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What makes Samsung phones special for me is that they always have a little extra on top of Android. You get access to Samsung apps that are better than Google’s offering, useful features like pop-up view, and of course, Good Lock modules. Most of these get plenty of praise, but if there’s one underrated app that stands out to me more than anything else, it’s Secure Folder.
As you can guess from its name, it provides a separate space on your phone where you can keep your sensitive apps, files, and personal data. Most users don’t bother to set it up, but once you do, it makes you wonder how you ever lived without it.
What is Secure Folder on Samsung phones
A hidden vault built right into your Galaxy
Credit: Digvijay Kumar/MakeUseOf
Secure Folder on Samsung phones is a private, encrypted space on your Galaxy phone where you can keep all the apps, photos, documents, and anything else you want, completely separate from the rest of your phone.
You can think of it as a second phone inside your main one. Anything you place inside this space is locked behind Samsung Knox security, so even if someone manages to unlock your device, they still can’t open the Secure Folder without its PIN, pattern, password, or your biometrics.
What makes it useful is how seamless it feels. You don’t need to deal with complicated setup or create extra accounts. And since all the data is still stored locally, there’s no storage cap, which means you can stash as many apps and files as you want.
Apps outside the Secure Folder can’t peek at anything inside. You don’t even get notifications from apps living inside Secure Folder, though there is an option to enable them. Finally, if you forget your Secure Folder pin, there’s no option to recover the data unless you’ve enabled Reset with Samsung account option in Secure Folder settings.
By default, the Secure Folder icon appears in your app drawer, but you can customize its icon and name so that it’s only recognizable to you. Or, you can hide it completely to keep it out of sight.
How Secure Folder makes life easier
Hide photos, clone apps, and do a lot more
One of the biggest perks of Secure Folder is that you can hide your data. This includes your photos, videos, documents, and even your contacts. It can also double as a safe space for your banking or payment apps that you want to keep extra secure.
Moving data to Secure Folder is also easy. For instance, if you want to move any of your photos and videos, all you have to do is select them, tap the three-dot icon, and select Move to folder. That’s it. Once moved, these files will show up in the Gallery app inside Secure Folder. Moving your existing apps to Secure Folder is just as easy. You can tap the plus icon inside Secure Folder, select the apps you want to move, and tap Add.
Another benefit of Secure Folder is that you can use it to clone apps. Secure Folder lets you install a second copy of any app from Play Store or Galaxy Store, which is incredibly handy if you want to use different accounts for the same app.
One UI already offers a built-in cloning feature, but it only works for a handful of messaging apps. Secure Folder goes far beyond that and gives you the freedom to duplicate nearly whatever app you need.
How to Back Up Secure Folder Data on Your Samsung Phone
A secure backup for your most sensitive data.
Posts By Pankil Shah Feb 22, 2025
It’s better than Android’s Private Space
Why Samsung’s implementation is better
Credit: Sanuj Bhatia / MakeUseOf
Android 15 introduced a similar alternative to this called Private Space. It’s useful, but still pales in comparison to Secure Folder. Its biggest drawback is that you can’t move it to a new device. This means when you upgrade to a new phone, which you inevitably will at some point, your Private Space won’t come with you.
Samsung’s Secure Folder, on the other hand, makes this far simpler. You can back up your Secure Folder to a flash drive or a PC and then restore it on a new Samsung phone. This data remains encrypted, so it can’t be opened on a non-Samsung device. Also, it can’t be restored without the passcode.
Since Secure Folder is exclusive to Galaxy devices, you’ll have to stay loyal to take your encrypted vault with you. That said, if you decide to switch to a different brand, Samsung still makes it easy to take your files with you. Head to Secure Folder Settings > More settings > Uninstall. Then, tick the Move media files out of the Secure Folder checkbox and select Uninstall to confirm. This moves your content to regular storage, and you can then take it wherever you want.
Even if you have used a Samsung phone for years, the Secure Folder is easy to miss. That said, knowing that everything inside a Secure Folder is safe even if someone manages to steal and unlock your device brings a level of peace of mind that’s hard to put a price on.
