hide photos on iPhone](/blog/hide-photos-on-iphone), and our guide to [the best photo vault apps](/blog/best-photo-vault-apps-iphone) compares the options. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Hide photos on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision Pro with the Hidden album](https://support.apple.com/en-us/104987) - [Apple Support: Recover or permanently delete photos and videos](https://support.apple.com/en-us/104967) - [Apple Support: Manage your iCloud storage on Apple devices](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108922) ## Keep reading - [How to Hide Photos on iPhone: Hidden Album Guide (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/hide-photos-on-iphone): Hide photos on iPhone in seconds, find your hidden photos in the Hidden album, and see who can still open them, what syncs to iCloud and when a vault is better. - [How to Lock Photos on iPhone: 4 Ways That Actually Work (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/lock-photos-on-iphone): Lock photos on iPhone with the Hidden album, a Face ID lock on the Photos app, a locked note or an encrypted vault, and see who can still open each one. - [8 Best Photo Vault Apps for iPhone to Hide Photos (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/best-photo-vault-apps-iphone): We compared 8 photo vault apps that hide photos on iPhone on unlock method, decoy vaults, backup and account needs, plus what to check before you trust one. - [How to Lock a Folder on iPhone (Secure Folder Alternatives)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/lock-folder-on-iphone): iPhone can't lock a folder or match Samsung's Secure Folder. Here are 5 workarounds, from locked Notes and Face ID app lock to vaults, ranked by protection. --- 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