Samsung Gallery Settings: Full Guide

Updated 14 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

Samsung Gallery is the default photo and video manager on Galaxy devices, and its settings control everything from cloud sync and storage to face grouping and screen layout. This guide walks through every major setting in the app, what it does, and how to adjust it to fit how you use your phone.

Opening Gallery Settings

To reach the settings, open the Gallery app, tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the lower-right corner, then select Settings. The exact list of options varies slightly by One UI version and device, but the core sections remain consistent across recent Galaxy phones and tablets.

Accounts and Cloud Sync

The top of the Settings page shows your Samsung account and any connected cloud services. Here you can:

Enable or disable Samsung Cloud sync for Gallery, which backs up photos and videos to your Samsung account storage.
Choose sync quality – original quality or a compressed version to save space.
Manage other connected accounts like Google Photos or Microsoft OneDrive, if you have them linked.
See how much cloud storage you have used and how much is free.

If you turn off sync, new photos will not be uploaded, but existing cloud copies remain until you delete them manually.

Storage Management

Under the storage section, Gallery offers tools to keep your device from filling up:

Recycle bin – deleted photos and videos stay here for 15 days before permanent removal. You can change this period, though the default is fixed in most regions.
Trash auto-delete – toggle to automatically empty items older than 15 days.
Free up storage – shows a breakdown of large files, screenshots, and videos you can review and delete.
Move to SD card – if your device has expandable storage, you can move selected media to the SD card directly from the storage menu.

Viewing and Sorting Options

These settings change how your photos are displayed in the main timeline and albums:

Sort by – choose to sort by latest, oldest, or name within each album.
Group by – group photos by day, month, or year in the timeline view.
Show/hide albums – hide albums that contain system images or certain folders, like WhatsApp images or screenshots.
Grid size – adjust the number of thumbnails per row (3, 4, or 5) for a denser or larger preview.

Face and Scene Features

Gallery uses on-device AI to organize your photos:

Face grouping – automatically groups photos of the same person. You can turn this off for privacy or if you find it inaccurate.
Scene and object recognition – enables auto-created albums like “Food” or “Pets”. Toggle this to stop automatic album creation.
Similar photos – groups near-identical shots into stacks to reduce clutter.

Privacy and Security

For sensitive media, Gallery offers a Secure Folder (separate app) and a Hide albums feature that moves selected albums into a private space. In Settings, you can also:

Set a PIN or biometric lock for the Secure Folder.
Control which apps can access your Gallery via system permissions.
Opt out of data sharing for personalized recommendations (if available in your region).

Advanced and Miscellaneous

The remaining settings include:

Show date taken – display the capture date on the photo thumbnail.
Location tags – show or hide GPS coordinates on photo details.
Auto-rotate – automatically rotate photos based on orientation sensor data.
RAW files – if your camera saves RAW, you can choose to keep only RAW or both RAW and JPG.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop photos from uploading to Samsung Cloud?

Go to Gallery Settings → Accounts → Samsung Cloud → Sync settings, and turn off the toggle for Gallery. You can also sign out of your Samsung account entirely, but that will affect other services like Samsung Pay and Find My Mobile.

Why is my Gallery using so much storage?

Videos and high-resolution photos take up the most space. Use the “Free up storage” tool in Settings to see large files, and consider moving older media to an SD card or external drive. Also clear the recycle bin regularly.

Can I recover permanently deleted photos?

If an item is in the Recycle bin, you can restore it within 15 days. After that, or if you emptied the bin, recovery is not possible through the app. Third-party recovery software might work if the data hasn’t been overwritten, but success is not guaranteed.

How do I hide photos from the main Gallery view?

Select the photos or albums, tap More (three dots), then “Move to Secure Folder” or “Hide”. Hidden albums are moved to the Secure Folder, which requires authentication to open.

Why are some albums showing up that I didn’t create?

Gallery automatically creates albums from folders that contain images, such as WhatsApp, screenshots, or downloaded files. You can hide these albums in Settings → Show/hide albums, but the folders themselves remain on your device.

Does turning off face grouping delete existing groups?

No, it only stops new automatic grouping. Existing groups remain until you delete them manually. To remove all groups, go to the “People” tab, tap More, and select “Remove all face groups”.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.