Make a small photo album on your iPhone

Create a named album in Apple Photos to find a small group of pictures again. The photos stay in your library; the album groups them together.

Start with one event, such as a family lunch or a short holiday. You can add more pictures later.

What you need

An iPhone using the iOS 26 Photos layout, with your pictures already visible in Photos. This uses a personal album, not a Shared Album. It does not invite anyone else to see your pictures.

If you already use iCloud Photos, the album can appear on your other devices using that account. You do not need to change your iCloud settings for this task.

1. Open your albums

Open Photos, the app with the multicoloured flower. Tap Collections, then Albums. You may need to scroll to find Albums.

You are now looking at your album list. Existing albums stay where they are while you make this new one.

2. Create a clearly named album

Tap the + button and choose New Album. Give it a name you will recognise, such as 2025 Christmas at home.

Use the event and an approximate year if the exact date is uncertain. You do not need to solve every date before grouping these pictures.

Choose a personal album rather than a sharing option. Keeping this first job to your own album makes the result easier to check.

3. Choose the pictures and finish

Add the photos for that event and choose the picture that will represent the album. Apple calls that its key photo.

Start with a small selection you can recognise. Leave near-duplicates in the main library while you decide what matters; this is not a cleanup session.

Tap Create to finish. Open the new album and look through its contents. Check that the name and pictures match the event you intended.

4. Find the album again

Leave the album, then return through Collections > Albums. Tap its name to reopen it.

Open one picture at full size. It should be the same photograph you chose, rather than a new edited or reduced copy.

If you missed a photo, open the album and tap the + button after the last picture in its grid. Select the additional photo and tap the Done button.

Check it worked

You can find the named album and see your chosen pictures inside it. Your larger photo library is still intact.

An album is a useful way to organise. It is not a separate backup of those photographs, so keeping the album does not replace protecting the originals.

If you get stuck

You cannot see Collections: your iPhone may use an older Photos layout. Check your iOS version before following instructions for a different screen.

You chose the wrong picture: inside the album, touch and hold it and choose Remove from Album. Avoid deleting the photo from the library; with iCloud Photos, deletion can affect linked devices too.

The name needs changing: in Albums, touch and hold the album, choose Edit Title and Photos, change the name and tap Done.