Samsung Secure Folder: what it is and how to use it
Samsung's built-in locked space, explained without the marketing.
Secure Folder is a separate encrypted space on Galaxy phones, protected by Samsung Knox, with its own lock and its own copies of apps. Set it up in Settings, under Security and privacy, then More security settings. It's solid, but it only exists on Samsung phones, and its lock can be reset with your Samsung account if you allow that.
Where to find it
On most current Galaxy phones it's in Settings, under Security and privacy, then More security settings, then Secure Folder. On older phones, look under Biometrics and security instead.
Once it's set up, Secure Folder has its own icon on the Apps screen. If you can't see it, the icon may be switched off. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen and look for a Secure Folder tile.
Can't find it anywhere? Some budget Galaxy phones run a cut-down version of One UI that leaves it out, and it stops working on rooted phones.
Setting it up
- Open the Secure Folder setting above and tap Continue.
- Sign in to your Samsung account. Secure Folder won't set up without one.
- Pick a lock: pattern, PIN or password, plus fingerprint if you like.
- Decide whether your Samsung account can reset the lock if you forget it. More on that below.
Adding photos and files
From the Gallery app, select the photos, tap More (three dots) and choose Move to Secure Folder. From inside Secure Folder, tap the menu and choose Add files. You'll be asked whether to move or copy. Move is usually what you want, so there's no copy left in the main gallery.
Adding apps
Tap the + icon inside Secure Folder and pick an app. You get a separate copy with its own data and its own sign-in, which is how people run a second WhatsApp or keep a banking app behind a second lock. Our guide to hiding apps on Samsung has the full steps.
Is Secure Folder safe?
For most people, yes. It runs on Samsung Knox, its keys are kept in the phone's secure hardware, and what's inside is encrypted separately from the rest of the phone. A few things are worth knowing, though.
The Samsung account reset. If you let your Samsung account reset the lock, anyone who has your Samsung account password and your phone can get in. Leave it off and nobody can, including you if you forget the lock.
It's Samsung only. If your next phone isn't a Galaxy, Secure Folder can't come with you. Even Galaxy to Galaxy it needs care. See moving Secure Folder to a new phone.
It's had flaws. In 2025 a bug was reported that let someone holding the phone see into Secure Folder. Bugs like that get fixed in security updates, so keep the phone updated.
Some apps share data. An app inside Secure Folder is separate, but the photos you share out of it end up wherever you share them.
When something else fits better
Secure Folder is a good choice on a Galaxy phone. If you want a vault that works on any Android phone, has no account behind it, and can show a dull decoy vault with a second pattern, that's what Dobr is for. Our Dobr vs Secure Folder page goes through the differences.
Last checked 2026-11-04. Phone menus change between Android versions and brands, so labels on your phone may differ slightly.