On October 20, 2026, OpenAI introduced Locked chats in ChatGPT, a feature that protects individual conversations with a four-digit PIN or biometrics on supported devices. Locked chats disappear from the regular history and search but remain in the account. This is useful for people who use ChatGPT on a shared computer, share their screen with colleagues, or keep work discussions that should not be visible to others.
Key Takeaways
- On October 20, OpenAI began a gradual rollout of Locked chats for Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu users.
- Protected conversations can be opened with a four-digit PIN; on iOS, Face ID or Touch ID is available, while Android supports compatible device unlocking methods.
- Locked chats do not appear in the regular history, pinned conversations, or standard search.
- Locked chats do not provide end-to-end encryption or change data retention settings or how data is used to improve models.
- You can change a known PIN without losing data. Resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes all protected chats and data accessible only through them.
- In enterprise accounts, PIN protection does not override organizational policies or access through the designated compliance tools.
How Locked Chats Work in ChatGPT
Locked chats lets you keep a conversation in your account while removing it from ChatGPT’s regular lists. Once locked, the chat’s title and contents no longer appear in the standard history, among pinned conversations, or in ordinary search results.
Protected conversations can be found under Projects → Locked chats. To open one, you need to enter your account PIN or use a supported device authentication method.
The PIN consists of four digits and is tied to the OpenAI account. The same code is used on supported devices where the user is signed in to that account.
On an iPhone, you can additionally enable Face ID or Touch ID; on Android, you can use an available device unlocking method. Biometrics are optional: you can continue entering the PIN manually.
Importantly, locking a conversation does not delete it. The message history is preserved, and you can return the chat to the regular list using the Unlock chat command.
Who Can Use Locked Chats?
According to OpenAI’s official notes from October 20, Locked chats is gradually rolling out to Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu users.
The feature is supported in the ChatGPT web version, the iOS and Android apps, and the new desktop application for macOS and Windows.
This is a phased rollout. If you do not yet see Lock chat in a conversation’s menu, the feature might not be available for that specific account or chat type.
OpenAI has not published a separate country-by-country availability schedule. It would therefore be inaccurate to claim that all users in Ukraine received Locked chats at the same time.
Certain products and modes have separate restrictions: for example, locking is not supported for Codex conversations, local Work conversations, or ChatGPT for Healthcare.
How to Lock a Chat in ChatGPT
To set it up for the first time, simply open an existing conversation that supports locking.
- Open the chat you want in ChatGPT.
- Click the three-dot menu next to the conversation.
- Select Lock chat and confirm the action.
- Create a four-digit PIN if this is your first time.
- Enter the code again to confirm it.
The chat will then move to Projects → Locked chats. From then on, you can open that section and create new protected conversations directly, without first moving them from the regular history.
To return a conversation to the regular history, open it in the protected section and select Unlock chat from the menu.
When Does ChatGPT Ask for the PIN Again?
After you enter the PIN, access to protected chats is granted temporarily. The behavior depends on the device.
- Web version. Access applies to a specific browser tab. Refreshing or closing the tab ends the access session.
- Desktop application. Protected chats are automatically locked after the user leaves the relevant window.
- iOS and Android. Access ends after one minute spent outside a protected chat or the Locked chats section, including when the app is in the background.
You can also select Lock now manually to end access immediately and hide conversation titles.
There is one caveat: if ChatGPT is already open on another device, the title of a locked chat may remain visible until the conversation list refreshes. On iOS, previously loaded content may also remain on screen temporarily until the app refreshes.
What Happens to Files and ChatGPT Memory?
Locked chats protects more than the conversation text. Files uploaded or created directly in a locked chat also become inaccessible from the regular file space and other conversations.
However, files added from other sources or connected services retain their own access rules. Locking a conversation does not change permissions in Google Drive or another external storage service.
Memory follows separate rules. Information that ChatGPT remembered before a conversation was locked is not automatically deleted. If memory is enabled, new information from protected chats may be used in other protected chats but is not carried over into regular conversations.
This matters for users who discuss business strategies, financial matters, or internal documents in ChatGPT. A PIN restricts access to a specific conversation, but it does not replace reviewing memory settings and file permissions.
Locked Chats Is Not End-to-End Encryption
OpenAI explicitly states that Locked chats does not create a separate encrypted vault or provide end-to-end encryption for conversations.
The feature also does not change chat retention periods or the Improve the model for everyone setting, which determines whether eligible conversations are used to improve models.
PIN protection should therefore not be confused with Temporary Chat. Temporary chats are designed for conversations that do not need to be stored in regular history or used to improve models. Locked chats, by contrast, allows a conversation to be retained while limiting its visibility.
UAGEEK also has a separate overview of ChatGPT features, as well as an article about advertising in ChatGPT and the principles governing advertisers’ access to data. Locked chats does not change an account’s advertising settings or give advertisers access to conversation content.
What Happens If You Forget Your PIN?
This is the new feature’s most important limitation. OpenAI distinguishes between changing a PIN you know and resetting a forgotten code.
Changing Your PIN Without Deleting Chats
If you remember your current code, you can change it under Settings → Security and login → Account PIN → Change PIN. To confirm, enter your previous PIN and then create a new one.
In this scenario, locked conversations and files are preserved.
Resetting a Forgotten PIN Deletes Data
If you forget the code, you can use the Reset PIN procedure. But the consequences are much more serious: OpenAI permanently deletes all locked chats, memories stored only in those chats, as well as files and other content protected by the previous PIN.
This deletion cannot be undone. OpenAI Support cannot recover the lost data.
Simply forgetting your PIN, however, does not automatically delete anything. The irreversible action occurs only after you confirm the reset procedure.
Before using Locked chats, you should therefore make sure your PIN is stored securely and avoid treating the protected section as the only place to store critically important work files.
Which Conversations Cannot Be Locked?
OpenAI has imposed restrictions on certain types of conversations. In particular, Lock chat is unavailable for:
- temporary and archived chats;
- group conversations;
- chats created from a shared link;
- conversations with scheduled tasks;
- chats with meeting recordings or background tasks;
- certain conversations associated with project sources;
- unsupported ChatGPT modes and products.
If a chat already has a shared link, locking it does not remove content previously published through that link. You must delete the link separately to revoke access.
This is particularly important for teams using ChatGPT for collaboration: PIN protection does not revoke access previously granted through other mechanisms.
Can Company Administrators View Locked Chats?
On enterprise plans, Locked chats does not change an organization’s rules governing data retention, compliance, or access to work information.
A workspace administrator cannot simply open a locked chat through the user interface or reset an employee’s personal PIN.
For Enterprise and Edu, however, relevant messages from protected conversations remain accessible through the designated OpenAI Compliance Platform tools in accordance with organizational policies.
In other words, Locked chats helps hide conversations from casual viewing, but it does not turn an enterprise chat into a private vault exempt from established compliance procedures.
Who Will Benefit from the New Feature?
Locked chats is most useful when you want to keep your AI work history but hide it from casual access. Examples include screen sharing, using a shared device, or working on several projects in one account.
For marketing teams, this can be convenient when discussing ad strategies, preparing financial calculations, working on draft commercial proposals, and handling internal materials.
But the confidentiality of such data depends on more than a PIN. You should also manage shared links, access to connected services, memory settings, and data retention policies.
The key takeaway: Locked chats is a useful additional layer of protection within the ChatGPT interface, not a universal encryption tool. And before you lock a conversation for the first time, remember this rule: changing a known PIN is safe; resetting a forgotten one means losing protected data.
Sources for Verification
Sources for Verification
OpenAI Help Center — Using locked chats in ChatGPT. Main documentation covering how the feature works, supported platforms, PIN setup, biometrics, files, memory, limitations, and the consequences of resetting the code.
Official Locked chats guide
OpenAI Help Center — ChatGPT Release Notes. October 20 announcement and confirmation of the phased rollout for Free, Go, Plus, and Pro.
ChatGPT release notes
OpenAI Help Center — ChatGPT Business Release Notes. Confirmation of Locked chats availability for Business and the continued application of enterprise data retention policies.
ChatGPT Business updates
OpenAI Help Center — ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu Release Notes. Confirmation of the rollout for Enterprise and Edu and details of access through the OpenAI Compliance Platform.
Enterprise and Edu updates
OpenAI Help Center — Using Library to manage files in ChatGPT. Rules for accessing files in locked chats and the irreversible deletion of protected files after a PIN reset.
Managing ChatGPT files
