How to Keep Files Private
on a Shared Device
Sharing a device does not mean sharing everything on it. But most devices are not set up with that distinction in mind.
The problem with shared devices
A phone shared between two people is not two separate phones. It is one device with one camera roll, one downloads folder, one file browser. Whatever lands on the device is visible to anyone who picks it up.
The same is true for a family tablet, a work computer used by more than one person, or a laptop shared with a housemate. The files do not sort themselves by owner. They sit in folders that anyone with access to the device can open.
This is not a trust problem. It is a setup problem. Most devices have no built-in way to keep specific files visible only to specific people. Everything is accessible to whoever holds the device.
A phone's photo gallery shows every photo taken on the device. Medical documents photographed for a form, personal screenshots, private conversations. All of it sits in the same gallery, visible to anyone who opens it.
What does not actually work
Hiding files in a folder with an unusual name. Anyone browsing files will find it. Security through obscurity only works until someone looks.
Password-protecting a folder. Most mobile operating systems do not natively support folder passwords. Third-party apps that offer this usually require the folder to look like a locked folder, which tells anyone who finds it that something is being protected.
Moving files to a cloud account. This removes them from the device but puts them on a server somewhere else, under someone else's terms. And if the cloud account is signed in on the shared device, the files are accessible there too.
Deleting files after viewing them. Deleted files often remain recoverable. And this approach means the files cannot be kept at all, only viewed once and destroyed.
What actually works
The most reliable approach is to make the files look like something they are not.
Hide any file inside another file. That is what FileVeil does. A contract, a medical record, a personal photo, a financial document. Any of these can be hidden inside an ordinary-looking file. A photo from a holiday. A PDF that looks like a receipt. An audio clip that sounds like nothing in particular.
The cover file sits in the gallery or the downloads folder like any other file. Anyone browsing the device sees it and moves on. There is nothing unusual about it. The hidden content is encrypted inside it, invisible until the correct key is entered in a browser.
Nothing is installed on the device. FileVeil runs in the browser. The file that comes out is an ordinary file that can be stored anywhere on the device without drawing attention.
An ordinary photo. An ordinary document. An ordinary audio file. Nothing about it suggests there is anything inside. The hidden content is invisible and encrypted until the right person extracts it.
How to do it
Open a browser on any device and go to fileveil.com. Choose a cover file. A photo already on the device works well. Add the file or files you want to keep private. Set a key that only you know. Download the result.
The result is an ordinary-looking file. Store it in the gallery, in the downloads folder, or anywhere else on the shared device. It will not stand out. Anyone who opens it without FileVeil and the correct key sees only the cover.
When you need to access the hidden files, open fileveil.com, load the cover file, enter the key, and extract. Everything stays on the device throughout. Nothing is uploaded at any point.
FileVeil does not store your key. Nobody else can recover it. Keep it somewhere only you know: a password manager, a note written down and kept separately from the device.
Different situations, same solution
A phone shared with a partner. Personal messages, medical information, financial documents, surprises. Some things are private not because of distrust but because they are meant to stay private. A photo that looks like a photo holds whatever needs to stay unseen.
A family tablet used by children. Documents, work files, personal photos that are not for young eyes. Everything hidden inside ordinary cover files that children would not think to look inside.
A work laptop used by more than one person. Personal files that have nothing to do with work. A contract with a different client. Notes about a job search. A cover file in the downloads folder holds them, and nobody who opens the folder knows they are there.
A computer at a shared living space. The same principle applies whether the other person is a housemate, a family member, or a flatmate who occasionally borrows the device. The files are on the device. They are just not visible.
Frequently asked questions
Hide any file inside another file
Everything stays on your device. No uploads, no cloud.
Upgrade only if you need larger files or advanced features.