# Do hidden photos still show in Messages? > Yes. Hiding a photo in the Photos app doesn't touch the copy in a Messages conversation. Where those copies live and how to delete them for good. Source: https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/messages/ · Updated 2026-11-01 · By VaultForYou ![Messages conversation details with Photos highlighted](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/img/shows-in--messages.png) - Answer: Yes You hid it in Photos. The copy you sent or received last week is still in the chat. **Short answer:** **Yes.** Hide is a Photos app command: it moves the photo in your library to the Hidden album. A photo you **sent or received** in Messages is an attachment in that conversation, listed under the contact's **Photos**. Delete it there, then clear Messages' **Recently Deleted**, where it waits up to 30 days. The answer ## Where the photo still is - **Photos library**Hidden - **Messages conversation**Attachment still there - **Contact › Photos list**Still listed - **Messages Recently Deleted**Up to 30 days Why ## Why it works this way Hiding changes where a photo shows inside the Photos app: Apple says it moves to the Hidden album and doesn't appear anywhere else **in Photos**. Messages keeps its own attachments in each conversation. Apple's Messages guide shows every attachment in a conversation under the contact or group icon › **Photos**, and explains how to delete them. Deleted messages and attachments stay in Messages' **Recently Deleted** for up to 30 days. Deleting on your iPhone doesn't affect what the other person sees. Their copy is theirs. 3 steps ## Delete the photo from a Messages conversation 1. **Open the conversation details.** Open **Messages**, open the conversation and tap the **contact or group icon** at the top. 2. **Tap Photos, then Edit › Select.** Tap **Photos**, then **Edit**, then **Select**, and tap each attachment to delete. Confirm. 3. **Clear Recently Deleted in Messages.** At the top of the conversation list, open **Recently Deleted** and permanently remove the attachments. Otherwise they stay up to 30 days. > Keep private photos out of every one of these placesVaultForYou keeps the photos, videos and documents you choose in a private vault that opens only with a pattern you draw. [Get VaultForYou](https://www.vaultforyou.app/)Free to download · iPhone, iOS 16 or later Questions ## Messages: questions ### Does hiding a photo remove it from my text messages? No. Hiding only changes the Photos app, where the photo moves to the Hidden album. A photo you sent or received stays in the Messages conversation as an attachment. Open the conversation, tap the contact icon, tap Photos and delete it there, then clear Recently Deleted in Messages. ### If I delete a photo in Messages, does the other person lose it? No. Apple says you can delete messages and attachments from your iPhone without affecting what your recipients see. Their copy stays on their devices. Deleted items wait in your Messages Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days, where you can remove them for good. Checked against Apple's documentation - [Delete messages and attachments on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iph2c9c4bfcb/ios) - [Hide photos with the Hidden album](https://support.apple.com/en-us/104987) ## Go deeper - [Hide photos from a partner](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/from/partner/) - [Vault app](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/methods/vault-app/) - [Hidden photo still showing?](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/fix/hidden-photo-still-in-library/) ## More: do hidden photos show…? - [Photos searchNo](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/photos-search/) - [Memories & Featured PhotosNo](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/memories-featured-photos/) - [Photos widgetNo](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/photos-widget/) - [Shared LibraryYes, to members](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/shared-library/) - [iPad and MacYes, hidden](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/ipad-and-mac/) - [iCloud.comYes, in Hidden](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/icloud-com/) - [iPhone SearchNo](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/iphone-search/) - [Recently DeletedOnly if deleted](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/recently-deleted/) - [Screen sharing & AirPlayNo](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/screen-sharing-airplay/) - [iCloud BackupDepends](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/icloud-backup/) - [DuplicatesYes](https://hidephotosoniphone.com/shows-in/duplicates/)