How to Lock Hidden Photos Albums on Mac in Sonoma and iPhone or iPad

Lock your Hidden Album or Delete album in Photos app, Protected with Touch ID Or Password on mac in MacOS and Face ID or Passcode on iPhone/iPad in iOS.

Photos app is Apple’s photograph viewing and editing application. Mac users can choose and decide from a wide variety of filters, tools, color grading, and many more features that help make their photographs stand out and give them a much more lively and realistic feel. Apple’s Photos app can also be used to crop your photos to your desired size or change the aspect ratio of the photograph just as you like. 

But there is a unique and distinct feature of the Photos app which helps protect your privacy and keep your photos private and hidden. If you want to show a particular photograph to a friend, family, or any other person and don’t want them to swipe and view some of the photos, you can hide those and the recently deleted ones in the Photos app to keep your privacy safe. In this post, our primary focus will be on the process of hiding or locking the photos album on your MacBook and iPhone or iPad devices.

How to Lock and Unlock the Photos Album on a Mac

Apple’s MacBook allows its customers to lock or hide a particular Photos album and the recently deleted photos by enabling the touch id or password verification pop-up each time someone tries to access these folders. If you are curious about locking and unlocking the photos album on Mac, stick with the process explained in this section.

Step. 1→ Initially, launch the Photos app on your Mac machine.

Step. 2→ Now, click on the Photos menu at the top left corner of the screen.

Step. 3→ Select settings from the drop-down menu.

photos-settings-on-macos-ventura
photos-settings-on-macos

Step. 4→ In the settings window, go to the General tab.

Step. 5→ Look for the action “Privacy” at the bottom of the general tab.

Step. 6→ Enable the “Use Touch ID or password” feature by checking the box in front of it.

use-touch-id-or-password-for-hidden-or-deleted-album-on-mac-photos-app
use-touch-id-or-password-for-hidden-or-deleted-album-on-mac-photos-app

Now, you will see the lock icon on the Recently Deleted Album and Hidden folder the on Mac photos app’s sidebar. See the below screen. To View a Hidden album, From the top menu View > Show Hidden Photo Album.

show-hidden-photo-album-on-mac-photos-app
show-hidden-photo-album-on-mac-photos-app

See Photos sidebar, Hidden is locked, click on it to See saved Photos from the Hidden folder using Touch ID [Touch ID Compatible iMac and MacBook] or Password.

use-touch-id-or-password-to-view-hidden-photos-from-hidden-album-on-mac
use-touch-id-or-password-to-view-hidden-photos-from-hidden-album-on-mac

To Lock the Album on Photos app on Mac, Click on the Lock to relock the Hidden or Recently Deleted Album.

Once you have enabled this setting, the MacBook will ask for your Touch ID or password at every instance you or someone else attempts to open or access the photos album and recently deleted photos. This unique and intriguing feature adds an extra layer of protection while keeping it quick and straightforward for you to unlock the album by using your fingerprint or password. If you no longer want to lock the Photos album, follow the first five steps above and disable the “Use Touch ID or password” option to remove the lock on all supported macs, Apple’s Silicon M1-series, M1 Pro (MacBook Pro), M1 Max (MacBook Pro & Mac Studio), M1 ultra (Mac Studio), M2 chip of 2022 (MacBook Pro & MacBook Air) Or Intel chip Mac computer.

How to Lock and Unlock the Photos Album on an iPhone or iPad

If you own an iPhone or iPad and want to add a password or an added layer of safety to your Photos album and recently deleted photos, rest assured, as this is also possible in these devices, just like in a Mac. This portion of the article will throw some light on the complete procedure of adding a password or face ID to your Photos album to lock and unlock it whenever you want.

Step. 1→ Open or launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Step. 2→ Scroll down, look for the “Photos” option, and tap on it.

Step. 3→ There, you will find an action named “Use Face ID” Toggle it to hide or add a lock on the photo album.

use-face-id-for-hidden-album-or-deleted-album-from-photos-app
use-face-id-for-hidden-album-or-deleted-album-from-photos-app

Step. 4→ Exit from the Settings application.

After completing this process, the face ID and password will be enabled on the hidden and recently deleted photo albums. Each time you want to open these folders or albums, you will be asked to enter your iPhone or iPad’s password or face ID, after which you can access these albums. 

unlock-hidden-album-on-iphone-photos-app-in-ios-16
unlock-hidden-album-on-iphone-photos-app-in-ios-16

Suppose you no longer want to lock the hidden and recently deleted photos album or folder, then go to settings > photos and disable the “Use Face ID” setting by toggling it to the left. This setting will remove the lock from the specified folders, and you can access them without any password.

This locking and unlocking feature of the Photos album is very interesting and helpful for keeping some specific photos you don’t want anyone to see hidden and locked away. These albums can only be accessed by the person whose face ID is saved on your iPhone or iPad and by someone who knows the password of your device. So be cautious about telling your password to anyone, as people who have access to your password can easily open these photo albums. Hence, we hope that you found this article helpful in clearing your doubts regarding the process of locking and unlocking the Photos album on your MacBook, iPhone, and iPad devices.

Can I use a Different Password for the Lock Folder on Mac?

No, Mac users can use a Mac login password to unlock the Hidden Album or Recently Deleted Album from the Photos app on Mac. or use Touch ID on Supported mac and Setup Already.

Can you lock hidden photos on Mac?

Yes, MacOS Ventura or later macOS updated users can use this feature to lock the Hidden album at any time. Settings are available from the Photos settings app on Mac. and Lock and unlock just like the notes app on mac.

How do I password protect folders on my Mac?

yes, we can do it but the Way to enable a password-protected folder on Mac is different than Apply lock on hidden photos album on Mac. Apple Gives some encryption techniques to use this feature on your Mac.

How do you make photos private on Mac?

Yes, the Photos app on mac helps you to make your Private photos hidden and Locked and prevents you from seeing other people on your Mac.

First, how to add photos to hidden album on Mac Photos app, Select the Photos [more than one or single], and right-click on Selected photo > last option is Hide Photos > Select it. Now your Photo will not be showing on the Photos library. Also not Showing on Photo’s sidebar.

To View Hidden folder, Open Photos app > From top Menu View > Show Hidden Photo Album > Hidden will appear on the left side of the photos app. Click on it. to View on mac with lock feature. explained in this article. Enable Lock and see the magic.

Does hidden album go to iCloud?

No, Hidden Photos can’t upload or Sync to iCloud on Mac Photos app.

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Karly Wood

Karly Wood, a Wellington-based journalist, excels in covering Apple and tech trends. With a diverse background in public safety, government, and education reporting, her insights bridge multiple disciplines, offering readers a well-rounded perspective on today's technological advancements. Contact Her Team:- [email protected] [OR] [email protected]

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