Google Photos is one of the best image gallery apps for Android. It's perfect for storing, editing, or viewing your photos and videos, and can also keep them safely backed up in the cloud.
It's also got a neat privacy feature that keeps your most private photos protected behind a fingerprint or password. Here's how to set up a Locked Folder in Google Photos.
What Is a Locked Folder in Google Photos?
The Locked Folder is a special area in Google Photos in which you can store any images you want to keep private.
These images don't show up in your main photo library (or in any other image app on your phone), they won't appear in your Memories, and they don't get uploaded to the cloud so you aren't able to access them on another device or in a desktop browser. You can't even take screenshots of the contents of the folder or share or edit images within it.
That they don't get synced to the cloud is a crucial part of it. When you move photos into your Locked Folder they're stored on your phone and nowhere else. If you factory reset your phone, upgrade to a new device, or if it just breaks then those images will be gone forever.
The Locked Folder is locked using the same method you use to lock your phone's screen—fingerprint, PIN, pattern lock, whatever. This means that anyone who can access your phone can also access that folder. You cannot lock it with a separate password.
How to Set Up a Locked Folder in Google Photos
The Locked Folder feature is available in Google Photos on devices running Android 6 and above. To get started:
- Open Google Photos and go to Utilities.
- The first time you run this, you'll see a big option labeled Set up Locked Folder. Tap this to get started.
- When prompted, confirm your screen lock method—this will be your fingerprint, PIN, or whatever you use to lock your phone.
- When the folder is empty, tap the big Move items button in the center of the screen. Once you've got pictures in your folder you can select the Add items button at the top instead.
- Now select all the images and videos you want to move into your Locked Folder and tap Move. Tap Move again when prompted to confirm.
You'll now need to wait a few seconds while the items get moved across. They will be transferred into your Locked Folder and removed from your Google Photos Library (and made inaccessible in any other image app you've got on your phone).
The items will also be removed from your Google Photos cloud backup. However, if you're backing up to a different service like Dropbox, they'll remain there.
You can view your Locked Folder contents at any time by going to Utilities > Locked Folder.
How to Move Your Locked Folder to a New Device
There is no simple way to transfer your Google Photos Locked Folder to another device. That's by design—the privacy protections mean that you can't share, upload, or manually copy the folder.
Chances are that when you upgrade your phone you will want to move your protected photos across to the new device.
The only way to do this is by removing all the images from your Locked Folder first, moving them to your new phone, then creating a new Locked Folder and putting them back into that.
To do that:
- Go to Utilities > Locked Folder.
- Tap the three-dots menu button at the top and choose Select.
- Select all the images and tap Move. Tap Move again when prompted.
- Your images will now be returned to your Library (in their original position by date and time). Wait while they're synced to the cloud, then log in on your other phone and re-add them to the new Locked Folder on that device.
You can also delete images from a Locked Folder using this method. After you've selected your images, just tap Delete instead.
Keep Your Private Photos Private
Locked Folder is one of the best ways to keep your private and personal photos away from prying eyes. And it's so simple to set up and use.
Just make sure you're aware of the warnings that if you ever have to reset your phone, the contents will be lost. So if you need backups of any of those pictures, you might need to make other arrangements.