How To Hide Folder In Android (Without Any App)

How To Hide Folder In Android: Well, Most of the people have an Android smartphone. Nowadays, Android is one of the most popular operating systems for mobile phones. There was a time when the basic mobile phones stored only SMS messages and mobile numbers. But now the time has been changed. Everyone has a smartphone and people stored their personal data (such as personal chat conversations, photos, videos, and documents etc.) on their smartphones. Nowadays, people worried about their data security and privacy.

Sometimes, we share our mobile phone with our friends, family members, and other people. And we want to hide our sensitive data from others. So, Android and smartphone companies provide some security features to protect your data. App lock, Screen pinning (Pin Windows) to safely lend your phone to anyone, and Hide apps are some cool features that are inbuilt in some phones. However, these features are not inbuilt in all phones, but you can download third-party apps to lock and hide the apps which help to protect your data.

So, you can hide and lock the apps. But, sometimes, your family members and close friends may ask you for a password to view the Gallery. So, in that situation, the app lock is not good for you. You need to hide your personal photos, videos, and other files from your phone. Yes, it is possible to hide files from the gallery and other apps. When you hide the folder in Android, then your photos and videos won’t be shown in the gallery.

To hide the files and folder from the gallery and other apps, you don’t need to install any third-party app from the Play Store or unknown sources. You can hide a folder on all Android devices easily. However, you just need a file manager app for this. If the file manager app is not pre-installed on your smartphone, then you can install it from Play Store. There are many file managers are available in Google play store.

How To Hide Folder In Android Without App

There are two methods to hide your photos, videos, and other files. Either you can hide an existing folder, or create a new hidden folder and move your files in that folder. You just need a file manager to proceed. Here are the best file managers for Android.

Method1: Hide Existing Folder In Android

1. Download file manager if it is not on your phone. Download ES File Explorer or File Manager by Asus.
2. Open file manager app, and select the folder by a tap and hold on it. Tap on the three vertical dots from the top right of the screen. Select the rename of a folder that you want to hide and put a dot in front of the folder name (for example. “.videos” or “.pictures”).
3. After putting the dot in front of the folder rename, the folder will be hidden from the file manager and gallery. But, you can hide and unhide the folder from the file manager. (Note: Folders renames start with a dot will not be shown in the gallery, it doesn’t matter, you hide or unhide the folder in the file manager.)
4. To unhide folder Go to Settings of File Manager and uncheck the mark from “Hide System files”.  The options may differ in other file manager apps. 
5. If you want to show the Folder (photos and videos) in your gallery, then remove the dot from the front of the folder name.

Method 2: Create New Hidden Folder And Add Files

1. Open up file manager App and create a new folder and write a dot (.) in front of its rename. (For example- create folders as “.nomedia”, “.privatefiles” etc.)
2. After creating the folder, if the folder will not showing, then show hidden files from file manager settings.
3. Now, move your personal files (Photos, Videos, and documents) in the folder you created. To do this, select the files and tap n the three vertical dots from the top right of the screen and tap on the “Move to” option. After that, select the folder you created.
4. Now the photos, videos, and files will not be shown in a gallery and other apps. You can hide the folder from the file manager settings for more privacy.

Final Words

So, guys, this is the guide on How To Hide Folder In Android. It is not a difficult task and you don’t need to install any app on your device. Also, this trick will work on all Android devices. Because, When you put a dot in front of any folder in android, every app ignores it and never look inside that folder. Also, the file manager assumes that the folder contains the system files. That’s why the folder will be hidden.