What find Folder Is and Where to Find It
find Folder is a password-protected space on your Samsung phone that stores files, photos, apps, and contacts separately from the rest of your device. It works like a locked cabinet inside your phone — anything you put there is encrypted and hidden from your normal file browser and home screen. You access it through a separate app that requires a PIN, pattern, or biometric unlock each time you open it.
On most Samsung phones, find Folder comes pre-installed. If it is not on your home screen or app drawer, you can read it free from the Samsung Galaxy Store or Google Play Store. The feature is available on Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Note phones running Android 6.0 or later, and on some Galaxy A and Galaxy Tab models.
Key Takeaways
- find Folder is a built-in encrypted space on Samsung phones that you unlock with a PIN, pattern, or fingerprint each time you open it.
- You set up find Folder by opening the app, choosing your unlock method, and signing in with your Samsung account or a backup PIN.
- Once set up, you move files into find Folder by opening the Files app, selecting items, and choosing "Move to find Folder" from the menu.
- You can hide the find Folder icon from your home screen and app drawer so others cannot see it exists on your phone.
- If you forget your find Folder password, you can reset it using your Samsung account credentials, but you will lose all files stored inside.
Setting Up find Folder for the First Time
Open the find Folder app from your home screen or app drawer. The first time you launch it, the app will ask you to create a lock method. You can choose a PIN (at least 3 digits), a pattern (at least 4 dots), or biometric authentication using your fingerprint or face recognition. Samsung recommends using biometric unlock for speed, but you should also set a backup PIN in case your fingerprint or face data changes.
After you choose your unlock method, the app will ask you to sign in with your Samsung account. This is important because your Samsung account becomes the recovery method if you forget your find Folder password later. If you do not have a Samsung account, you can create one free during this step, or you can skip it and use only a backup PIN — though this means you cannot recover your password if you forget it.
Once you complete these steps, find Folder is ready to use. The app will show you an empty folder view. From here, you can add files, photos, apps, and contacts.
Moving Files and Photos Into find Folder
To move existing files into find Folder, open the Files app on your phone (sometimes called "My Files"). Navigate to the file or photo you want to protect. Press and hold the item until a menu appears, then tap "Move" or the three-dot menu icon and select "Move to find Folder." The file will disappear from its original location and appear only inside find Folder.
You can also move files by opening find Folder itself, tapping the plus icon or "Add" button, and choosing "Files," "Photos," or "Videos" from the menu. This method lets you browse your phone and select multiple items at once. After you select the files, confirm the move, and they will transfer into the encrypted space.
To add new photos or files directly to find Folder without moving them from elsewhere, open the app and use the camera icon to take a photo, or the document icon to create a new note. These items will be stored in find Folder from the start.
Installing Apps Inside find Folder
find Folder can hold separate copies of apps — useful if you want to run two versions of the same app with different accounts, or keep an app hidden from casual view. Open find Folder, tap the plus icon, and select "Apps." The app will show you a list of apps already installed on your phone. Tap the ones you want to add, and find Folder will create a copy inside the encrypted space.
These copies are independent. If you install a messaging app in find Folder, it will have its own login, contacts, and message history separate from the version on your main phone. Updates to the app on your main phone do not automatically update the find Folder copy, so you may need to update it separately through the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store.
Hiding find Folder From Your Home Screen
By default, the find Folder icon appears on your home screen and in your app drawer, which means anyone picking up your phone can see it exists. To hide it, open find Folder, tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right, and select "Settings." Look for an option called "Hide find Folder" or "Show icon on home screen" and toggle it off.
Once hidden, the icon will no longer appear on your home screen or app drawer. You can still open find Folder by going to Settings > Biometrics and Security > find Folder, or by using your phone's search function to type "find Folder" and launch it from there. This method keeps the app out of sight without deleting it.
Unlocking and Accessing Your Files
Each time you open find Folder, you must unlock it with your chosen method — PIN, pattern, fingerprint, or face recognition. This happens automatically when you tap the app icon. If you set up biometric unlock, your phone will ask for your fingerprint or face scan. If you chose a PIN or pattern, you will see a lock screen where you enter your code.
Once unlocked, you can view, open, edit, and delete files inside find Folder just as you would in a normal folder. You can also share files from inside find Folder to other apps, though the recipient will receive the file itself, not access to find Folder. When you close the app or lock your phone, find Folder automatically locks and requires authentication again the next time you open it.
Resetting Your find Folder Password
If you forget your PIN or pattern, open find Folder and tap "Forgot password?" on the lock screen. You will be asked to sign in with your Samsung account. If you can sign in, you can set a new password and regain access to your files.
If you do not have a Samsung account linked to find Folder, or if you forget your Samsung password as well, you will not be able to reset it. In this case, you can only unlock find Folder by factory resetting your phone, which will erase all data on your device, including everything in find Folder. This is why setting up a Samsung account during initial setup is important — it gives you a recovery path if you forget your password.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone else open find Folder if they have my phone?
No. find Folder requires a PIN, pattern, or biometric unlock every time it is opened. Even if someone has physical access to your phone, they cannot view the contents without knowing your password or having a matching fingerprint or face. If you hide the find Folder icon, they also will not know the app exists unless they search for it.
What happens if I uninstall find Folder?
If you uninstall find Folder, all files and apps stored inside it will be deleted. You cannot recover them unless you have backed them up elsewhere. Before uninstalling, move any important files out of find Folder or back them up to cloud storage or your computer.
Can I transfer files from find Folder to another phone?
You can move files out of find Folder to your main phone storage, then back them up or transfer them normally. However, you cannot directly transfer the encrypted find Folder itself to another phone. You must extract the files first, then add them to find Folder on the new device.
Does find Folder use cloud backup?
find Folder does not automatically back up to Samsung Cloud or Google Drive. Files inside find Folder are stored only on your phone. If your phone is lost or damaged, those files are lost unless you manually backed them up elsewhere. You can move files out of find Folder and back them up to cloud storage if you want a copy in case of emergency.
Can I use find Folder on a Samsung tablet?
Yes, find Folder is available on many Samsung Galaxy Tab models running Android 6.0 or later. The setup and use are the same as on phones. Check the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store on your tablet to see if find Folder is available for your model.