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ChatGPT’s Lock chat feature hides a saved conversation from normal history, pinned chats, and regular search. To lock an eligible chat, open its ••• menu, choose Lock chat, confirm, and create or enter your four-digit account PIN. To view it later, go to Projects > Locked chats and authenticate. To return it permanently to ordinary history, open the conversation, choose Unlock chat (or Unlock on iOS), and confirm.
Locked chats are not an encrypted vault and the feature is still rolling out. Menu labels, availability, and which conversations qualify can differ by account, device, workspace, and platform.
What does locking a ChatGPT chat do?
Locking keeps the conversation in your account while removing it from the places where you normally browse chats. OpenAI describes the feature as hiding selected conversations from regular chat history, pinned chats, and regular conversation search. The chat remains saved and can be reopened after authentication from Projects > Locked chats.
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The feature is gradually rolling out on the web, iOS, Android, and the new ChatGPT desktop apps for macOS and Windows. If your menu does not contain Lock chat, your account may not have received the rollout or that conversation may not be eligible.
See OpenAI’s current documentation for account-specific changes: Using locked chats in ChatGPT.
How do I lock a ChatGPT conversation?
Use the same basic menu on web, desktop, iOS, and Android. The exact position of the menu can vary, but it is the conversation’s ••• more-options control.
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- Open the conversation’s ••• menu. On a narrow mobile screen, you may need to tap the chat title or the menu button at the top of the conversation.
- Select Lock chat.
- Select Lock chat again when ChatGPT asks you to confirm.
- Create or enter the account PIN. The first setup asks for a four-digit PIN and a confirmation of that PIN.
After confirmation, the chat moves to Locked chats. Its title and contents are removed from regular history and regular conversation search. Search indexes and chat lists may take time to refresh, so an old result can briefly remain visible.
What should I check immediately after locking?
- Refresh the chat list on other devices where ChatGPT is open.
- Close or protect any tab that still has the conversation open. On the web, the current tab can remain on the chat after you lock it.
- On iOS, previously loaded content can remain visible in the app until the list refreshes.
- Do not share your screen until every open device and tab has updated.
These temporary displays do not mean the lock failed; they are stale views of content that was already loaded. The official behavior and refresh caveats are documented in OpenAI’s locked-chat help article.
How do I open a locked chat?
Opening gives you temporary access; it does not permanently unlock the conversation or return it to ordinary history.
- In ChatGPT, open Projects.
- Select Locked chats.
- Authenticate with your account PIN or a supported device-authentication method.
- Select the conversation you want to read or continue.
Locked conversations do not appear in regular conversation search, and ChatGPT does not provide a search-across-all-locked-chats function. On iOS, an in-chat Find option may be available after you open a locked conversation.
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When does temporary access end?
| Platform | Automatic relock behavior |
|---|---|
| Web | Access is scoped to the browser tab where you authenticated. It ends when you are away and the chat relocks; refreshing the page or closing the tab also ends access. |
| Desktop app | Access is scoped to the desktop app window where authentication occurred and relocks after time away. |
| iOS and Android | Access ends after one minute away from a locked chat or the Locked chats area, or after one minute with the app in the background. |
Use Lock now when you want to end an active session immediately. The timing and scope can change as OpenAI rolls out the feature, so check the help article linked above if your client behaves differently.
How do I permanently unlock a chat?
Unlocking is a separate action from opening. It moves the conversation back into regular history.
- Open Projects > Locked chats and authenticate.
- Open the conversation you want to return to normal history.
- Open its ••• more-options menu.
- Select Unlock chat. On iOS, the label is Unlock.
- Confirm the unlock request.
The chat can take a while to reappear in regular search. If it originally came from a project, unlocking returns it to regular history rather than to that project. Files protected with the chat become visible in Space again. The conversation may also become eligible for regular Memory, subject to your settings and workspace policies.
What happens to Memory after unlocking?
Locking does not erase information that was already in regular Memory. While a chat is locked, it can use relevant regular Memory when that feature is enabled, and new information can be remembered for other locked chats. Information remembered only within locked chats does not carry into regular chats. After permanent unlock, the conversation may be used for regular Memory according to your settings and applicable workspace rules.
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Is a locked chat available on every ChatGPT plan and device?
OpenAI lists the following plans as supported while the rollout continues. Availability still depends on whether the feature has reached your account.
| Area | Documented availability or restriction |
|---|---|
| Plans | Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu are listed as available. |
| Unsupported service | ChatGPT for Healthcare is not supported. |
| Web and mobile | Gradual rollout on the web, iOS, and Android apps. |
| Desktop | Use the new ChatGPT app for macOS or Windows. Eligible cloud conversations in Chat or Work mode can be locked. |
| Desktop exclusions | Codex conversations and local Work conversations cannot be locked. |
| Voice | Voice in locked chats is available on the web and iOS/Android where Voice is available to the account; it is not available in the desktop app. |
OpenAI’s ChatGPT release notes and Enterprise and Edu release notes provide rollout context, but neither can determine whether your individual account has the control yet.
Which conversations cannot be locked?
The lock control is absent for several conversation types. A missing menu item can therefore indicate ineligibility rather than a rollout problem.
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- Temporary chats
- Archived chats
- Group chats
- Chats in the earlier Health experience
- Chats created from shared links
- Chats with scheduled tasks
- Chats with meeting recordings
- Chats associated with background tasks
- Chats with responses saved as project sources
Project-chat eligibility varies by platform. A cloud Chat or Work conversation in the supported desktop app may qualify even when a local Work conversation does not. OpenAI’s guide to finding chats, projects, and files explains the navigation areas, while the locked-chat article lists the current exclusions.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat does the account PIN protect, and what happens if I forget it?
The PIN belongs to your OpenAI account, not to one workspace or one device. The same PIN works on supported devices when you are signed into that account. Face ID or Touch ID on iOS and device unlock on Android are optional, per-device conveniences; the account PIN remains the fallback.
Changing a known PIN
If you know the current PIN, changing it preserves your locked chats and protected content. Follow the PIN controls shown in the Locked chats area and verify the new four-digit value on each device where you use an optional biometric unlock.
Resetting a forgotten PIN
Resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, information remembered only inside them, and files or other content protected only by the previous PIN. The deletion cannot be reversed. OpenAI Support cannot recover that content, and a workspace administrator cannot reset the PIN or unlock your chats.
Too many incorrect attempts temporarily disable access until the retry period ends. Do not keep guessing if the content is important; wait for the retry period or use the documented reset flow only when you accept the permanent deletion consequence.
Does locking encrypt a chat or change ChatGPT privacy settings?
No. Locking hides a saved chat from ordinary navigation but does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault. It also does not change retention, the model-improvement setting, or information that was remembered before locking.
Workspace and compliance boundaries
Workspace policies, safety requirements, and legal obligations still apply. In Enterprise and Edu, locked messages remain in conversation logs available through the OpenAI Compliance Platform. Administrators cannot unlock chats, reset the account PIN, disable locked chats through a workspace setting, or control the feature through an RBAC permission.
Files, connected sources, and Space
Files uploaded or created in a locked chat are protected with that chat. Files that were already added to Space from elsewhere keep their existing access rules, as do files from connected sources. Unlocking makes files protected with the chat visible in Space again.
Shared links
Locking does not delete an existing shared link. Content that was already shared remains available through that link, although new messages sent while the chat is locked are not added to the shared content. If the link should no longer work, delete the shared link separately. A conversation created from a shared link cannot be locked.
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Should I use Locked chats or Temporary chat?
Choose Locked chat when you want to keep the conversation saved but out of normal history, with PIN-gated access. Choose Temporary chat when the conversation is meant to stay out of history and not be used to improve models while it is temporary.
| Decision point | Locked chat | Temporary chat |
|---|---|---|
| Saved for later | Yes; it remains in your account under Locked chats. | Designed for a conversation that stays out of history. |
| Access control | Account PIN or supported device authentication is required to open it. | Does not use the locked-chat PIN workflow. |
| Regular Memory | Can use existing regular Memory when enabled; locked-only information stays within locked chats until the chat is unlocked. | Does not create or update memories. |
| Model-improvement behavior | Follows your existing model-improvement setting. | Not used to improve models while the chat is temporary, according to OpenAI’s description. |
| Can it itself be locked? | Already uses the locked-chat feature. | No; temporary chats cannot be locked. |
These are different privacy choices rather than two levels of the same control. Select the one that matches whether you need a saved, retrievable conversation or a conversation intentionally kept out of history.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why is “Lock chat” missing, and how can I troubleshoot it?
The feature has not reached the account
Because rollout is gradual, an eligible plan can still lack the control. Update the ChatGPT app, sign out and back in, and check the web and mobile clients separately. If the option is absent everywhere, wait for the account rollout rather than trying to reproduce it with an unsupported privacy tool.
The conversation is excluded
Check whether the chat is temporary, archived, a group conversation, created from a shared link, tied to a scheduled task, meeting recording, background task, or project source. Those types do not show the lock control under the documented rules.
The chat still appears after locking
Refresh regular history and search, then close stale tabs and refresh other signed-in devices. A web tab can keep the chat open after the action, and iOS can retain content that was already loaded. Confirm the chat appears under Projects > Locked chats before sharing the screen.
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Authentication keeps failing
Use the four-digit account PIN rather than a workspace password. On iOS or Android, try the account PIN if biometric or device authentication is unavailable. Repeated incorrect attempts can trigger a temporary lockout; wait for the retry period instead of repeatedly submitting guesses.
The chat disappeared after a PIN reset
That is expected if you used the forgotten-PIN reset flow: OpenAI states that reset permanently deletes locked chats and content protected only by the old PIN. Neither Support nor a workspace administrator can restore it.
What should I know before locking a sensitive conversation?
- Locking hides the chat from ordinary lists and search; it does not make the data unreadable to OpenAI’s service or exempt it from workspace compliance logging.
- Check existing shared links separately because locking leaves them active.
- Review files in Space and connected sources, which can have access rules independent of the chat lock.
- Remember that regular Memory can still be used when enabled, so locking is not a guarantee that no related information exists outside the conversation.
- Make sure you can retain the account PIN. A forgotten-PIN reset is destructive, not a recovery method.
- Use Lock now and close other tabs when you need to end access immediately.
For the latest labels and eligibility details, consult Using locked chats in ChatGPT. OpenAI can change rollout status and interface wording as the feature expands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one account PIN unlock chats on multiple devices?
Yes. The PIN is tied to the OpenAI account, so it can be used on supported devices signed into that same account. Face ID, Touch ID, and Android device unlock are optional device-specific shortcuts rather than separate chat PINs.
Can I move an unlocked chat back into its original project?
No. OpenAI’s documented behavior returns an unlocked conversation to regular history, even when it originally came from a project. You would need to use the project’s normal organization controls afterward, if available.
Does opening a locked chat permanently remove the lock?
No. Authentication only grants temporary access in that tab, desktop window, or mobile session. The conversation remains in Locked chats until you explicitly choose Unlock chat or Unlock.
Can a shared link be used to lock a conversation?
No. Chats created from shared links are ineligible for locking. Locking an ordinary chat also does not revoke a shared link that already exists; that link must be deleted separately.
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