ChatGPT Locked Chats: How to Lock One (and What It Won't Hide)

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ChatGPT Locked Chats key facts: lock a chat from the three-dot menu with a 4-digit PIN, Face ID or Touch ID on phones, not end-to-end encryption, resetting a forgotten PIN deletes locked chats

To lock a ChatGPT chat, open the chat's three-dot menu, select Lock chat, confirm, and set a 4-digit PIN; the conversation then moves to Projects > Locked chats and drops out of your regular history and search. It keeps a sensitive chat away from anyone looking at your screen, but it is not encryption, and if you ever reset a forgotten PIN, every locked chat is deleted for good.

What happened

OpenAI announced Locked Chats on Tuesday, October 20, at about 10:30 a.m. Pacific time, alongside a new help page that explains how the feature works. According to OpenAI's release notes, it is rolling out gradually on the web, in the iOS and Android apps, and in the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS and Windows. The help page lists Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu as eligible plans, while ChatGPT for Healthcare is left out.

OpenAI's pitch is about people nearby, not hackers. "Many users use ChatGPT in crowded spaces, like a bus or a subway platform," the company said, as quoted by PCMag, which compared the idea to WhatsApp's Chat Lock. Android Authority spotted the feature in the code of ChatGPT's Android app in August, and TechCrunch noted on Tuesday that it may not be live for everyone yet.

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How to lock a chat in ChatGPT (step by step)

These steps follow OpenAI's help page. If you don't see the option, the rollout simply hasn't reached your account yet.

  1. Open the chat you want to hide. On desktop, use the web or the new ChatGPT app for macOS or Windows.
  2. Open the more options menu. Tap or click the three dots (•••) for that chat.
  3. Select Lock chat, then select Lock chat again to confirm.
  4. Create your PIN. The first time, ChatGPT asks you to choose a 4-digit account PIN and enter it twice. The same PIN works on every device signed in to that OpenAI account.
  5. Turn on Face ID, Touch ID or device unlock (optional). On iOS, switch on Use Face ID or Use Touch ID in Account PIN settings; on Android, choose Use device unlock when prompted. This is set separately on each phone.
  6. Find it later in Projects > Locked chats, and tap Lock now when you're done so the titles hide again.

Once you've locked one chat, you can start brand-new conversations directly inside Projects > Locked chats, and they never touch your regular history. On the web, access ends when you refresh or close the tab, and on phones it ends after about a minute away.

What locked chats don't hide

This is the part most people will miss. OpenAI's help page is clear that a locked chat changes where a conversation appears, not how it is stored.

  • No new encryption: Locking does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault.
  • Same retention and training settings: It doesn't change how long OpenAI keeps the chat or your "Improve the model for everyone" choice.
  • Old memories stay: Anything ChatGPT remembered before you locked the chat is not removed. New details from locked chats stay inside the locked area and don't flow into regular chats.
  • Shared links keep working: If the chat already had a share link, the earlier content stays visible until you delete that link yourself.
  • Other screens may lag: Devices where ChatGPT is already open can keep showing the chat title until their list refreshes, so check them before sharing your screen.
  • Work accounts: In Enterprise and Edu workspaces, locked chats still appear in compliance logs, and admins can't unlock them or reset your PIN.

The one mistake to avoid: losing your PIN

Forgetting your PIN doesn't delete anything on its own, but the only fix is a reset, and a reset permanently wipes all locked chats, the memories stored only with them and files protected only by the old PIN. OpenAI says its support team can't recover them. If you know your current PIN, changing it is safe: go to Settings, then Security and login, then Account PIN, and choose Change. Store the PIN somewhere safe, such as a password manager, before you lock anything important.

While you're in Security and login, it's worth turning on multi-factor authentication too, the same step we suggested in our guide to the California subpoena of OpenAI. A PIN only covers people who can see your screen. It does nothing if someone steals your password.

Quick answers

Can I lock a temporary chat?

No. Temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats created from a shared link, chats with scheduled tasks and chats with meeting recordings can't be locked. Delete a chat's scheduled tasks first if you want to lock it.

Locked chat or temporary chat: which should I use?

Use temporary chat when you don't want the conversation saved or used for training. Use a locked chat when you want to keep it and come back later, behind a PIN.

Does voice work in locked chats?

Yes on the web and in the iOS and Android apps, but not in the desktop app. That includes the newer ChatGPT voices we covered in our GPT-Live-1.1 explainer.

What's next

The rollout is gradual, so check the three-dot menu again over the next few days if Lock chat is missing. You can't search across locked chats or archive, pin, move or share them; you have to unlock a chat permanently first. For a wider look at keeping AI accounts safe, our report on the OpenCode breach and exposed API keys walks through what to rotate and why.

FAQ

How do I lock a chat in ChatGPT?

Open the chat's more options menu (the three dots), select Lock chat, confirm, then create or enter your 4-digit account PIN. The chat moves to Projects > Locked chats and disappears from regular history and search.

What happens if I forget my ChatGPT PIN?

Forgetting the PIN does not delete anything by itself, but resetting it permanently deletes all locked chats, memories stored only in them and files protected only by the old PIN. OpenAI Support cannot recover them.

Are ChatGPT locked chats encrypted?

Not in any new way. OpenAI says locking a chat does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault, and it does not change how long OpenAI keeps the chat.

Is ChatGPT Lock chat available on the free plan?

Yes. OpenAI lists Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu. It is rolling out gradually, so the option may not appear for every account yet. It is not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare.

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