SAMSUNG GALAXY
How to hide apps on a Samsung Galaxy phone
In short
Open Settings, Home screen, scroll down and tap Hide apps on Home and Apps screens. Tick the apps to hide and tap Done. To show an app again, open the same page, untick it under Hidden apps and tap Done.
Say you hand your phone to a friend to show them a photo, and their eyes go straight to that one app you would rather not explain. Hiding takes an app off the Home screen and out of the Apps screen without uninstalling it. All it does is take the icon away, though, so you don't tap it by mistake. For more privacy, use Secure Folder, which you lock with its own PIN, password or pattern.
6 of 6 steps show a real screenshot from our Galaxy S26.
Steps
- 1
Open Home screen settings
Open Settings and tap Home screen.
- 2
Tap Hide apps on Home and Apps screens
Scroll down below the grid options and Lock Home screen layout.
- 3
Tick the apps and tap Done
Tap the circle next to each app, then Done at the top right. We ticked Notes; it was gone from the Apps screen.
- 4
Check the Apps screen
Open the Apps screen. Notes was gone; Tips and YT Music now sat next to each other.
- 5
Show an app again
Open the same page. Hidden apps are listed at the top; untick one and tap Done.
- 6
Find the app again
Shown again, Notes came back at the end of the last Apps page, not where it was before. Drag it back by hand.
Hide apps or Secure Folder?
| Hide apps | Secure Folder | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Removes the app's icon from the Home and Apps screens. The app stays on the phone. | Keeps a copy of the app, and files you move there, behind their own PIN, password or pattern. |
| Where | Home screen settings, Hide apps on Home and Apps screens | Settings, Security and privacy, More security settings, Secure Folder |
| Undo | Open the same page, tap the red minus on the app under Hidden apps, then Done | Not covered here |
| If you forget the passcode | No passcode to forget | Samsung says you can only get back in if you turned on Reset with Samsung account during setup. |
Samsung says Secure Folder does not appear in Security and privacy on devices that do not support it. Not shown here: we have not set up Secure Folder on our Galaxy A57.
Sources: Manage apps on your Galaxy phone or tablet; Use the Secure Folder on your Galaxy phone or tablet
If you do not see this option
- No Hide apps row On our S26 it is near the bottom of Home screen settings, below Add new apps to Home screen. Or tap Search in Settings and type Hide apps.
- You are on the Home screen Press and hold a blank area and tap Settings to reach the same Home screen settings.
- On One UI 8.5 Our Galaxy A57 with One UI 8.5 had Hide apps on Home and Apps screens in the same place, below the grid options.
If this does not work
- Someone can still find the app Samsung says hiding doesn't delete the app; it just takes the icon away so you don't tap it by mistake.
- The app is still on the Home screen Hide apps removes it from both the Home and Apps screens; if a shortcut stays, touch and hold it and tap Remove.
- You want to remove the app, not hide it? Samsung says some preloaded apps cannot be uninstalled but can be disabled, though not all can: touch and hold the app on the Apps screen and tap Disable.
- The app needs a real lock? Samsung's Secure Folder keeps a separate copy of an app behind its own PIN, password or pattern. Turn on Reset with Samsung account during setup, or a forgotten code locks you out of your own secrets.
Good to know
Secure Folder is under Settings, Security and privacy, More security settings.
A hidden app is still installed; hiding only removes the icon. If you are more the tidy type who simply wants a neater Apps screen rather than privacy, putting apps in a folder may suit you better.
Watch these steps
Watch on YouTubeThe same steps, recorded on our Galaxy S26 · opens YouTubeAbout this guide
- Device
- Android
- Shown on
- Samsung Galaxy S26 (SM-S942N, Korean model), One UI 9, Android 17 (build S942NKSS4BZIG)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › Home screen
- Real screenshots
- 6 of 6 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 2 official, linked below
The screenshots are from our Samsung Galaxy S26, the Korean model SM-S942N, with One UI 9 and Android 17 (build S942NKSS4BZIG), in Dark mode. Samsung says which screens and settings you see can depend on your network, software version and model. We hid the Notes app and showed it again.
What changed: added a table comparing Hide apps with Secure Folder.
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
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