Google Photos' Locked Folder is the obvious answer to "where do I put the photos I don't want showing up in my gallery?" It's free, it's built into an app most Android phones already have, and it keeps those photos out of your grid, your search results and your memories. The question people ask next is whether it's actually encrypted, and whether that's enough. Here's what Google says, and what that means in practice.

What Locked Folder Does

Locked Folder is a separate space inside Google Photos. To set it up, open Google Photos, tap Collections, tap Locked, then Set up Locked Folder. Anything you move in:

  1. Disappears from the rest of the app. Google's help pages say locked items won't appear in your photo grid, search results, albums, shared items or new memories.
  2. Can't be shared or edited. You can't send a locked photo to another app, add it to an album or edit it. To do any of that, you move it out first.
  3. Stays on the device unless you choose otherwise. Backup for Locked Folder is its own setting. Since 2023 you can turn it on to reach the same folder on your other devices.

For keeping a photo out of sight when you hand someone your phone to show them something else, that's useful.

Is It Encrypted?

Google's help pages say Locked Folder is "protected by Google Photos' standard encryption practices." That's the whole statement. Nothing on those pages describes it as end-to-end or zero-knowledge, the kind of encryption where only you hold the key. Zero-Knowledge Encryption, Explained covers why that difference matters.

So the honest answer is: yes, it's encrypted the way Google protects the rest of your Photos library, with an extra screen in front. If you turn on backup, the locked copies sit in your Google account alongside everything else. Why Your Photos Aren't Safe in the Cloud explains what that does and doesn't protect against.

What Opens It

This is the part that matters most. Locked Folder doesn't have its own password:

  • On Android, it opens with your phone's screen lock.
  • On iPhone, it opens with Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode.
  • On the web, it opens with your Google Account password.

Google's Android help page is direct about it: people who have access to your screen lock can unlock Locked Folder. So anyone who knows your passcode, or watched you type it, or who you're asked to unlock your phone for, can open Locked Folder too. It protects against a casual scroll through your gallery. It doesn't protect against someone who already has your phone unlocked.

The Catch Most People Miss

If you don't turn on backup, Locked Folder photos live only on that phone. Google's help pages are clear about what that means: items you haven't backed up are lost if you uninstall Google Photos, clear the app's data or factory reset the device. On iPhone, the same goes if the phone is lost or damaged.

That's easy to forget when you're switching phones or tidying up storage. If the photos matter, either turn on Locked Folder backup or keep a second copy somewhere you control.

The Lock-or-Gate Test

In How to Password Protect a Folder on iPhone and Android we use three questions to judge any locked folder. Here's how Locked Folder answers them:

  1. Are the files encrypted? Yes, with Google's standard encryption, not end-to-end.
  2. Is the password separate from your phone's? No. It's your screen lock, Face ID or passcode.
  3. What happens if you forget it? You recover through your phone's lock or your Google account, which is convenient, and also a sign the key isn't yours alone.

That puts it closer to a locked drawer in a shared house than a safe. It's well made, but the same key opens the front door. Photo Vault vs. Hiding Photos goes deeper on why hiding a photo isn't the same as protecting it. If you're on Android, How to Encrypt a Folder on Android covers Safe Folder in Files by Google, which does take a PIN separate from your lock screen.

When a Dedicated Vault Is Worth It

A vault app like Vaultine answers those three questions differently. Files are encrypted on-device with AES-256 and open only with Vaultine's own PIN, separate from your phone's passcode and Face ID. Knowing how to unlock your phone doesn't get anyone into the vault.

It also covers what Locked Folder doesn't try to:

  • Being asked to unlock. A Decoy Vault and a Duress Vault handle the moment when someone insists you open it.
  • More than photos. Videos and documents go in the same vault.
  • Every device you use. The same vault works on Android, iPhone, Mac and Windows.
  • A forgotten PIN. A 12-word recovery phrase gets you back in. Nobody else holds your key, so nobody else can.

Cloud backup is optional and off by default, so your files stay on your device unless you choose otherwise.

The Short Version

Locked Folder is encrypted with Google's standard protection, not end-to-end encryption, and it opens with the same screen lock, Face ID or passcode as your phone. It's good at keeping photos out of your gallery. It isn't built to keep them from someone who can unlock your phone, and without backup those photos disappear if the app is removed or the phone is reset. If you want a lock with its own key, that's what a dedicated vault is for.

Try it free with up to 10 files at vaultine.app.