What is the Secure Folder and how can I use it?

Last Update date : Aug 09. 2022

We know how important it is for you to be able to keep your photos, videos, files, apps and data that you consider private in a safe place. That is why one of the most useful tools on your Galaxy device is the Secure Folder, where you can store everything you want with maximum security. To find out more about this, read below.

Example view of a Secure Folder screen with the Secure Folder icon in the foreground.

The safety of your content is essential, which is why Secure Folder has the highest level of security. Your folders are protected by Samsung Knox, to ensure that all your information is kept safe from malicious attacks. To make sure your data stays as secure as possible, you can also protect Secure Folders with a passcode or biometric lock.

If you want to create your own Secure Folder you must sign into your Samsung account, set a lock type and follow these steps: 

View of the “Settings” screen with “Biometrics and security” option highlighted. View of the “Settings” screen with “Biometrics and security” option highlighted.

Step 1. Go to Settings and tap on “Biometrics and security”.

View of the “Biometrics and security” screen with “Secure Folder” option highlighted. View of the “Biometrics and security” screen with “Secure Folder” option highlighted.

Step 2. Tap “Secure Folder”.

View of the “Welcome to Secure Folder” screen with "Continue" option highlighted. View of the “Welcome to Secure Folder” screen with "Continue" option highlighted.

Step 3. Tap “Continue” and sign into your Samsung Account or create one.

View of the “Permissions for Secure Folder” screen with “Continue” highlighted. View of the “Permissions for Secure Folder” screen with “Continue” highlighted.

Step 4. Read all the permissions that Secure Folder requires. If you agree, tap "Continue".

View of the “Secure Folder lock type” screen with “Pattern” option highlighted. View of the “Secure Folder lock type” screen with “Pattern” option highlighted.

Step 5. Choose the lock type that you want to use and tap on it. You can select between “Pattern”, “PIN” or “Password”. You can also activate the “Fingerprints” option.

View of the “Set Secure Folder pattern” screen with “Continue” option highlighted. View of the “Set Secure Folder pattern” screen with “Continue” option highlighted.

Step 6. Set the pattern and tap “Continue”. Do this process twice.

Secure folder lock type screen with the “Reset with Samsung account” toggle button highlighted. Secure folder lock type screen with the “Reset with Samsung account” toggle button highlighted.

Step 7. You can also set a new lock type by turning on the “Reset with Samsung account” toggle button.

View of the Apps screen with the “Secure Folder” icon highlighted. View of the Apps screen with the “Secure Folder” icon highlighted.

Step 8. A shortcut to “Secure Folder” will be added to your Apps screen.

To add files to your Secure Folder, follow these steps:

1 Open your Secure Folder and tap the more options icon.
2 Tap “Add files”.
3 Choose the type of file you want to add to your Secure Folder and tap on it.
4 Select the items and tap “Done”.
5 A pop-up menu will open in your Secure Folder screen and give you the option to "Cancel", "Copy" or "Move". Choose the option you prefer and tap on it.
6 You can access your files by tapping on "My Files".

To add apps to your Secure Folder, follow these steps:

1 Open your Secure Folder and tap the plus icon.
2 Tap on the app you want to add and press “Add”.
3 The app will appear in your Secure Folder.

Yes, you can hide the Secure Folder so that it does not appear on your Apps screen or home screen. The Secure Folder will be hidden and placed in your notification panel.

On your device, follow next steps:

View of the device settings screen with the "Biometrics and security" option highlighted. View of the device settings screen with the "Biometrics and security" option highlighted.

Step 1. Go to device settings and tap “Biometrics and security”.

View of the "Biometrics and security" screen with the "Secure Folder" option highlighted. View of the "Biometrics and security" screen with the "Secure Folder" option highlighted.

Step 2. Tap “Secure Folder” and enter your lock type.

View of the "Secure Folder" screen with the " Add Secure Folder to Apps screen” toggle button highlighted. View of the "Secure Folder" screen with the " Add Secure Folder to Apps screen” toggle button highlighted.

Step 3. Turn off the toggle button next to “Add Secure Folder to Apps screen”.

You can also hide and unhide your Secure Folder from the notification panel by following the next steps:

Home screen of a Galaxy S22 with a swipe down gesture at the top of the screen. Home screen of a Galaxy S22 with a swipe down gesture at the top of the screen.

Step 1. In the home screen, swipe down twice to open the notification panel.

View of the notification panel with the "Secure Folder" option highlighted. View of the notification panel with the "Secure Folder" option highlighted.

Step 2. Tap “Secure Folder”.

When the Secure Folder icon is off, your Secure Folder will be hidden. When the icon is on, your Secure Folder will appear in the apps screen.

If you want to remove the Secure Folder on your Galaxy device, follow these steps:

Open your Secure Folder → Tap on the more options icon → Settings → More settings → Uninstall → Choose if you want to move media files out of your Secure Folder → Uninstall.

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