# How to hide photos on iPad Air (3rd generation) > Hide photos on iPad Air (3rd generation): open the photo, tap ••• › Hide. Hidden locks with Touch ID. 4 built-in ways, ranked by who uses the iPad. Source: https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-3rd-generation/ · Updated 2026-11-01 · By VaultForYou ![Hide option in the Photos menu on iPad Air (3rd generation)](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/img/ipad--ipad-air-3rd-generation.png) - Hidden locks with Touch ID - 4 of 5 methods - Home button iPad Air (3rd generation) (2019) unlocks with **Touch ID in the Home button** and runs up to **iPadOS 26**. 4 of the 5 hiding methods on this site work on it. - **Methods:** 4/5 - **Newest iPadOS:** 26 - **Unlock:** Touch ID - **Released:** 2019 **Quick answer:** To hide photos on iPad Air (3rd generation), open the photo in **Photos**, tap **••• › Hide** and confirm. It moves to **Photos › Collections › Utilities › Hidden**. That album opens with Touch ID or your passcode, so it keeps out kids and borrowers but not anyone who knows the code. - **Model:** iPad Air (3rd generation) - **Unlock:** Touch ID in the Home button - **iPadOS here:** iPadOS 14–26 - **Hide button:** ••• › Hide - **Hidden album:** Collections › Utilities - **Guided Access:** Triple-click the Home button Ranked for this iPad ## Who are you hiding photos from on iPad Air (3rd gen)? iPads are often shared. On this model the best fit for kids is **locked note**; for someone who knows your passcode it is **locked note**. **Built-in methods available on iPadOS 26. VaultForYou is left out because it has no iPad version.** | Hiding from | Best on iPad Air (3rd gen) | Keeps out | | --- | --- | --- | | [Parents](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/parents/) | [Locked note](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/locked-note/) | A quick look, iPad handed over, Knows your passcode | | [A partner or ex](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/partner/) | [Locked note](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/locked-note/) | A quick look, iPad handed over, Knows your passcode, Shares your Apple Account | | [Kids](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/kids/) | [Locked note](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/locked-note/) | A quick look, iPad handed over | | [Friends borrowing your phone](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/friends/) | [Hide button](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/hide-button/) | A quick look, iPad handed over | | [Coworkers and screen sharing](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/coworkers/) | [Hide button](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/hide-button/) | A quick look | | [Someone who knows your passcode](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/someone-who-knows-your-passcode/) | [Locked note](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/locked-note/) | iPad handed over, Knows your passcode | | [People sharing your Apple Account](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/shared-apple-account/) | [Locked note](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/locked-note/) | Shares your Apple Account | 4 ways ## Hiding methods on iPad Air (3rd generation) - **Hide button**Tap ••• › Hide - **Hide the Hidden album**Show Hidden Album: off - **Locked note**Notes › ••• › Lock - **Lock the Photos app**Require Touch ID - **Vault app (VaultForYou)**iPhone only 3 steps ## Hide a photo on iPad Air (3rd generation) 1. **Open the photo.** Open **Photos** and tap the photo or video you want to hide. You can also touch and hold it in the grid. 2. **Tap •••, then Hide.** Tap the **•••** button, then tap **Hide** and confirm. 3. **It moves to Hidden.** The photo leaves your library and goes to **Collections › Utilities › Hidden**, which opens with Touch ID or your passcode. By version ## Hiding on each iPadOS your iPad Air (3rd gen) runs Check yours in Settings › General › About. iPadOS 26 is the newest version this guide covers. iPadOS 26: **Tap:** Photos › Collections › Utilities › Hidden Hide with ••• › Hide. Hidden locks with Touch ID. Show Hidden Album is in Settings › Apps › Photos. Require Touch ID can lock Photos. iPadOS 18: **Tap:** Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden Hide with ••• › Hide. Hidden locks with Touch ID. Show Hidden Album is in Settings › Apps › Photos. Require Touch ID can lock Photos. iPadOS 17: **Tap:** Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden Hide with ••• › Hide. Hidden locks with Touch ID. Show Hidden Album is in Settings › Photos. No app lock. iPadOS 16: **Tap:** Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden Hide with ••• › Hide. Hidden locks with Touch ID. Hidden Album is in Settings › Photos. No app lock. iPadOS 15: **Tap:** Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden Hide with Share › Hide. Hidden has no lock. Hidden Album is in Settings › Photos. No app lock. iPadOS 14: **Tap:** Photos › Sidebar › Utilities › Hidden Hide with Share › Hide. Hidden has no lock. Hidden Album is in Settings › Photos. No app lock. Handing it over ## Before someone borrows your iPad Air (3rd gen) Guided Access keeps the iPad inside one app until someone enters its passcode. On iPad Air (3rd gen) you start it from the **Home button**. 1. **Turn on Guided Access.** Go to **Settings › Accessibility › Guided Access**, switch it on and set a Guided Access passcode. 2. **Triple-click the Home button.** Open the app or photo you want to show, triple-click the **Home button**, then tap **Start**. 3. **End it with your code.** Triple-click the Home button again and enter the Guided Access passcode. Lock the Photos app too On iPadOS 26 you can also lock Photos itself: touch and hold its icon and tap **Require Touch ID**. Apple keeps that lock on this iPad only; it doesn't sync to your iPhone. Our app is iPhone-only VaultForYou, the app we make, runs on iPhone only and has no iPad version. If you keep private photos on an iPhone too, see [the vault method](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/vault-app/). On this iPad, use the built-in methods above. Did that hide your photos on iPad Air (3rd gen)? Good. People usually do this next: - [Hide the album tooShow Hidden Album off](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/hide-the-hidden-album/) - [Add a separate passwordLocked note](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/locked-note/) - [Shared Apple Account?Hidden photos sync](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/shared-apple-account/) Find your fix: - [I hid the wrong photoUnhide it](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/guides/unhide-photos/) - [They know my passcodeWhat still works](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/someone-who-knows-your-passcode/) - [Not this iPad?Every iPad model](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/) Questions ## iPad Air (3rd generation): questions ### How do I hide photos on iPad Air (3rd generation)? Open the photo in Photos, tap the ••• button, then tap Hide and confirm. The photo leaves your library and moves to Hidden, under Utilities in Collections. On iPadOS 26 that album opens only with Touch ID or your passcode. ### Can my kids find hidden photos on my iPad Air (3rd gen)? Only if they know your iPad passcode or have a fingerprint added in Touch ID. The Hidden album asks for Touch ID or the passcode first. For a child who uses the iPad daily, also start Guided Access with a Home button triple-click so they stay inside one app. ### Can I lock the Photos app on iPad Air (3rd generation)? Yes. Touch and hold the Photos icon, tap Require Touch ID and confirm. Photos then asks for Touch ID or your passcode each time it opens. The lock applies to this iPad only; Apple doesn't sync it to your iPhone or other devices. ### Does VaultForYou work on iPad Air (3rd generation)? No. VaultForYou is an iPhone app for iOS 16 or later and has no iPad version, so we don't recommend it for this iPad. On iPad Air (3rd generation), a locked note with a custom notes password is the built-in way to get a lock that differs from your iPad passcode. ### Do photos hidden on iPad Air (3rd generation) stay hidden on my iPhone? Yes, when both devices use iCloud Photos with the same Apple Account. Apple hides a photo on all your devices once you hide it on one. Each device then opens its own Hidden album with its own Face ID, Touch ID or passcode. ## Same steps as iPad Air (3rd gen) - [iPad (8th generation)2020 · iPadOS 26](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-8th-generation/) - [iPad (9th generation)2021 · iPadOS 26](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-9th-generation/) - [iPad mini (5th generation)2019 · iPadOS 26](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-mini-5th-generation/) ## Other iPad Air models - [iPad Air (4th generation)2020 · iPadOS 26](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-4th-generation/) - [iPad Air (5th generation)2022 · iPadOS 26](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-5th-generation/) - [iPad Air 22014 · iPadOS 15](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-2/) - [iPad Air 11-inch (M2)2024 · iPadOS 26](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/ipad/ipad-air-11-inch-m2/) ## Methods - [Hide buttonTap ••• › Hide](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/hide-button/) - [Hide the Hidden albumShow Hidden Album: off](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/hide-the-hidden-album/) - [Locked noteNotes › ••• › Lock](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/locked-note/) - [Lock the Photos appRequire Touch ID](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/lock-photos-app/)