In this guide:
- What Is ChatGPT Locked Chats?
- How to Lock Chats in ChatGPT
- Before You Lock Anything: The PIN Reset Warning
- How to Open, Unlock, Rename or Delete a Locked Chat
- Locked Chat vs Temporary Chat vs Archive: What's the Difference?
- "Lock Chat" Not Showing Up? Troubleshooting
- The Privacy Truth: What Locking Does NOT Do
- Who Gets ChatGPT Locked Chats?
- Frequently Asked Questions
OpenAI shipped one of ChatGPT's most requested privacy features on October 20, 2026: ChatGPT Locked Chats. You can now hide any individual conversation behind a 4-digit PIN — or Face ID / Touch ID on your phone — so it vanishes from your regular history, pinned chats, and search, and opens only after you authenticate.
It is genuinely useful if you share a device or keep sensitive work in ChatGPT. But one warning in OpenAI's help page is buried by most coverage: if you forget your PIN and reset it, every locked chat is deleted permanently — and OpenAI Support cannot get them back. This guide covers how to lock chats on web, iOS, Android and desktop, how the PIN works, and what locking does not protect. (Dealing with a ChatGPT error instead? Here is how to fix the ChatGPT "Model Not Found" error.)
Update: October 28, 2026. OpenAI's help article for locked chats still describes the same feature: a gradual rollout (Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu; not Healthcare), a 4-digit account PIN with Face ID, Touch ID, or device unlock on supported mobile devices, and locked chats kept under Projects, then Locked chats. Re-checked against OpenAI's official locked-chats help article: everything below is still current. The reset warning stands exactly as written — resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, locked-only memories and PIN-protected files, and OpenAI Support cannot recover them. Changing your PIN while you know the current one keeps everything. The steps and warnings in this guide were re-checked against OpenAI's help article on October 28, 2026, and no changes were needed.
What Is ChatGPT Locked Chats?
Locked Chats is an account-level lock for individual conversations. A locked chat stays saved in your account but is hidden from regular history, pinned chats, and search. Locked chats live in their own home: Projects > Locked chats. To open it, enter your 4-digit account PIN — the same PIN works across all your signed-in devices — or use Face ID, Touch ID, or device unlock on mobile.
Files get the same protection: files uploaded or created inside a locked chat open only inside that chat and stay hidden from Space and its search. Locked chats also keep a separate memory pool (see privacy below).
How to Lock Chats in ChatGPT
The lock starts from the same menu everywhere, but PIN settings, biometrics, and auto-relock rules differ by platform:
On web and the desktop app
- Find the chat in your sidebar.
- Open the ••• (more options) menu next to the chat.
- Select Lock chat.
- Select Lock chat again to confirm.
- First time only: create a 4-digit account PIN and enter it twice to confirm. Otherwise, just enter your existing PIN.
The chat leaves your regular history and search. One web quirk: it can stay open in the tab where you locked it, but access ends when you refresh or close that tab.
On iOS (iPhone and iPad)
- Open the chat's ••• menu.
- Tap Lock chat, then confirm.
- Create or enter your account PIN.
- Optional: enable Use Face ID or Use Touch ID in Account PIN settings to skip typing the PIN.
Access ends after 1 minute away from the locked area, or 1 minute in the background. Lock now ends it instantly and hides titles in the sidebar.
On Android
- Open the chat's ••• menu.
- Tap Lock chat, then confirm.
- Create or enter your account PIN.
- Optional: select Use device unlock when prompted.
The same 1-minute rule applies — and screenshots of locked chats come out blank or black by design (see troubleshooting). After locking once, you can also start new chats inside the locked area: Projects > Locked chats, enter your PIN, type your first message. They never enter regular history or search.
⚠️ Before You Lock Anything: The PIN Reset Warning
Forgetting your PIN, by itself, deletes nothing. The danger is the reset. Resetting the PIN (Settings > Security and login > Account PIN > Reset) permanently deletes all of your locked chats, information remembered only within locked chats, and every file protected only by the old PIN — including files uploaded before or after locking. In OpenAI's own words: "This cannot be undone, and OpenAI Support cannot recover the deleted content." A workspace admin cannot reset your PIN or unlock your chats either.
The safe alternative: if you still know the PIN, change it instead of resetting it — changing keeps everything. Go to Settings > Security and login > Account PIN, choose Change (web/desktop) or Change PIN (iOS/Android), enter the current PIN (required even with biometrics), then set the new one.
One more trap: too many wrong PIN attempts temporarily disables access until the retry period ends — stop guessing.
How to Open, Unlock, Rename or Delete a Locked Chat
- Open: Projects > Locked chats, enter PIN/biometrics, select the chat. Access is temporary (see relock rules above).
- Permanently unlock: open the locked chat, tap ••• > Unlock chat (just Unlock on iOS), and confirm. The chat returns to regular history — not to its original project.
- Rename: ••• > Rename. Delete: ••• > Delete and confirm — deletion is unrecoverable.
While locked, you cannot archive, pin, move, or share a chat — unlock it first. Anyone who can open it can still copy its contents out.
Locked Chat vs Temporary Chat vs Archive: What's the Difference?
| Locked Chat | Temporary Chat | Archived Chat | Deleted Chat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saved in your account | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Visible in regular history | No — hidden behind PIN | No | No — moved to archive | No |
| Protected by PIN/biometrics | Yes | No | No | — |
| Creates its own memories | Yes — separate locked-chats pool | No | Normal settings apply | — |
| Used for model improvement | Follows your existing setting | No, while temporary | Follows your existing setting | — |
| Can be recovered later | Yes, with the PIN | No | Yes — unarchive anytime | No — gone for good |
Use a Temporary Chat to leave no trace; use a Locked Chat to keep a conversation hidden behind a PIN. Archive just tidies up — it protects nothing.
"Lock Chat" Not Showing Up? Troubleshooting
- It's a gradual rollout. OpenAI says so in its help article: if Lock chat isn't in an eligible chat's ••• menu, the feature hasn't reached your account yet. Update the app and check again in a few days.
- Some chats can't be locked at all: temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats created from a shared link, chats with meeting recordings, chats tied to background tasks, and Codex or local Work conversations.
- Chats with scheduled tasks need cleanup first: delete the tasks — including paused ones — before locking. A locked chat can't create or update scheduled tasks.
- Wrong-PIN lockout: too many wrong attempts temporarily disables access — wait out the retry period instead of resetting.
- Blank or black Android screenshots of locked chats are by design, not a bug.
- A locked chat's title can linger on another device that already had ChatGPT open, until its list refreshes.
- On desktop, Locked Chats needs the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS or Windows.
The Privacy Truth: What Locking Does NOT Do
Be clear-eyed: locking does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault — OpenAI's own wording. It doesn't change how long OpenAI retains the chat, doesn't change your "Improve the model for everyone" setting, and doesn't override workspace policies or legal obligations. On Enterprise and Edu plans, locked chats are still included in conversation logs on the OpenAI Compliance Platform.
Two things most guides miss. First, shared links survive locking: a link created before locking stays accessible (new messages sent while locked aren't added to it) — delete it separately if you want it gone. Second, memory is split, not erased: locked chats can use relevant information from your regular Memory, but what's remembered inside them forms a separate pool that doesn't carry into regular chats — and locking doesn't remove what was remembered before. If ads are available on your account, they may appear in locked chats too.
Who Gets ChatGPT Locked Chats?
Locked Chats is available on the Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans — not on ChatGPT for Healthcare. It works on the web, iOS, Android, and the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS or Windows. Voice works inside locked chats on web, iOS, and Android where available, but not in the desktop app. The rollout is gradual, so not seeing it yet is normal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I forget my ChatGPT PIN?
Forgetting the PIN by itself deletes nothing. But resetting it permanently deletes all locked chats, locked-only memories, and PIN-protected files — and OpenAI Support cannot recover them. If you still know your current PIN, change it instead: changing deletes nothing.
Are ChatGPT locked chats end-to-end encrypted?
No. Locking hides a chat behind a PIN or biometrics, but OpenAI states it does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault.
Why don't I see the "Lock chat" option?
It's rolling out gradually, so it may not have reached your account yet — update the app and check again in a few days. Some chats also can't be locked: temporary, archived, group, shared-link, and scheduled-task chats, plus Codex conversations.
Can I change my PIN without losing my locked chats?
Yes. Settings > Security and login > Account PIN > Change. Enter your current PIN (even if you use Face ID), then set a new one. Changing keeps everything; only resetting deletes locked chats.
Does locking a chat delete a link I already shared?
No. A share link created before locking stays accessible, and messages sent while the chat is locked are not added to it. Delete the link separately if you want it gone.
Do locked chats use my regular ChatGPT memory?
Partly. Locked chats can use relevant information from regular Memory, but anything remembered inside them stays in a separate pool that does not carry into regular chats, and locking does not erase earlier memories.
Set a PIN you won't forget, and think twice before touching Reset. If your Codex quota seems to drain too fast as well, learn how to check your Codex usage limit and spot a false cap. For more AI coverage, see our guide to fixing DeepSeek not working — server busy, login and API errors. Gamers, see our Modern Warfare 4 TPM 2.0 & Secure Boot fix.