Samsung Secure Folder, explained step by step.

Secure Folder is a feature of Samsung Galaxy phones. It keeps photos, videos, files and even whole apps in a separate area with its own lock. To start, go to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder, sign in to your Samsung account if asked, and choose a lock. Samsung says the folder is protected by its Knox security platform, which encrypts what you store there.

The name is Samsung’s, and the feature is Samsung’s too. “Secure Folder on Android” usually means a Galaxy phone. Other phone brands have their own versions, and Google’s built-in options are covered here.

What Secure Folder is

Samsung’s Knox documentation describes Secure Folder as a Galaxy feature for keeping encrypted data in a private, protected area of the phone. It is real protection, not just a hidden album.

It does a few things well:

• It is part of Settings on supported Galaxy phones, so there is nothing to download.
• It holds more than photos: files, and apps with their own data and accounts.
• It has its own lock, set during setup.

Samsung’s UK page says some older phone models may no longer support it. On company-owned phones managed through Android Enterprise, Samsung’s Knox documentation says Secure Folder isn’t compatible.

Set up Secure Folder

1. Open Settings, then Security and privacy, then More security settings, then Secure Folder.
2. Continue through the permission prompts. Sign in to your Samsung account, or create one, if asked.
3. Choose a lock: PIN, password or pattern.
4. Turn on Reset with Samsung account when Samsung offers it. This is the only way back in if you forget the lock (see below).
5. When setup finishes, a Secure Folder shortcut appears on your Apps screen.

Menu names can differ a little by phone, carrier and software version. If a step doesn’t match your screen, Samsung’s support page for your country is the place to check.

Move photos in and out

Into Secure Folder from Gallery

1. Open Gallery and touch and hold the photos or videos.
2. Tap More, then Move to Secure Folder.

Samsung says this works from its own apps, such as Gallery, My Files and Voice Recorder. Files need to be on the phone’s internal storage or an SD card. A file that exists only in a cloud account can’t be moved.

Into Secure Folder from inside it

1. Open Secure Folder and unlock it.
2. Tap More options, then Add files, and pick the type of file.
3. Choose whether to copy or move. Copying leaves the original where it was. Moving takes it out of its old place.

Out of Secure Folder

1. Open Secure Folder and unlock it, then open My Files inside it.
2. Touch and hold the file, then tap More, then Move out of Secure Folder.

Apps work differently. Samsung says moving an installed app puts a copy in Secure Folder, and the original stays on your phone unless you uninstall it.

Open Secure Folder and look at your photos

Tap the Secure Folder icon on your Apps screen and enter your lock. Inside, open Gallery (or another category) to see what you moved in. Photos you moved in no longer show in the normal Gallery.

To lock it straight away, open the folder, tap More options, then Lock and exit. To choose when it locks by itself, go to More options > Settings > Auto lock Secure Folder. Samsung notes that from Android 16 with One UI 8 the default is “When screen turns off”, and the older “Each time I leave an app” option is gone.

Hide the Secure Folder icon

1. Open Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder.
2. Turn off Add Secure Folder to Apps screen. Confirm with Hide if Samsung asks.

To bring the icon back, turn the same switch on again. Samsung’s UK page says Secure Folder can still be reached through Settings after you hide the icon.

If you forget your Secure Folder lock

If you turned on Reset with Samsung account during setup:

1. Enter a wrong lock until you see Forgot.
2. Tap Forgot, then Reset.
3. Sign in to the Samsung account you used for Secure Folder.
4. Set a new PIN, pattern, password or fingerprint.

If you did not turn that option on, Samsung says you cannot get back in. The only way forward is to remove Secure Folder and set up a new one, and everything inside is gone. Samsung also warns that clearing the Secure Folder app’s data (Settings > Apps > Secure Folder > Storage > Clear data) deletes the folder’s contents, so don’t try it hoping for a shortcut. If you’ve lost both the lock and your Samsung account password, Samsung says to contact Samsung Support.

New phone, backup and reset

Uninstalling Secure Folder (Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder > More settings > Uninstall) deletes what’s inside. Samsung offers a Move media files out of Secure Folder option first. Use it.

Backup. Samsung says backing up Secure Folder data is no longer available, but you can still restore from earlier backups. Samsung’s troubleshooting page adds that restore isn’t available in Secure Folder on Android 16 with One UI 8 or higher. In practice, treat Secure Folder as living only on your phone.

New phone. Samsung’s help page says you can move Secure Folder to a new Galaxy with Smart Switch. Connect the phones by cable, or hold them within about 4 inches for wireless transfer. On the new phone, choose Secure Folder and tap Transfer, then open Secure Folder to check the data arrived. Samsung adds that on Android 16 with One UI 8 or higher, Smart Switch is the only way to bring Secure Folder data across. An older Samsung Australia FAQ says Smart Switch can’t read Secure Folder files. If the photos matter, move them out and check they arrived before you wipe the old phone.

Factory reset. Samsung’s pages don’t say what a factory reset does to Secure Folder. Assume that anything you haven’t moved out or transferred is gone.

What Secure Folder protects, and what it doesn’t

It protects against someone who picks up your unlocked phone and opens Gallery. Your Secure Folder photos aren’t there. They need the Secure Folder lock. Per Samsung, Knox encrypts the contents.

It doesn’t protect you from:

• Forgetting the lock. Without Reset with Samsung account, there is no recovery. With it, anyone who controls your Samsung account can reset the lock.
• Losing the phone without a transfer. There is no backup, so a lost or reset phone takes the folder with it unless you moved everything out or used Smart Switch.
• Copies elsewhere. If you copy instead of move, the original stays in Gallery. Photos already shared or synced elsewhere stay there too.
• Being found. Hiding the icon removes it from the Apps screen, but Samsung says Secure Folder can still be reached in Settings.

Samsung also offers an optional Encrypt setting (under More options) for extra protection. While it’s on, apps in Secure Folder and their notifications stop working until you tap Decrypt.

Photos can carry data about where and when they were taken. Before you share one you’ve moved out, you can check what it holds or remove it. If you also use Google Photos, there’s a separate Locked Folder with different trade-offs.

Questions

Is Samsung Secure Folder encrypted?

Samsung says it is protected by the Knox security platform, which encrypts the data stored there. Samsung’s Knox documentation also describes it as a place for keeping encrypted data.

Can I use Secure Folder on a non-Samsung phone?

No. Knox’s documentation calls it a Samsung Galaxy feature. On other Android phones, see the built-in options for hiding photos.

How do I find Secure Folder if I hid the icon?

Go to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder, and turn Add Secure Folder to Apps screen back on.

I forgot my Secure Folder password. Can I get my photos back?

Only if you turned on Reset with Samsung account. Then use Forgot, then Reset, and sign in to your Samsung account. Without it, Samsung says you must remove the folder and start again.

Does Secure Folder back up to the cloud?

Samsung says Secure Folder backup is no longer available. Moving photos out, or using Smart Switch to a new phone, are the routes Samsung describes.

Will uninstalling Secure Folder delete my photos?

Yes, unless you choose Samsung’s option to move media files out first.