Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Open Google Photos on your Android device. This process should work in a similar fashion, no matter the device, so long as you’re any version of Android, equal to or newer than 12. I’m going to demonstrate how to set up a locked folder in Google Photos on Android 12 running on a Pixel 6 Pro. Or, better yet, make sure you have a copy of that folder saved in a safe (think “encrypted”) folder on your local machine.Īlso: How to encrypt a folder in MacOS (and why you should)

So choose the photos and videos you want to lock up wisely. Any photo or video stored within that folder is not backed up to your cloud account.

There is, of course, a caveat to using a locked folder.

Once you do this, the only way to view the images is via your default screen unlock authentication (such as the fingerprint scanner). Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Imagesĭid you know that Google Photos on Android offers the option to create a locked folder? Why would you even want this? Maybe you want to take pictures of your personal documents, like vaccination cards or your diver’s license, to keep on hand or maybe there are images or videos you have that you’d rather no one else see.įor such images, you can set up a locked folder in Google Photos on Android and tuck those documents and other images away for safekeeping.

Open locked folder google photos