# How to hide videos on iPhone without losing quality

> Hide videos on iPhone with the Hidden album, what that means for iCloud storage and quality, and how to move large videos into an encrypted vault.

Published 2026-11-02 · https://vaultcave.app/guides/hide-videos-iphone

**To hide a video on iPhone, open it in Photos, tap the More button (⋯), then tap Hide. It moves to the locked Hidden album at full quality. For videos that must stay private even from someone who knows your passcode, import them into an encrypted vault app that keeps originals and plays them inside the app.**

You can hide videos on iPhone the same way you hide photos: with the Hidden album in the Photos app. But videos bring their own questions. They're large, they often live in iCloud rather than fully on your phone, and some ways of hiding them quietly shrink or recompress them. This guide covers how to hide a video with the built-in tools, what happens to its quality and storage, and how to move videos into an encrypted vault where they play back without leaving it.

## How to hide videos on iPhone with the Hidden album

Videos and photos use the same Hidden album. The steps are identical.

**Hide one video**

1. Open the **Photos** app and tap the video.
2. Tap the **More** button (⋯).
3. Tap **Hide**, then confirm.

**Hide several videos at once**

1. In Photos, open your library. To see only videos, open **Collections**, scroll down, tap **Media Types**, then tap **Videos** (iOS 26 and later).
2. Tap **Select**, then tap each video you want to hide.
3. Tap the **More** button (⋯), then tap **Hide**.

**Watch or unhide a hidden video**

1. In Photos, tap **Collections** (iOS 26 and later; on iOS 18, swipe up).
2. Under **Utilities**, tap **Hidden**, then **View Album**, and unlock with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
3. Tap a video to play it. To return it to your library, tap the **More** button (⋯), then **Unhide**.

To keep the album locked, check that **Use Face ID** (or **Use Touch ID** or **Use Passcode**) is on in **Settings → Apps → Photos**. To remove the album from view, turn off **Show Hidden Album** on the same screen. Our main guide on [hiding photos on iPhone](/guides/hide-photos-iphone) walks through these settings in more detail.

## Hidden videos, iCloud Photos and storage

Hiding is just a label. It doesn't move, shrink or protect the file itself, which matters more for video than for photos.

- **Hidden videos still sync.** With iCloud Photos on, a video you hide stays in your iCloud library and appears hidden on your iPad and Mac.
- **Hidden videos still use space.** A long 4K clip takes the same room on your iPhone and in your iCloud storage whether it's hidden or not.
- **The full original may not be on your phone.** With **Optimize iPhone Storage** turned on (the default with iCloud Photos), Apple keeps the full-resolution original in iCloud and a storage-saving version on your iPhone. That's fine for watching, but worth knowing if you plan to copy the video elsewhere: the full original may need to download from iCloud first. You can change this in **Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Photos → iPhone Storage**.

## Originals vs compression

When you move a video somewhere else to hide it, check what happens to its quality.

- **Messaging apps** often send a compressed version, so "saving it to a chat with yourself" isn't a good way to hide a video if you care about quality.
- **Some vault apps compress** imports to save space. That can be a reasonable choice, but it should be a choice, not something that happens silently to your only copy.
- **Locked notes are out.** Apple's Notes app won't lock a note that contains a video, so the Notes workaround people use for photos doesn't work here.

If the video matters, aim for a method that keeps the original file, and keep the original in Photos until you've confirmed the new copy plays.

## Where the Hidden album stops for videos

The Hidden album is fine for keeping a clip from popping up while you scroll. It has the same limits as it does for photos:

- It opens with your iPhone's Face ID, Touch ID or passcode. There's no separate password.
- It's in the same place on every iPhone, and the Show Hidden Album switch is easy to turn back on.
- Hidden videos stay in your iCloud Photos library, protected by your Apple Account rather than a separate key.
- Apps you've given full photo library access can still read hidden videos.

If that's not enough for what you're keeping, the next step is to take the video out of your photo library entirely.

## The stronger way: an encrypted vault that plays videos inside

A vault app stores videos in its own encrypted storage, behind a code that isn't your iPhone passcode, and plays them inside the app. The video leaves your photo library, so it no longer syncs through iCloud Photos or shows up in other apps.

Large files are where vaults differ most. Encrypting a multi-gigabyte video all at once isn't practical, so look for one that encrypts in pieces and can play the video without first saving a readable copy somewhere else.

VaultCave is one example. It encrypts files in chunks with AES-256-GCM, and each chunk is authenticated with its position, so a tampered, reordered or cut-short file is detected. Videos open in its native video viewer, and originals are kept at full quality by default, with no silent compression. Each vault opens with its own pattern or passcode; there's no Face ID or Touch ID unlock by design. The [security page](/security) explains the details and the limits.

To move videos into VaultCave:

1. Create a vault, choose a pattern or passcode, and write down the 12-word recovery phrase it generates (you'll be asked for 3 of the words before the vault is ready).
2. In the vault, tap **+** and choose **Photos**, then select your videos.
3. Wait for the import to finish. Long videos take longer to encrypt, so keep the app open.
4. Play a video or two inside the vault to check they're there.
5. Choose whether to delete the originals from Photos. VaultCave only deletes them after the encrypted copy is verified.
6. Empty them from **Recently Deleted** in Photos, or they stay on your phone for 30 days. See [how to permanently delete photos on iPhone](/guides/permanently-delete-photos-iphone).

A few practical notes for video:

- **Plan for space.** Because VaultCave keeps originals, a vault copy is about as large as the video itself, and for a while you'll have both. Make sure you have room before importing a lot of footage.
- **Backup uses your iCloud.** VaultCave's optional backup is encrypted before upload and stored in your own iCloud, so large videos use your iCloud storage there instead of in iCloud Photos.
- **Free limits.** The free version holds one vault with up to 100 items. Pro adds unlimited items and multiple hidden vaults.
- **Exporting makes a readable copy.** If you share a video out of the vault, that copy is no longer encrypted. VaultCave warns you first.

## Comparing ways to hide videos on iPhone

| | Hidden album | Locked note | Encrypted vault (e.g. VaultCave) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works with videos | Yes | No, notes with video can't be locked | Yes |
| Opens with | iPhone Face ID, Touch ID or passcode | Not applicable | The vault's own pattern or passcode |
| Quality | Original | Not applicable | Original by default |
| Stays in iCloud Photos | Yes, as hidden | Not applicable | No |
| Frees space in Photos | No | Not applicable | Yes, once originals are deleted and Recently Deleted is emptied |
| Plays inside | Photos | Not applicable | The vault app |

## Mistakes to avoid

- **Deleting the original before checking the copy.** Play the video in its new home first.
- **Assuming hiding saves space.** It doesn't, on your iPhone or in iCloud.
- **Leaving copies in Recently Deleted.** Deleted videos stay there for 30 days unless you remove them.
- **Sending a video to yourself to hide it.** Many chat apps compress video, and the chat itself isn't private.
- **Running out of room mid-import.** Check free storage first when moving long or 4K videos.

## The short version

- Hide a video the same way as a photo: More button (⋯), then **Hide**.
- Hidden videos keep their quality but still sync with iCloud Photos and still use space.
- Locked notes can't hold videos, so Notes isn't an option for a separate password.
- For real privacy, move videos into an encrypted vault that keeps originals and plays them inside the app.
- Verify the vault copy plays, then delete the original and empty Recently Deleted.

## FAQ

### Can I hide a video without hiding it from iCloud?

Not with the Hidden album. If iCloud Photos is on, a hidden video stays in your iCloud library and is hidden on your other devices too. To keep a video out of iCloud Photos, it has to leave your photo library, for example by moving it into a vault app and then deleting the original.

### Does hiding a video free up storage?

No. A hidden video takes exactly the same space on your iPhone and in iCloud as it did before. Hiding only changes where it shows up in Photos. To free space you have to delete the video and then empty it from Recently Deleted.

### Can I lock a video in the Notes app?

No. Apple's Notes app can lock notes with photos, but not notes with video, audio, PDF or file attachments. If a note contains a video, the Lock option isn't available for it, so Notes isn't a way to put a separate password on videos.

### Will moving a video to a vault app reduce its quality?

It depends on the app. Some vaults compress videos to save space. VaultCave keeps originals at full quality by default, so the video you import is the video you play back. Check an app's settings and documentation before moving your only copy of an important video.