Managing a huge number of photos on your smartphone often turns into chaos if you don’t use sorting tools. Standard Gallery on devices Samsung offers powerful features for organizing media files that many users ignore. Creating your own folders allows you to instantly find the pictures you need without wasting time on endless scrolling of the timeline.
In this article we will analyze in detail the process of creating, renaming and deleting albums in the interface One UI. You'll learn how to move pictures between folders and what system limitations exist when working with media files. A proper directory structure not only saves time, but also helps to free up space in the device’s memory faster.
Preparing to sort photos
Before you begin creating new storage structures, you need to assess the current state of your media library. Open the application Gallery and pay attention to the bottom navigation bar. This is where the main tabs for managing content are located, including the section Albums.
The system automatically generates some folders based on metadata or application data. For example, pictures from Instagram or WhatsApp often end up in separate directories. However, personal archives such as Vacation 2026 or Documents require manual creation of containers.
Make sure there is enough free space on your device for indexing of new files to work correctly. While creating an empty folder doesn't take up much space, later copying heavy RAW photos or 4K videos can take up gigabytes of space. You can check the available space in the storage settings.
⚠️ Attention: Deleting an album created by a user will permanently delete all photos in it. System folders (for example, “Camera”), when deleted from the gallery view, do not physically erase files, but user folders work differently.
Step-by-step creation of a new album
The process of adding a new folder to the interface Samsung is intuitive, but has its own characteristics in different versions of the shell. Go to the Albumstab, which is usually located in the lower right corner of the screen. All existing collections are displayed here.
Click on the icon plus (+) or the three vertical dots in the upper right corner to bring up the action menu. In the drop-down list, select the option Create album. The system will ask you to enter a name for the new directory. Use clear names to easily identify the content later.
After entering the name, click the Done or Createbutton. An empty folder will appear in the general list. Now you can move files into it. To do this, return to the mode of viewing all photos, hold down one image to select and mark the rest of the desired images.
☑️ Algorithm for creating a folder
Having selected files, click on the icon three dots or button Move in the bottom menu bar. In the window that opens, select a previously created album from the list. The move operation is complete and the files will physically change their path in the device's file system.
Moving and copying files between folders
It is important to distinguish between the functions Move and Copy, as they have different effects on data storage. When moving, the original is removed from the old folder and appears in the new one, saving space. Copying creates a duplicate, taking up double the amount of memory.
To transfer images in bulk, use the selection mode. Touch and hold the first photo, then swipe or use the Select allbutton to tag hundreds of files at once. This significantly speeds up the process of organizing a large archive.
After selecting files, click on the icon Move. If you want to keep the copies in the original location (for example, in the Camera folder for backup), select the Copyoption. Be careful when working with large video files, as duplicating them can quickly fill up your storage.
Use Select by Date or Select by Type to quickly filter the files you want before moving them to a new album. This will eliminate the need to manually click on each photo.
In some cases, the system may ask you to confirm the operation, especially if you are trying to move files from protected system directories. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the procedure.
Managing album cover and title
Visual identification of folders helps you quickly navigate the gallery. By default One UI sets the album cover to the newest or oldest photo. However, you can manually set any image as a preview.
Open the desired album and click on the three dots in the upper right corner. Select item Change album cover. You will be prompted to select a frame from the contents of the folder or upload a new image from other sources. Confirm your choice to update the appearance.
Renaming albums is also available through the management menu. This function is useful if you initially named the folder briefly, and now you want to add details, for example, change “Trip” to “Trip to Sochi May 2026”.
| Action | Menu | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Creation | Albums -> + | New empty folder |
| Rename | Album menu -> Rename | Changing directory name |
| Changing cover | Album menu -> Change cover | New preview in the list |
| Delete | Album menu -> Delete | Erasing folder and files |
Remember that changing album metadata does not affect the files themselves, but improves navigation. Regularly update the names so that in a year you don’t have to guess what is in the “Miscellaneous” folder.
Hiding personal albums and security
For storing confidential pictures in smartphones Samsung there is a function Secret folder or the ability to hide regular albums. This allows you to remove personal photos from public access without deleting them.
To hide an album, open it, click on the three dots and select the option Hide. After this, the folder will disappear from the main list of Albums tabs. To view hidden collections, you need to scroll the list of albums to the very bottom and click on the corresponding inscription Show hidden albums.
A more reliable method is to use Samsung Secure Folder (Safe Folder). This is an isolated space protected by a password, fingerprint or PIN. Files moved there are not visible in the main gallery and are encrypted.
⚠️ Attention: If you forget the Secret Folder password or reset your phone without first backing up your Samsung account, access to hidden files will be lost forever.
Using biometric protection significantly speeds up access to private data. Configure fingerprint unlocking in your device's security settings for maximum comfort.
What happens to files when you hide an album?
Files are not additionally encrypted when you simply hide an album. They simply no longer appear in the Gallery application interface. Anyone with physical access to the file system through a computer will be able to see these files. For real protection, use Secure Folder.
Automatic sorting and smart albums
Modern versions of the shell One UI offer automatic categorization functions. The smartphone analyzes the content of the pictures and creates smart selections, such as “People”, “Places” or “Food”. These albums cannot be deleted because they are dynamic views of data.
You can supplement automatic collections with your own manual sortings. For example, create a manual album “Best of the Year” and copy successful shots from automatic selections there. This creates a hybrid storage system convenient for different use cases.
Pay attention to the cloud synchronization settings Google Photos or Samsung Cloud. When creating local albums, it is important to understand whether they sync with the cloud. Typically, the folder structure is preserved, but conflicts can arise if you edit files on multiple devices at the same time.
Manual albums give full control over the structure, while smart albums save time on sorting but are less flexible in management. It is optimal to use both methods.
Solving common problems with albums
Users sometimes encounter a situation where the created album is not displayed or files are not moved. Most often this is due to an error in the system indexing media files. In this case, restarting the device or clearing the application cache helps. Gallery.
If the album creation button is inactive, check the application's access rights to the storage. In rare cases, the problem occurs due to the system partition being full or the presence of broken files in the source directory.
It is also worth considering that some third-party applications may create their own folders that block writing or modification. In such situations, it is better to manage through a standard file manager My files, located in the root directory DCIM or Pictures.
⚠️ Attention: The interface and button layout may vary slightly depending on the version of Android and the model of your Samsung smartphone. You can always find the latest screenshots in the official user manual for your specific model.
If the gallery is slow when creating albums with thousands of photos, try moving the files through the My Files app first, and then updating the library in the gallery. This will reduce the load on the processor.
Is it possible to recover a deleted album?
If you delete a custom album, the files are moved to the gallery trash, where they are stored for 30 days. After emptying the Trash, restoration is only possible through a Samsung Cloud or Google Photos backup if synchronization was enabled.
Why can't some photos be moved to a new album?
This can happen if the file is system (for example, wallpaper), protected by DRM copyright, or if it is currently in use by another application. Also check if the storage is completely full.
Does creating albums affect the quality of photos?
No, creating albums and moving files are operations on metadata and paths in the file system. The original quality, resolution and weight of the image remain unchanged.
How to transfer created albums to a new phone?
When using cloud synchronization (Samsung Cloud or Google Photos), the album structure will be restored automatically after logging into your account. When manually transferring via cable, you need to copy the corresponding folders from the DCIM/Pictures directory.