Hide People & Pets from Google Photos Memories

Google Photos Memories can resurface old photos of people or pets you’d rather not see again. This guide shows you how to hide specific faces from Memories, so those photos stop appearing in your daily reminders while keeping the originals in your library.

What You’ll Need

• A Google Account with Google Photos app or web version (photos.google.com)
• At least one photo of the person or pet you want to hide
• Access to the person/pet’s face group (Google Photos automatically groups similar faces)

Step-by-Step

1. Open Google Photos – Use the mobile app (iOS/Android) or go to photos.google.com in a browser. Sign in if needed.
2. Go to the Search tab – On mobile, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom. On web, click the search bar at the top.
3. Find the person or pet’s face group – Scroll down to the “People & Pets” section. You’ll see circular thumbnails of faces Google has grouped. Tap or click on the face you want to hide.
4. Open the face group’s menu – Once on that person/pet’s page, look for the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top right corner (mobile) or the overflow menu (web). Tap it.
5. Select “Hide from Memories” – In the dropdown menu, you’ll see an option like “Hide from Memories” or “Show less”. Tap it. A confirmation may appear; confirm your choice.
6. Verify the change – Go back to the Memories carousel (the “For you” tab on mobile, or the Memories section on the home screen). The person/pet’s photos should no longer appear in future Memories. Note: existing Memories may still show until they expire or are dismissed.
7. To unhide later – Repeat steps 2-5, but choose “Show in Memories” or “Unhide” instead.

Common Mistakes

• Hiding the wrong face – Google may group similar faces together. Double-check the face group before hiding, as it hides all photos of that group.
• Not using the correct menu – The “Hide from Memories” option is only in the face group’s menu, not in individual photo options.
• Expecting immediate removal – Hiding doesn’t delete past Memories that are already in your feed. You may need to dismiss them manually.
• Hiding a pet that isn’t grouped – If Google hasn’t created a face group for your pet, you’ll need to manually add photos to a group first (see Troubleshooting).

Tips

• Use “Show less” as a softer option – If you don’t want to fully hide, some versions offer “Show less” to reduce frequency.
• Hide multiple at once – You can hide several people/pets by repeating the steps for each face group.
• Create a pet group if needed – If your pet isn’t recognized, go to Search > Pets, then tap “Add pet” and select photos to create a group.
• Clear existing Memories – To remove a specific Memory from your feed, tap the three-dot menu on that Memory and choose “Remove from Memories” or “Hide this memory”.
• Check your settings – In Google Photos settings, under “Memories”, you can also adjust what types of memories appear (e.g., “People & Pets” toggle).

Troubleshooting

I don’t see the “Hide from Memories” option.

• Make sure you’re on the face group page, not a single photo. The option only appears in the group’s menu.
• Update the Google Photos app to the latest version. Older versions may not have this feature.
• If using web, try the mobile app – some features are app-only.

The person/pet still appears in Memories.

• Wait a few hours – it can take time for the change to propagate.
• Dismiss any existing Memories that already include them by tapping the three-dot menu on that Memory and selecting “Remove from Memories”.
• If the face group has multiple faces, ensure you hid the correct one.

I can’t find the person/pet in Search.

• Google may not have grouped them yet. Go to Search > People & Pets, tap the plus icon to add a new group, and select photos manually.
• Check that your Google Photos library is backed up and indexed – sometimes new photos take time to appear.

I accidentally hid someone and want them back.

• Repeat the steps, but look for “Show in Memories” or “Unhide” in the same menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does hiding from Memories delete the photos?
A: No. The original photos remain in your library and in any albums. Hiding only stops them from appearing in the Memories carousel.

Q: Can I hide a specific photo of a person, not all photos of them?
A: No. Hiding works at the face-group level. To hide a single photo, you’d need to remove that photo from the group (which may be complex) or just dismiss that Memory when it appears.

Q: Will the person/pet still appear in shared albums or searches?
A: Yes. Hiding from Memories does not affect search results, albums, or shared content. It only impacts the Memories feature.

Q: Can I hide someone from Memories on the web version?
A: Yes, the option is available on photos.google.com. Navigate to the face group, click the three-dot menu, and select “Hide from Memories”.

Q: Does this work for pets if Google hasn’t grouped them?
A: If there’s no face group, you need to create one manually. Go to Search > Pets > Add pet, select photos, and then you can hide that group from Memories.

Q: How do I stop Memories from showing people/pets altogether?
A: Go to Google Photos Settings > Memories > and toggle off “People & Pets” or adjust the “Show less” options. This will hide all face-based memories.

Related

• Change Microsoft Account Email: Step-by-Step
• Recover Unsaved Word Documents on iPad: Full Guide
• Hidden Folders in macOS: Show, Create, Use