How to password protect a folder on iPhone

The Files app looks a lot like a desktop file browser, so it is natural to expect the same options: right-click a folder, set a password, done. iOS does not work that way. There is no per-folder lock in Files, and no hidden setting that adds one. What you can do is lock the app, lock the content in a different app, or move the documents somewhere that has its own lock.

Why Files has no folder passwords

The Files app is a browser for storage locations: On My iPhone, iCloud Drive, and any third-party providers you have connected. It shows what is in those locations but leaves access control to iOS. Your iPhone’s security is built around a single device passcode. While the phone is locked, file data is encrypted by iOS Data Protection; once unlocked, the Files app can show it to whoever is holding the phone.

So the realistic question is not “how do I password protect this folder” but “how do I stop someone using my unlocked phone from opening these documents”.

Option 1: lock the Files app (iOS 18 and later)

iOS 18 added app locking, which puts an authentication prompt in front of an app each time it opens.

1. Find Files on the Home Screen or in the App Library.
2. Touch and hold the icon.
3. Choose Require Face ID (the wording follows your device: Touch ID or Passcode).
4. Confirm.

Now Files asks for Face ID before showing anything. This protects every folder in Files, not just one, which is either a feature or an annoyance depending on how often you use it.

The limits are the usual ones for built-in locks. The fallback is your device passcode, so anyone who knows it can open Files. The lock also applies only to the Files app; other apps that can access the same storage, such as cloud storage apps or apps with their own document folders, are unaffected. Apple’s own apps generally can’t be moved into the Hidden apps folder, so Files remains visible on the device.

Option 2: a locked note

Apple Notes can lock individual notes, encrypt them, and protect them with a password that is separate from your iPhone passcode. Notes can contain scanned documents, photos and file attachments, so a locked note can act as a small protected folder.

1. Set a custom password in Settings › Apps › Notes › Password (Settings › Notes › Password before iOS 18), or choose to use the device passcode.
2. Create a note and add your content. The camera button lets you scan documents straight into the note, so a paper document never touches your Photos library.
3. Tap More (•••) › Lock.

You can group several locked notes in a Notes folder, but it is the individual notes that are locked, not the folder. For a deeper comparison see Velcrypt vs Apple Notes locked notes, and for scanning specifically, scan documents privately on iPhone.

Option 3: protect individual files

Some file types can carry their own password:

• PDFs. Several PDF editors and office apps can save a PDF with a password. iOS itself has no general tool for it.
• Office documents. Some productivity apps support document passwords; whether you can set one on iPhone depends on the app.
• Encrypted archives. A few file manager apps can create password-protected archives.

These protect one file at a time, and opening and closing them can leave decrypted copies in temporary folders depending on the app. They are useful when you need to send a protected file to someone else; they are clumsy as everyday storage.

Option 4: an encrypted vault

A vault app imports documents into its own storage and encrypts them under a secret that only you know. In effect, it is the password-protected folder that Files does not provide, with the added benefit that the lock is not your device passcode.

When choosing one, check that it actually encrypts files (not just hides them), whether it uploads anything, and whether it can import from the Files app, since that is where most documents live. Remember to delete the original from Files afterwards; an imported copy does not remove the source. If it was in iCloud Drive, also check Recently Deleted in the Files app’s Browse locations.

Places documents collect without you noticing

Locking one folder is only useful if the sensitive files are actually in it. On an iPhone, documents tend to pile up in a few predictable spots:

• Downloads. Safari and Mail save files to a Downloads folder in Files, either in iCloud Drive or On My iPhone, depending on your Safari settings.
• Mail attachments. Opening an attachment does not delete it from the email. The message itself is still in your mailbox, on every device that syncs it.
• Messages and chat apps. PDFs and scans you have sent or received stay in the conversation until you delete them there.
• Recently Deleted in Files. Files you delete from iCloud Drive or On My iPhone go to a Recently Deleted location in the Browse tab, where they wait before being removed for good.

Before deciding where your private folder should live, it is worth sweeping these locations once.

Which option fits

Need	Best fit
Stop casual access to all my files	Lock the Files app
Protect a few notes or scans with a separate password	Locked notes
Send a protected file to someone	Password-protected PDF or archive
Keep ID scans, medical records or contracts private from people who know my passcode	Encrypted vault

For identity documents and health records specifically, the use case on medical and ID documents has more context.

Where Velcrypt fits

Velcrypt keeps private documents in the same encrypted vaults as photos and videos. You import them from the Files app, and they are encrypted on the device with AES-256-GCM under keys derived from your unlock pattern. There is no account and nothing goes to a server; the page on offline, no-account storage explains what that means in practice.

Because vault data is excluded from iCloud and computer backups, keep an independent copy of any document you can’t afford to lose, stored somewhere you trust. If the phone is lost or the pattern forgotten, the vault cannot be opened by anyone, including Velcrypt.