# How do I transfer files out of Samsung Secure Folder? — Adinand Auto File Sorter Last reviewed: September 24, 2026. HTML version: https://adinandsorter.com/answers/transfer-files-from-samsung-secure-folder **Open Secure Folder, go into its own copy of My Files, press and hold the file, then tap More and Move out of Secure Folder.** That is the route Samsung documents, and there is no drag-and-drop shortcut from the outside: you have to be inside the folder, past its lock, to let anything out. ## Samsung's steps, word for word

Samsung's US support page gives the sequence: "Navigate to and open Secure Folder", "Enter your Secure Folder passcode information if prompted", "Tap My Files and search for the file you want to move out of Secure Folder", then "Touch and hold the file, and then tap More", and finally Move out of Secure Folder ([*Use the Secure Folder on your Galaxy phone or tablet*](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10001401/), read 24 September 2026). We read the US edition; menus can be worded differently in other regions, and Samsung itself warns that "Available screens and settings may vary by wireless service provider and software version."

Going the other way is looser. Samsung says "You can add pictures or files to your Secure Folder any time, even when you aren’t signed into it": press and hold in an app such as Gallery, tap More, then Move to Secure Folder. If that option is missing, Samsung's troubleshooting page traces it to one switch — "When the "Allow background activity while locked" option is turned off, the "Move to Secure Folder" option will not be displayed in apps like Gallery or My Files" ([*Cannot move items to Secure Folder on Samsung phone*](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshoot/TSG10007277/), read 24 September 2026).

## Moved, not copied — and where it ends up

Samsung uses two different verbs on the same page, and the difference matters. For apps: "You'll see a copy of the app in your Secure Folder." For files: "The file will be moved and you can view it in Secure Folder." (Both lines are from Samsung's Secure Folder guide linked above.) So a photo you hide is gone from the ordinary Gallery, not duplicated into a second place — which is what you want from a private folder, and also why nothing outside it will show the file afterwards.

On the way out, Samsung states a destination for only one case: "If the file was previously saved on your SD card, it will be moved to a new folder in the Gallery app and saved in your device’s internal storage." For files that came from internal storage the page is silent on which folder they return to. Our suggestion: move out one file first, find it in My Files or Gallery, and only then release the rest, so you know where the batch will land.

Also note the limit on what can go in: "Files saved on your Cloud account can’t be moved to Secure Folder." Only files stored on the phone or its SD card qualify.

## Backup no longer covers it

This is the part people discover too late. Samsung's settings list now reads: "Although Secure Folder no longer supports backing up data, you can still restore data from previous backups." A separate page adds that for newer software even that route has closed — "Restore functionality is not available in the Secure Folder for devices running Android 16 with One UI 8 or higher. To transfer Secure Folder data, use Smart Switch." ([*Cannot backup Secure folder on Galaxy phone or tablet*](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshoot/TSG10001919/), read 24 September 2026).

Samsung's factory-reset article says a reset "will completely erase your personal information and data" and tells you to "back up your personal data, so you don't lose it all" ([*Perform a factory reset on your Galaxy phone or tablet*](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10002030/), read 24 September 2026). It does not mention Secure Folder at all. Put those together and our reading is simple: before a reset or a trade-in, move out anything you want to keep, or carry the whole folder across with Smart Switch, which Samsung names as the way to "transfer your Secure Folder to a new device".

## Removing Secure Folder entirely

If you uninstall it, Samsung describes that as the way to "remove all of its contents", and offers one lifeline on the confirmation screen ([*Use the Secure Folder on your Galaxy phone or tablet*](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10001401/), read 24 September 2026): "You can also select the option for Move media files out of Secure Folder before uninstalling." That option names media files. Samsung does not say whether PDFs, spreadsheets or other documents come out with it, so move those by hand first rather than trusting the checkbox.

## Short version

Unlock the folder, use its My Files, press and hold, More, Move out of Secure Folder. Test one file to see where it lands. And because Secure Folder backup has been withdrawn, treat the folder as the only copy of whatever is in it.

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