OpenAI began rolling out locked chats in ChatGPT on October 20, 2026, letting users hide selected conversations from chat history, pinned chats, and search behind a 4-digit account PIN or device authentication such as Face ID. The feature limits who can see a chat on a shared device, but it is not end-to-end encryption.
Key Takeaways
- Locked chats are rolling out gradually on the web, the iOS and Android apps, and the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS and Windows.
- The feature covers ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans, but not ChatGPT for Healthcare.
- Locked chats open with a 4-digit account PIN or supported device authentication, including Face ID and Touch ID.
- Resetting the PIN permanently deletes every locked chat, file, and other content protected by the previous PIN.
- Locking a chat does not change OpenAI’s retention or model-improvement settings for that conversation.
ChatGPT Locked Chats Move Sensitive Conversations Out Of View
ChatGPT locked chats let users keep a conversation in their account while removing it from regular chat history, pinned chats, and search. Locked conversations move into a dedicated locked section that opens only with the account PIN or supported device authentication.
The use case is practical. People increasingly bring health questions, financial planning, relationship issues, and work drafts to ChatGPT, often on phones and laptops that partners, children, or coworkers can pick up. Locked chats address that specific risk: someone glancing at an open screen or scrolling through chat history.
How To Lock A Conversation In ChatGPT
To lock a conversation, users open the chat’s more options menu (•••) and select Lock chat. Locked chats then open with the 4-digit account PIN. On supported devices, Face ID, Touch ID, or other device unlock methods work as well.
Not every conversation can be locked. The option is unavailable for temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats created from a shared link, chats with scheduled tasks, and chats containing meeting recordings. Codex, local Work, and ChatGPT for Healthcare conversations cannot be locked either. Voice works inside locked chats on mobile but not on desktop.
Is ChatGPT Private Once A Chat Is Locked
Locking a chat changes who can see it on a device, not how OpenAI stores or handles it. OpenAI states that locked chats do not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault. Locking also does not change how long a chat is retained, does not remove anything ChatGPT remembered before the chat was locked, and does not change the “Improve the model for everyone” setting.
That distinction is the key detail for anyone weighing ChatGPT privacy. Locked chats protect against people with access to the user’s device or account screen. They are not a substitute for the data controls that govern retention and training, which users still manage separately in their settings. For ChatGPT Business accounts, OpenAI says workspace policies and retention settings also remain unchanged.
Locked Chats Keep A Separate Memory
ChatGPT memory works differently inside the locked section. When Memory is enabled, locked chats have their own separate memory that is shared across conversations within that section. New messages sent in locked chats do not update the memory used in regular chats, so details shared privately do not resurface in everyday conversations.
This design closes a gap that a simple lock would have left open. Without separate memory, a detail mentioned in a locked conversation could have shaped a later answer in a regular chat that someone else might see.
How Locked Chats Differ From ChatGPT Temporary Chat
ChatGPT temporary chat and locked chats solve different problems. A temporary chat runs as a separate session that does not appear in chat history at all, which suits one-off questions a user does not want saved. Locked chats are saved conversations that users can return to at any time, just hidden behind authentication.
The tradeoff is permanence. Because resetting the PIN permanently deletes all content protected by it, and deleted locked chats cannot be recovered, users who lock important conversations need to keep track of their PIN.
The launch fits a broader push to protect consumers on digital platforms, from personal privacy tools like this one to a proposed federal rule targeting impersonation scams on digital platforms. For ChatGPT users, locked chats add a layer of control over who sees their conversations, while leaving OpenAI’s data practices unchanged.
FAQs
What Is The Purpose Of Locked Chats?
Locked chats keep selected ChatGPT conversations out of regular chat history, pinned chats, and search, so other people with access to a device cannot easily see them. The conversations stay saved in the account and open with a PIN or device authentication.
How To Set Up Locked Chats?
Open the conversation’s more options menu (•••) and select Lock chat, then use the 4-digit account PIN to access it. On supported devices, Face ID, Touch ID, or other device unlock methods can also open locked chats.
How Do I Access Hidden Locked Chats?
Locked chats move to a dedicated locked section separate from regular chat history. Opening that section requires the 4-digit account PIN or supported device authentication.
Do Locked Chats Get Deleted?
No. Locked chats stay saved until the user unlocks or deletes them. However, resetting the account PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, files, and other content protected by the previous PIN, and deleted locked chats cannot be recovered.
Is ChatGPT Private When A Chat Is Locked?
Locked chats hide conversations from people who can see the user’s screen or device, but they are not end-to-end encrypted. Locking a chat does not change OpenAI’s retention or model-improvement settings for that conversation.
