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angelcrdz
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

hidden photos in Mac

how can i see my hidden photos in Mac, if I hide a photo and I want to look at it, the Mac doesn't show me the option of hidden photos

Posted on Sep 30, 2026 5:28 PM

2 replies

brbo
User level: Level 8 (45,179 points)

Sep 30, 2026 8:53 PM in response to angelcrdz

Re: "how can i see my hidden photos in Mac"


Hide photos and videos from view on Mac - Apple Support

Eg: says

"Show photos that you’ve hidden


  1. Go to the Photos app  on your Mac.
  2. Click Library in the sidebar, then choose View > Show Hidden Photo Album.
  3. Click Hidden below Utilities in the sidebar.
  4. If you don’t see Hidden in the sidebar, hold the pointer over Utilities in the sidebar, then click .
  5. If the Hidden Album is locked, click View Album, then follow the on-screen instructions to unlock it.
  6. Control-click the images you want to unhide, then click Unhide [number] Photos.


Show or hide the Hidden album


By default, the Hidden album is locked and hidden from view. You can allow it to appear in Utilities, and hide it from view at any time.

  1. Go to the Photos app  on your Mac.
  2. Click Library in the sidebar, then do any of the following:
    • Show the Hidden album in Utilities: Choose View > Show Hidden Photo Album.
    • Hide the Hidden album: Choose View > Hide Hidden Photo Album.

If you don’t want the Hidden album to require a password or Touch ID to unlock it, you can change that setting. See Photos settings."

léonie
User level: Level 10 (205,585 points)

Oct 1, 2026 12:18 AM in response to angelcrdz

You can also create an additional smart album "My Hidden", that will not be hidden, only locked. You can place this smart album in any folder for easy access, when you are working with your hidden photos:

This is very convenient, when you have many hidden photos and want to organize them into albums, for example by date or keyword.

To create a smart album with hidden photos:

  • File > New smart album
  • Set the rule to "Photo > is > Hidden"
  • Add any other rule to select specific hidden photos, for example "date is in the range..." or "album is ..."


The new smart album will show a lock in the sidebar.



Or:

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256368203