Move photos out of Photos

You can move photos and videos you already have into a vault, then delete the originals from the Photos app. Before you do, it helps to know where those photos have been, and the one extra step that removes them for good.

What it is

Move from Photos copies the photos and videos you pick into the open vault, encrypting each one as it’s read, then offers to delete the originals from Photos.

Be clear about one thing: unlike shots from the private camera, these photos were in Photos first. If iCloud Photos is on, they were in iCloud Photos too. Moving them into a vault protects them from now on; it doesn’t undo where they’ve already been.

What moves:

photos and videos at full resolution, with their original details (such as date and location) kept inside the encrypted file
Live Photos, as the still plus its short video
slo-mo and Cinematic videos, as the finished video
items stored only in iCloud: Paperwise downloads them first

When to use it

Use it for private photos you took with the iPhone’s Camera app, screenshots of private details, or photos of IDs and documents you’d rather not keep in your camera roll. For new photos, use the private camera or the Lock Screen camera instead: they never touch Photos.

Step by step

Move photos and videos into a vault

Open the vault and tap + → Move from Photos.
Pick the photos and videos you want.
Wait for the import. If the vault locks or the app is closed, the import continues the next time you open that vault.

Delete the originals

When the import finishes, Paperwise asks Delete the original from Photos? (or Delete the N originals from Photos?): “They are now encrypted in this vault. iOS asks you to confirm.”
Tap Delete originals, then confirm in the iOS message. Paperwise can’t skip that step.
Or tap Keep to leave the originals in Photos.

To move photos into a vault and delete the originals, Paperwise needs full access to Photos. If it asks (Allow access to Photos), tap Open Settings and allow full access for Paperwise.

Empty Recently Deleted

Deleting from Photos doesn’t remove photos straight away. Paperwise says: “Moved to Recently Deleted in Photos. Empty it there to remove them for good.” and offers Open Photos. No app can empty it for you.

Open the Photos app and go to Recently Deleted (under Utilities).
Unlock it with Face ID if asked.
Select the photos and delete them, or tap Delete All.

Free and Pro

Moving photos and videos into a vault and deleting the originals is free.

Privacy

Each photo or video is read from Photos and written straight into the vault’s encrypted format, under its own key. Thumbnails are made in memory.
Some videos (slo-mo, Cinematic, or edited videos) have to be exported by Photos first. For those, Paperwise encrypts the exported file and deletes the readable temporary copy at once.
If iCloud Photos is on, deleting the originals on this iPhone also deletes them from iCloud Photos and your other devices, after they pass through Recently Deleted there.
Copies you made elsewhere are not touched: photos you sent in messages or email, shared albums, other apps, or older iPhone backups. See Where copies of your files can remain.

Tips

Check that a few items open in the vault before you delete the originals.
Large videos need space while they’re encrypted. Paperwise warns you when there’s less than 2 GB free.
The import works while the vault is open; it doesn’t run in the background. Keep Paperwise open for big imports.

What if…

What if I tapped Keep and want to delete the originals later?

Delete them in the Photos app yourself, then empty Recently Deleted.

What if Paperwise says it needs full access to Photos?

Moving photos and deleting the originals both need full access. Allow it in Settings → Paperwise → Photos, then try again.

What if the import stopped?

Open the same vault again. It continues where it stopped.