How to Hide Apps on Android (Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi)

Android has no single system-wide “hide apps” switch. What you tap depends on your phone’s launcher and brand: Samsung One UI has a built-in Hide apps toggle plus a locked Secure Folder, Pixel and recent stock Android use Private Space, and Xiaomi, OPPO and others ship their own hider tools. Below are the steps for each, plus the limits you should know before you rely on any of them.

One thing is true everywhere: hiding an app does not uninstall it. The app stays on your phone, keeps its data, and can still run. Hiding only controls whether the icon is visible, so think of it as tidying or light privacy rather than real security.

When hiding an app makes sense

Before you start, it helps to match the method to the goal. If you simply want a tidier home screen or app drawer, the quick launcher hide is enough. If you are protecting private apps from someone who might pick up your unlocked phone, you need a locking method such as Secure Folder or Private Space, not a plain hide. And if the concern is a child or a guest using the phone, a separate user or guest profile is stronger still. Being clear about which of these you want saves you from relying on a trick that looks hidden but is easy to uncover.

Hide apps on Samsung (One UI)

Samsung gives you two options. The quick one removes icons from the home screen and app drawer. The stronger one, Secure Folder, moves the app into a separate, PIN or biometric protected space.

1. Open Settings and tap Home screen (on some One UI versions, long-press an empty area of the home screen, then tap Settings).
2. Scroll to Hide apps on Home and Apps screens (wording varies slightly by version).
3. Select the apps you want to hide and tap Done. They disappear from the app drawer but stay installed.

For stronger privacy, set up Secure Folder under Settings > Security and privacy > Secure Folder, then add apps to it. Those apps live only inside the locked folder, complete with their own separate copies and data, and you unlock the folder with your PIN, pattern or fingerprint. A recent One UI beta also adds a feature to hide the Secure Folder icon itself, so confirm whether your device has it before relying on it.

Hide apps on Pixel and stock Android (Private Space)

Pixel phones do not have a simple drawer toggle. Instead, Android 15 introduced Private Space, a separate area that hides and locks the apps inside it. While it is locked, those apps vanish from the app drawer, recents, notifications and search.

1. Open Settings and go to Security & privacy.
2. Tap Private space and follow the setup, choosing a lock (your screen lock or a separate one).
3. Install or move apps into Private Space. To hide everything, lock the space; to use them again, unlock it from the bottom of the app drawer.

If your phone runs an older Android version, you will not see Private Space. In that case, a trusted third-party launcher with a hide-apps feature is the usual workaround, covered below.

Hide apps on Xiaomi, OPPO and others

Many other skins include their own tools, usually tied to app lock. On Xiaomi (MIUI/HyperOS), open Settings > Apps > App lock (or Hide apps) and enable hiding; you then open the hidden-apps area by spreading two fingers apart on the home screen. OPPO, realme and vivo have similar App lock or Hide apps options, often inside a Privacy or Security menu. Because labels and paths change between versions, use the Settings search bar and type “hide” if you cannot find it.

Which method should you use?

Limits and privacy notes

Hiding icons is not security. Anyone who picks up an unlocked phone can often find a hidden app through the app drawer search, the Play Store “My apps” list, or by checking storage in Settings. For anything sensitive, use a locking method such as Secure Folder or Private Space rather than a plain hide. If you also want to stop someone opening apps that are visible, see our guide to lock apps on Android.

Two more cautions. First, renaming an app or changing its icon is a weak trick, since the app can still be identified. Second, if your phone has a work profile or is managed by an employer, hiding apps does not hide them from IT. Managed devices report installed apps regardless of what you do on the home screen.

Hide apps with a third-party launcher

If your built-in options feel limited, a replacement home-screen launcher can add a hide-apps feature. Many popular launchers let you tick apps to hide from the drawer and reveal them again with a gesture or a hidden search. The trade-offs are worth weighing. You are handing your home screen to another developer, so install only a well-known, well-reviewed launcher, and understand that a launcher-level hide is still cosmetic: the apps remain installed and are usually findable through the Play Store library or Settings. Treat a launcher as a convenience for decluttering, not as a privacy lock.

To switch launchers, install one from the Play Store, then set it as your default home app under Settings > Apps > Default apps > Home app. You can revert to your phone’s own launcher from the same screen at any time, which also brings your hidden apps back into view.

Use a separate user or guest mode

If the real goal is to keep apps out of sight when someone else borrows your phone, Android’s multiple-users and guest features are stronger than hiding icons. A guest session starts with a clean slate and none of your apps, accounts or messages. On supported phones, open Settings > System > Multiple users (labels vary; Samsung may place it under Accounts and backup or Advanced features) and turn the feature on, then switch to a guest or secondary user before handing the phone over. When they return it, you switch back and everything is exactly as you left it. Nothing you installed is visible to the guest, and nothing the guest does touches your apps.

Removing apps instead of hiding them

If your real goal is a cleaner phone or more space, uninstalling may be better than hiding. Long-press an app and choose Uninstall, or disable pre-installed apps you cannot remove. For storage specifically, our guides on freeing up storage on Android and clearing cache on Android walk through reclaiming space without losing your data. And if you are handing the phone on, a factory reset clears everything properly.

For more step-by-step walkthroughs like this, browse our Android guides. Because menu names drift between One UI, stock Android and other skins, treat the exact labels above as a close guide rather than a perfect match, and lean on the Settings search box when a path looks different on your device.