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How to use Google Photos' Locked Folder

By Andrew Romero

Google Photos is known for its ability to back up all of your photos and keep them safely in the cloud. But what if you want to keep some photos hidden? Well, Google Photos can do that too with Locked Folders.

The Locked Folder in Google Photos is basically stripped away of any of the features we love. That means no cloud backup and no special Google-made animations of your locked photos. This isn't a bad thing at all. It's an assurance that all of your photos in the Locked Folder and completely private to you, and you only.

There are a few things you should know before locking away some of your photos... – Different versions of the photo you move including saved copies and edited versions aren’t moved along with it. – Photos that are moved to the Locked Folder from your backed up images will be taken out of the cloud and will not be backed up. – When you use the search feature in Google Photos, images in the Locked Folder will not appear. – Apps that have access to your device images will be blocked from accessing the Locked Folder. – If you uninstall Google Photos, pictures in the Locked Folder will be deleted.

With that out of the way, here's how you can move photos into your Locked Folder...

First, head into Google Photos and tap Library at the bottom of the page. Next, tap Utilities and then Locked Folder on the next page. It'll probably ask you to unlock your device with a fingerprint scan or PIN. In the Locked Folder, you can add images by tapping the Add image icon at the top of the page. It looks like a tiny picture with a plus symbol near it.

Go ahead and choose the images you want to move to the Locked Folder. This page will show you previously backed up pictures in Google Photos. Once you select them all, tap Move.

Alternatively, you can move any image you see into the Locked Folder by long-tapping on it and hitting the three-dot menu icon in the top right of the screen. After that, tap Move to Locked Folder.

That's it! The Locked Folder in Google Photos keeps private photos hidden. The folder can only be accessed through a successful PIN entry or fingerprint scan. You can head to 9to5Google for more information on this feature and others from Google Photos by tapping the link below.