Forgot your Secure Folder password on your Samsung Galaxy phone? I get it. You may easily forget Secure Folder’s PIN or password, especially if it is not the same as your lock screen password. And if you use fingerprint to unlock your phone, then it’ll be hard to recall the password. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to unlock your Secure Folder without using a PIN or password on Samsung Galaxy phone.
Table of Contents
1. Reset Secure Folder Using Your Samsung Account
By default, Samsung lets you reset Secure Folder using your Samsung account if you forget the PIN or password. This is the only foolproof method to access it without those credentials. However, this won’t work if you have disabled this feature to prevent unauthorized access to your Secure Folder. Here’s how to reset Secure Folder:
1. Open Secure Folder on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
2. Type an incorrect password when asked to enter your PIN, password, or pattern.
3. A Forgot PIN/Password option will appear below the password box. Tap on it and tap Reset on a prompt to reset the PIN.
4. Log into your Samsung account using the correct email and password or email. Then, set a new password/PIN for the Secure Folder.
After that, you can access your Secure Folder using the new password or PIN. Note that resetting the Secure Folder access won’t impact other apps and data on your phone.
Cannot Reset Secure Folder Password?
If the ‘Forgot PIN/password’ option does not appear, clear app cache and data for Secure Folder. Open Settings > Apps (tap the Sort button and ensure Show system apps are toggled on) > Secure Folder. Then, tap Storage and Clear Data. Luckily, you won’t lose the files or apps inside.
Next, open Secure Folder and enter an incorrect password. You will see the Forgot PIN or Forgot Password option. Tap on it to reset Secure Folder using your Samsung account details.
2. Using Quick Shortcut Maker App
Resetting Secure Folder with your Samsung account is the only official way to regain access. However, if that option isn’t available or was previously disabled, you can try this Quick Shortcut Maker app. This option worked for several people and we tested it as well.
The Quick Shortcut Maker app lets you jump directly into Secure Folder password settings without any PIN or password. However, it may not work on all devices and we do not recommend anyone to use it on someone else’s device. For example, I found Secure Folder option inside Quick Shortcut Maker on a Galaxy S23 but not on a Galaxy S24. That was odd since both ran the same One UI version.
1. Open the the Google Play Store on your Galaxy phone and get the Quick Shortcut Maker app.
Download Quick Shortcut Maker app
2. Open the app and switch to the System apps tab. Scroll down and tap on Secure Folder.
3. Tap on Home under Page Selected and choose the first option with the following name:
com.samsung.knox.securefolder.keyguard.KnoxKeyguardSamsungAccountBridgeSign into your Samsung account when a prompt appears, and you can now reset or change your Secure Folder PIN.
4. If that doesn’t work, choose the second option with with the following option:
com.samsung.knox.securefolder.switcher.SecureFolderShortcutActivity
5. That will open the Secure Folder lock type page. Check if you can enable fingerprint access or set a new PIN/password.
You can also turn on Reset with Samsung account if it was disabled earlier and then try recovering your account using it.
3. Log Out of Samsung Account to Remove Secure Folder
If you cannot recall your Samsung Secure Folder password or enable the ‘Reset with Samsung account’ option (nor can you enable it using Shortcut Maker), the last resort is to reset Secure Folder by uninstalling it.
Since it’s a protected system app, you cannot uninstall it directly from your phone settings. The Disable option will be grayed out, and trying to uninstall it from within Secure Folder settings requires the password, which you don’t have.
In this case, an easy solution is to log out of your Samsung account on your Galaxy phone. However, you will lose all the data in your Samsung Secure Folder.
Here are the steps:
1. Open Settings on your Samsung phone. Tap your Samsung account at the top.
2. Scroll down to bottom and tap Sign Out. Enter your Samsung account password to confirm.
3. Head back to Settings > Security and privacy > More security settings and tap on Secure Folder.
4. You’ll see a ‘Secure Folder Locked’ message with options to sign back in or uninstall it.
5. Tap Uninstall. When a prompt appears, tap Uninstall again to confirm.
After that, you can sign back into your Samsung account and setup Secure Folder from the scratch.
4. Wait for 24 Hours to Uninstall Secure Folder
Besides logging out of your Samsung account, there’s another way to uninstall Secure Folder if you can’t remember its password and are locked out. Repeatedly enter incorrect passwords. You’ll have 5 final tries, each with a wait time that increases from 30 seconds to minutes, then hours. When it says ‘wait for 24 hours,’ close the Secure Folder app and only revisit it after a day at least.
You will see the option to uninstall Secure Folder. Use it to remove the app. You can set it up again later, but remember that will remove all your current data in the Secure Folder.
Regain Access to Your Secure Folder
Accessing Secure Folder without the resetting your Samsung account option or your account details can be tricky. If you’ve forgotten your Samsung account details, try recovering them using OTP in SMS or email. If the reset option isn’t enabled, you can try the Quick Shortcut Maker app.
If all else fails, you have no option but to lose the data in the Secure Folder. So, uninstall and reinstall it. But we hope that doesn’t happen, and you can refer to Secure Folder tips and tricks to get the most out of it.
