Google Photos Locked Folder is a good feature. It is free, it is already on your phone, and it does the main job properly: photos moved there disappear from your grid, your Memories, your search results and anything else that reads your library.
For a lot of people that is genuinely enough. This guide is about the cases where it is not, so you can tell which one you are in.
What Locked Folder does well
- It actually hides. Items do not appear anywhere in Photos, including search and Memories.
- It is behind your screen lock. Opening it requires authenticating again.
- It is free and built in. No extra app, no account, no cost.
- You can save straight into it. On supported devices the camera can shoot directly into Locked Folder.
If your requirement is "stop photos appearing when I scroll my own library in front of someone", Locked Folder solves it and you do not need anything else.
Limit 1: what happens if you lose the phone
This is the big one. Historically, items in Locked Folder were stored on the device and excluded from backup — which meant a lost, stolen, broken or reset phone lost them permanently, with no recovery.
Google has since added backup for Locked Folder on newer versions and devices, so this may no longer apply to you. But it is worth checking explicitly rather than assuming, because the failure mode is total and you only discover it after the phone is gone.
Open Locked Folder on your device and look for a backup setting. If there is not one, treat everything in there as existing in exactly one place.
Limit 2: it is one folder, not albums
Locked Folder is a single flat container. You cannot create albums inside it, cannot sort into categories, and cannot give anything a cover or a name. For a handful of items that is fine. For a few hundred it becomes a pile you scroll.
Limit 3: you cannot share from it
By design, Locked Folder items cannot be shared, edited in most flows, or added to shared albums. That is a deliberate and reasonable choice — but it means the feature is for hiding things from everyone, not for sharing something privately with one person.
If what you actually want is "only my partner sees this album", Locked Folder cannot express that at all.
Limit 4: it is all-or-nothing
There is one Locked Folder and one lock. You cannot keep a lightly-private layer and a much-more-private layer separately, so everything you hide sits behind the same single credential — the same one you use to unlock your phone in front of other people.
When you need an alternative
Locked Folder is enough if you want a few items hidden from your own library and nothing more. You need something else if any of these apply:
- You want the photos to survive losing the phone.
- You want albums and organisation, not one pile.
- You want to share a private album with a specific person.
- You want more than one level of privacy.
- You want a lock that is separate from your screen lock.
How Our Eyes Only compares
Our Eyes Only is a private photo vault, free on Google Play, and it is built around exactly those gaps.
- Survives the phone. Sign in from any browser at oureyesonly.app and your albums are there. Deleted items stay recoverable in Trash for 30 days.
- Real albums. Organise into named albums with covers and multiple layouts, not one flat folder.
- Private sharing. Share an album with specific people via a private code. No searchable usernames, and anyone wanting to save a photo you added has to ask you first.
- Two levels. A hidden space inside the vault, opened by a second and completely separate code. Unlocking the main vault does not reveal it.
- Its own lock. A 4-digit code with optional fingerprint unlock, independent of your screen lock.
The honest trade in the other direction: Locked Folder keeps everything on your device and inside Google’s existing protections, while Our Eyes Only stores your photos on our servers so they can survive the handset and reach a browser. That is what buys the recovery and the sharing. Our Privacy Policy sets out exactly what is stored.
You can use both
These are not mutually exclusive, and plenty of people should use both. Locked Folder is a fine place for a handful of items you simply do not want surfacing in Memories. A vault is the right place for anything you want organised, shareable, or recoverable if the phone disappears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Google Photos Locked Folder items backed up?
Historically they were device-only and not backed up. Google has added backup on newer versions and devices, so check your own device rather than assuming either way.
Can I share a photo from Locked Folder?
No. Locked Folder items cannot be shared or added to shared albums by design.
Can I make albums inside Locked Folder?
No. It is a single flat container with no albums or sorting.
What is a good alternative to Locked Folder?
A dedicated vault app if you need albums, private sharing, more than one privacy level, or recovery after losing the phone. Our Eyes Only is free on Google Play and covers all four.
Should I use Locked Folder or a vault app?
Use Locked Folder if you just want a few items hidden from your own library. Use a vault if you need organisation, sharing, or the photos to survive the device.