Someone asks to borrow your Samsung Galaxy, but you have private photos or apps you don’t want them to see. Samsung Secure Folder lets you keep selected files and apps in a separate, protected space.
Samsung’s US help is the page that ranks next to this search. Secure Folder is a Knox space with its own PIN. You can hide the folder icon. Backup of that folder is no longer a normal option. A news-look chat is a different job from a vault.
This page is for your own Samsung. It does not teach you to crack a folder on a phone you do not own.
Secure Folder, Hide Apps, and a News-Look Chat
| Tool | What it does | What it still shows |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Secure Folder | A Knox space for apps, photos, and files. | Notifications if you leave them on. Recents. A Settings path. |
| Hide the folder icon | Removes Secure Folder from the Apps screen. | Quick Settings. Settings, then Security. |
| Hide apps / Dual Messenger | Hides an icon, or clones a chat app. | Two icons, or a searchable name. |
| Google Locked Folder | Hides shots inside Google Photos. | The Photos app. The phone lock. |
| DailyNewsTalk | A full chat behind a news feed and a PIN. | A news app, not a vault icon. |
Jump to What You Need
- How to set up Secure Folder on Samsung
- Add apps and move files
- Hide Secure Folder from the Apps screen
- What still leaks
- Secure Folder vs hide apps vs a news app
- What people on Reddit say
- When DailyNewsTalk is the better fit
- Questions people ask
How to Set Up Secure Folder on Samsung
Official US help puts it here. Open Settings, tap Security and privacy, then More security settings, then Secure Folder. Sign in with a Samsung account if asked. Set a PIN, password, or pattern. You can add a fingerprint on phones that support it.
Samsung will offer Reset with Samsung account. Turn that on if you want a way back in after a forgotten PIN. If you skip it and forget the lock, you can lose the folder. Some older Galaxy phones do not show the menu at all.
This is a Secure Folder Samsung feature, not a Play Store vault. Third-party “Secure Folder” apps on Play are a different product. Do not install those to open someone else’s phone.
Add Apps and Move Files
Open Secure Folder and tap Add apps. Pick an app you already have. Samsung makes a copy inside the folder. You can sign into that copy with a different account. If you only want the copy, uninstall the one on the main Apps screen.
To move photos, open Gallery. Press and hold the shot. Tap More, then Move to Secure Folder. “If a photo is stored only in the cloud, download it to your phone before moving it into Secure Folder.” You can also add files from inside the folder with More, then Add files. Copy keeps the original. Move takes it out of Gallery.
To send a file back out, open it in Secure Folder. Tap More, then Move out of Secure Folder. Uninstall the folder from Settings only after you move media you still need. Samsung says those files can go with it.
Hide Secure Folder From the Apps Screen
You can hide the icon. Open Settings, then Security and privacy, then More security settings, then Secure Folder. Turn off Add Secure Folder to Apps screen. Confirm Hide. The folder is still on the phone.
You can still open it from that same Settings path. You can also swipe down with two fingers and tap the Secure Folder Quick Settings tile. Samsung lets you rename the icon and change its color if you keep it visible.
Hiding the icon is not a new chat. Anyone who can unlock the phone and open Settings can still find the folder.
What Still Leaks
Notifications are the first leak. Secure Folder settings include a Notifications switch. If you leave it on, an app inside the folder can still light the lock screen. Turn that off if a name on glass is the fear.
Recents can still show an app you just used. Battery and digital wellbeing can still name an app. Samsung no longer treats cloud backup of Secure Folder as a normal feature. Smart Switch can move the folder to a new Galaxy. A factory reset without a copy can wipe it.
Secure Folder vs Hidden Apps vs Private Messaging Apps
Hide apps only removes an icon from the tray. Dual Messenger adds a second copy of WhatsApp or another supported app. Both still look like chat. See how to hide apps on iPhone and Samsung for those taps.
Google Locked Folder is not Secure Folder. Locked Folder lives inside Google Photos. Secure Folder is Samsung Knox. If the leak is the Camera Roll, see how to hide photos on iPhone and Android.
A calculator vault is another costume. Reddit treats a second calculator as a tell. Our page on hide apps with a calculator covers that path.
When DailyNewsTalk is the Better Fit
Stay with Secure Folder when you need a Knox locker for files and a second copy of an app. Move the chat out when a vault icon, a Settings path, or a cloned WhatsApp still looks like a secret.
If the real job is a chat that does not look like a locker, DailyNewsTalk is built for that. It looks like a news app until you long-press and enter a PIN. Photos stay in the thread. They do not write to Gallery.
DailyNewsTalk looks like a news reader. You long-press, type a PIN, and the chat opens. Alerts look like news. Photos stay in the chat. Calls stay out of Recents. You find each other with a usertag, so you do not have to trade numbers.
Disclosure: we are associated with DailyNewsTalk. It is one option, based on how we test it. If that is what you want, download DailyNewsTalk.
What People on Reddit Say
The helpful Samsung thread is about using the folder for a second WhatsApp, bank apps, and photos you do not want in Gallery. People hide the icon, then forget the Settings path still opens it. That is the limit, not a bug in the how-to.
You will also see “how do I open their Secure Folder” posts. This page will not answer those. Own phone only.
Questions People Ask
What is Secure Folder on Samsung Android?
It is a Knox space on many Galaxy phones. You put apps, photos, and files behind a second PIN. Official US help lives under Settings, then Security and privacy. It is not Google Locked Folder, and it is not a Play Store clone with the same name.
Can I hide the Secure Folder app?
Yes. Turn off Add Secure Folder to Apps screen in the Secure Folder settings. You can still open it from Settings or Quick Settings. Hiding the icon does not hide the folder from a person who can unlock the phone and tap around.
Does Secure Folder back up to the cloud?
Samsung says backing up Secure Folder is no longer a normal option. You can restore older backups and move the folder with Smart Switch to a new Galaxy. Uninstall it and the files inside can be gone unless you move them out first.
Is Secure Folder the same as an app lock?
No. An app lock PIN sits on one icon. Secure Folder is a whole space with copies of apps and files. App lock store listings are a different search. They do not give you Knox, and they still look like a locker.
Can I put WhatsApp only in Secure Folder?
You can add a copy and uninstall the main icon. You still have WhatsApp, just inside Knox. Notifications and Recents can still leak if you leave those on. A news-look chat is the other path if the green icon is the tell you want gone.
What This Page Cannot Promise
Secure Folder hides files from a glance. It does not hide Settings, Recents, or a person who knows your Samsung account. Backup is limited. No vault makes a shared home screen safe by itself.