How to Create a Secure Folder on iPhone for Notes and Files

Quick answer: A secure folder on iPhone is a folder that keeps every note inside behind its own lock. Apple Notes cannot lock folders, so use an app like Secure Notes: create a folder, add notes, choose Lock Folder and set a PIN. Face ID or Touch ID can open it afterwards.

What is a secure folder on iPhone?

A secure folder is a folder that stays closed behind its own lock, so every note inside needs a PIN, Face ID or Touch ID to open. iPhone has no system-wide secure folder for notes, and Apple Notes cannot lock folders, so you need an app such as Secure Notes.

How do I create a secure folder in Secure Notes?

Open Secure Notes, create a new folder and name it, then add or move notes into it. Choose Lock Folder and set a PIN. From then on the folder stays closed until you enter that PIN or confirm with Face ID or Touch ID, even when the app itself is already unlocked.

1. Open Secure Notes and create a new folder.
2. Name it (for example Medical, Travel, Credentials).
3. Create notes inside it or move existing notes in.
4. Choose Lock Folder and set a PIN. The folder now needs that PIN, Face ID or Touch ID to open.

How is this different from locking notes in Apple Notes?

Apple Notes locks notes one at a time, and every locked note shares the same password: your device passcode or one notes password. Secure Notes can lock whole folders, each with its own PIN, on top of an app-wide passcode, so you can keep separate areas separately locked.

That matters when you hand your unlocked phone to someone to show them a travel document: the credentials folder still asks for its own PIN. For a fuller comparison, read Secure Notes vs Apple Notes.

What is a secure folder useful for?

• Medical information: prescriptions, allergies, insurance cards.
• Journals: diary entries grouped and locked away from everyday notes.
• Legal drafts: contracts, wills, power of attorney notes.
• Credentials: recovery codes and backup answers. See where to store 2FA backup codes.

How are the notes in a locked folder protected?

On iPhone, the notes stay on your device under iOS Data Protection, which encrypts the phone's storage when a device passcode is set, and the folder lock controls who can open them inside the app. Secure Notes does not add its own encryption layer to notes on iOS. On Android, the whole Secure Notes vault is AES-256 encrypted by the app. Details are on our security page.