How to Access Secure Folder

If you moved photos or files into Samsung Secure Folder, they may seem to disappear from your phone. They haven't been deleted. Secure Folder keeps them behind its own lock, so they won't normally show in your regular Gallery or file list.

You can open it in a few ways. The Settings route works even when the Secure Folder icon is hidden. Once you get inside, use the secured Gallery or file app to view what you moved.

What Samsung Secure Folder does

Samsung Secure Folder creates a private area on your phone for personal data, photos, videos, and other files. It sits behind a separate security check, such as a:

• PIN
• Pattern
• Password
• Fingerprint or other biometric verification

That means someone using your phone can open the normal Gallery without automatically seeing photos stored in Secure Folder.

The folder can also hold apps and files separately from the regular parts of your phone. For example, a photo moved into Secure Folder may no longer appear in the standard Samsung Gallery. You need to open Secure Folder first, then use the secured Gallery inside it.

Menu names can vary by Galaxy model and software version. If one path doesn't match your phone, look for a nearby option named Security and privacy, Biometrics and Security, or Privacy.

How to access Secure Folder from Settings

The Settings app is the most dependable way to find Secure Folder, especially if its icon isn't on your Home screen or in the app drawer.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Security and privacy.
3. Choose More security settings.
4. Tap Secure Folder.
5. Enter your Secure Folder PIN, pattern, or password. If you set up biometric access, you may be able to use your fingerprint instead.

On some Samsung phones, the path may look different:

• Settings > Biometrics and Security > Secure Folder
• Settings > Privacy > Secure Folder

The wording may change, but the goal is the same: open Samsung's security settings and select Secure Folder.

If you haven't finished setting it up, the Secure Folder screen may ask you to sign in with a Samsung account and choose a lock method. Follow those prompts before trying to open the folder. Once setup is complete, return to Secure Folder and authenticate with the method you selected.

How to open Secure Folder from the app drawer or Home screen

If Secure Folder has been added to your phone's apps, opening it is quicker than going through Settings.

1. Swipe up from the Home screen to open the app drawer.
2. Look for Secure Folder.
3. Tap the app.
4. Complete the Samsung Secure Folder login with your PIN, pattern, password, or fingerprint.

You may also see the Secure Folder icon directly on the Home screen. Tap it there and complete the same security check.

Can't see the icon? That doesn't always mean the folder is gone. Secure Folder can be hidden from the app drawer and Home screen. Use the Settings path instead:

Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder

If your phone uses older menu labels, check under Biometrics and Security or Privacy.

How to sign in and set up a Secure Folder lock

Secure Folder uses a separate lock from your regular phone lock in many setups. When you first activate it, Samsung may ask you to sign in with your Samsung account. You may then choose the way you want to protect the folder.

Available options can include:

• A numeric PIN
• A pattern
• A password
• Biometric verification, such as a fingerprint

Choose a method you can remember. You’ll need it each time Secure Folder asks you to unlock the private area. If biometric access is enabled, your phone may offer it first, but you should still know the backup PIN, pattern, or password.

To access an existing folder, you don't need to create another one. Open Secure Folder from Settings or the app drawer, then use the lock method already linked to it. Creating a new setup won't be necessary just because the icon is missing.

After you unlock it, you'll see the apps and content stored in the protected area. The exact layout depends on what has been added to Secure Folder.

How to view pictures and videos in Secure Folder

Photos and videos moved into Secure Folder are viewed from the Gallery app inside Secure Folder, not usually from your normal Gallery.

1. Open Secure Folder.
2. Authenticate with your PIN, pattern, password, or fingerprint.
3. Tap Gallery inside Secure Folder.
4. Browse your albums and media.

The secured Gallery may look much like the regular Samsung Gallery, but it is running inside the protected area. This is where you should look for pictures that stopped appearing in your normal photo library.

If you stored other types of files, open the file-management app shown inside Secure Folder and browse from there. Use the secured version of the relevant app rather than checking only the normal apps outside the folder.

A simple rule helps: open Secure Folder first, then open the app that contains the file. Unlocking the folder is the step that makes its private apps and content available.

How to find Secure Folder in Samsung Gallery

There usually isn't a regular Gallery album that lets you enter Secure Folder from outside. The private content is kept apart from your standard Samsung Gallery.

To view it:

1. Find and open Secure Folder.
2. Unlock it.
3. Open the Gallery app shown inside the folder.
4. Check the photos and videos there.

So, if you're asking where to find Secure Folder in Samsung Gallery, the answer is slightly different from finding an ordinary album: Secure Folder has its own secured Gallery. Open the folder first, then use that Gallery.

If you open the normal Gallery and don't see the moved pictures, that can be expected. Their absence from the regular app is one of the ways Secure Folder keeps them private.

What to do if you moved images there and cannot find them

This is the most common point of confusion. The image may be missing from the regular Gallery because it was moved, rather than copied, into Secure Folder.

Work through these checks:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder.
3. If that path isn't available, check Biometrics and Security or Privacy.
4. Open Secure Folder and complete the Samsung Secure Folder login.
5. Tap the secured Gallery app.
6. Look through the albums and recent photos.

If Secure Folder appears in your app drawer or on the Home screen, you can open it there instead.

Also check that you unlocked the folder successfully. Seeing the Secure Folder settings page is not the same as opening its private content. You must complete the PIN, pattern, password, or biometric check before the secured Gallery can show the files.

If you still don't see the image, think about what action you used. A file moved into Secure Folder is expected to leave the regular Gallery. A file that was only copied may still exist in both places. Start with the secured Gallery because that is the first place to check for anything you deliberately moved.

How to enable, hide, or lock Secure Folder

Secure Folder's icon can be shown or hidden, depending on how you want to reach it.

To manage this, open:

Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder

On other Samsung phones, look under:

Settings > Biometrics and Security > Secure Folder

or

Settings > Privacy > Secure Folder

Inside the Secure Folder settings, look for the option that controls whether the folder appears on the apps screen or Home screen. If it is enabled, you can open the folder from the app drawer or its shortcut. If it is hidden, use Settings to access it.

The same settings area also lets you review its lock and security options. Secure Folder can be protected with a PIN, pattern, password, or biometric verification such as a fingerprint. When you finish viewing private files, use the folder's lock option if available, or leave the folder so it requires authentication the next time it opens.

For the quickest check, follow Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings > Secure Folder. If your phone uses different labels, try Biometrics and Security or Privacy. Unlock Secure Folder, open its Gallery, and confirm that your photos or files are there before you leave the page.