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ChatGPT’s Locked chats feature protects selected conversations with a 4-digit account PIN and, on supported phones, Face ID, Touch ID, or device unlock. To lock a conversation, open it, choose the ••• menu, select Lock chat, confirm, then create or enter your PIN. The chat moves to Projects > Locked chats and disappears from ordinary history and conversation search.
Locking is a privacy and access control, not an encrypted vault. It does not add end-to-end encryption, change retention, or undo information already saved to Memory. The most important recovery warning is that resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes every locked chat and any files or memories protected only by that PIN.
What does ChatGPT’s Locked chats feature protect?
Locked chats keep selected conversations in your account while removing their titles and contents from regular chat history, pinned chats, and ordinary conversation search. You open them through Projects > Locked chats and authenticate with the account PIN or an enabled device-authentication method.
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The protection changes where a conversation appears and how it is opened; it does not turn the conversation into an end-to-end-encrypted container. Your account’s retention rules and the Improve the model for everyone setting continue to apply as they did before locking.
What a lock hides
- The conversation title and contents are removed from regular history views.
- The chat is excluded from regular conversation search.
- The chat is kept in the Locked chats area until you authenticate.
- Access is temporary when you open the conversation; opening it does not permanently return it to ordinary history.
- Locked chats are separated from pinned chats and ordinary chat-management lists.
What a lock does not hide or change
- It does not provide end-to-end encryption.
- It does not change OpenAI’s retention behavior.
- It does not change whether your account is set to improve models using your conversations.
- It does not erase information that was already remembered before the chat was locked.
- Anyone who successfully opens the chat can still copy, photograph, or otherwise reproduce its contents.
- It does not revoke a shared link that you created earlier.
Think of Locked chats as an additional interface and authentication gate inside your signed-in account. It reduces casual discovery and limits who can open the selected conversation, but it is not a substitute for securing the account, the device, or information that has already been shared.
How do I lock an existing ChatGPT conversation?
Locking is done from the conversation itself. You create one account PIN for the Locked chats feature rather than a separate PIN for each conversation.
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- Open the ••• more-options menu.
- Select Lock chat.
- Select Lock chat again to confirm.
- Create a 4-digit account PIN, or enter the PIN you already use for Locked chats.
After confirmation, the conversation is placed under Projects > Locked chats. Verify the move by opening that area and checking that the conversation is listed there. A chat that still appears in ordinary history has not been safely verified as locked.
On the web, the current tab can continue showing the conversation immediately after you lock it, and another open device may show its old title until its list refreshes. That does not mean the lock failed, but it does create a screen-sharing risk. Use Lock now, refresh the page, or close the tab. Then check other open sessions before presenting or sharing your screen.
What happens to chat controls after locking?
While a conversation is locked, it cannot be archived, pinned, moved, or shared through ordinary controls. To work with those controls, you must first authenticate and use the conversation in its unlocked view. Locking also does not create a duplicate; the same conversation remains in your account’s Locked chats area.
How do I open a locked chat?
Go to Projects > Locked chats, authenticate with your PIN or an available device-authentication method, and select the conversation. The authentication grants temporary access; the chat remains a Locked chat rather than being restored to the ordinary history list.
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Opening a chat does not silently unlock every conversation. The authentication session is scoped to the authenticated tab or app window, and the relock behavior depends on your platform. When you finish, use Lock now instead of assuming that navigating elsewhere has closed the protected view.
How long does an unlocked view remain open?
Relocking is deliberately time-based on mobile and user-triggered on the web and desktop. Use the controls below whenever you finish reading sensitive material.
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| Platform | What ends the authenticated view | Immediate action |
|---|---|---|
| Web | The view can remain open in the current tab until you refresh or leave it. | Select Lock now, refresh, or close the tab. |
| Desktop app | Access is scoped to the authenticated app window. | Select Lock now or close the window. |
| iOS | Access ends after one minute away from the Locked chats area or after one minute in the background. | Select Lock now to end access immediately. |
| Android | Access ends after one minute away from the Locked chats area or after one minute in the background. | Select Lock now to end access immediately. |
On a shared or borrowed computer, do not rely on the browser tab closing itself. Lock immediately, refresh, and close the tab before handing the device to someone else. If another browser or device is signed in, refresh or close that session too, because an old conversation list can remain visible until it updates.
Can I use Face ID, Touch ID, or Android device unlock?
Yes, where the ChatGPT app and your device support it. Device authentication is optional, is configured separately on each device, and does not replace the account PIN. It is a convenience and an additional local gate, not a different account credential.
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- Open ChatGPT’s account PIN settings.
- Enable Use Face ID or Use Touch ID when the option is available.
- Authenticate with the device biometric prompt when opening a locked chat.
The account PIN remains available if biometric authentication is unavailable, disabled, or fails. Enabling Face ID or Touch ID on one Apple device does not automatically enable it on another. If you use several phones or tablets, configure the option on each one where you want biometric access.
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Choose Use device unlock when ChatGPT offers the option. The app then uses the phone’s configured unlock method. This setting applies only to that device, while the account PIN remains the fallback authentication method.
Device authentication does not change the PIN’s recovery rules. If you forget the account PIN, using a biometric prompt on one phone is not a safe reason to reset it on another device; a reset remains a destructive operation.
What happens if I forget the ChatGPT PIN?
There are two different actions: changing a known PIN and resetting a forgotten one. Changing the PIN requires the current PIN and keeps your locked content. Resetting it is a destructive recovery operation.
Changing a PIN you still know
Open the account PIN settings, choose the change option, provide the current PIN, and set a new 4-digit PIN. Existing Locked chats remain in place. Use a PIN you can reliably recall, and do not share it with someone who should not be able to open every locked conversation in the account.
Resetting a forgotten PIN
A reset permanently deletes all Locked chats, remembered information stored only within those chats, and files or other content protected only by the previous PIN. The deletion cannot be undone, and OpenAI Support cannot recover the removed content.
Resetting is therefore not equivalent to “forgot PIN” recovery on a typical website. It does not preserve the vault while replacing the credential. If you still have access on any device through the PIN or enabled device authentication, open the conversations and save anything you need before starting a reset. Make sure you understand that the reset affects every locked conversation, not just the one you were trying to open.
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- PRIMARY & SPARE KEYS: Just like having a spare house key, we recommend buying two YubiKeys - one for daily use and one as a spare. That way you’ll never get locked out of your accounts
Does locking a chat encrypt it?
No. Locked chats are designed to reduce casual discovery and require an additional authentication step; they are not an encrypted vault and do not provide end-to-end encryption.
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| Security question | What Locked chats do | What they do not do |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Removes selected chats from regular history, pinned chats, and regular search. | Does not erase the account’s stored conversation under normal retention rules. |
| Authentication | Requires the account PIN or supported device authentication to open the Locked chats area. | Does not replace account sign-in security. |
| Encryption | Adds an access gate in the ChatGPT interface. | Does not create end-to-end encryption. |
| Memory | Allows relevant regular Memory to be used when Memory is enabled. | Does not remove information remembered before the conversation was locked. |
| Model-improvement controls | Leaves your existing account setting in effect. | Does not automatically opt the conversation out of model improvement. |
If your requirement is that OpenAI should not use a conversation to improve models while you are using it, review the account setting or choose Temporary Chat where appropriate. Locking alone does not make that choice for you.
What happens to Memory, files, and shared links?
Memory behavior
When Memory is enabled, a locked conversation can use relevant regular Memory. New information remembered from a locked conversation remains available to other locked conversations, but it does not automatically carry into ordinary, unlocked chats. Information remembered before the lock is not removed by locking.
This means locking is not a memory boundary in both directions. It limits where newly remembered information is surfaced, but it does not retroactively scrub facts that were already stored. Review and manage Memory separately if an old fact should no longer be retained.
Files
Files uploaded or created inside a locked conversation are protected along with that conversation. A file added from elsewhere in Space keeps its existing access rules, so locking the chat does not retroactively change permissions inherited from another location. If a document is already available through another Space location, protect or remove it there as well.
Shared links
Locking a conversation does not delete an existing shared link or revoke content that was already shared. If a link is no longer appropriate, delete the shared link separately from the chat-locking action. Anyone who already received a copy, screenshot, or exported response may still possess that information after the link is removed.
Which ChatGPT plans and conversations support Locked chats?
OpenAI lists Locked chats for Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts. Healthcare is excluded from the listed availability, and Codex conversations cannot be locked. The feature is still rolling out, so the menu may not appear immediately for every eligible account, region, workspace, or app version.
If Lock chat is missing, update the ChatGPT app, confirm that you are in a supported account type, and check again after signing out and back in. Do not assume that a missing control means the conversation is protected; verify that it appears under Projects > Locked chats. A workspace administrator’s policies or a conversation type that is excluded from the feature can also explain why the option is absent.
Should I use Locked chats or Temporary Chat?
Choose based on whether you need to keep the conversation. Locked chats are for saving a conversation while restricting how it is found and opened. Temporary Chat is for a conversation you want kept out of history and not used to improve OpenAI models while it is temporary; Temporary Chat does not create or update memories.
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| Consideration | Locked chats | Temporary Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Saved for later | Yes; the conversation stays in your account behind the lock. | Designed for temporary use rather than a saved, lockable record. |
| Regular history and search | Removed from regular history, pinned chats, and regular conversation search. | Kept out of history while temporary. |
| Authentication | 4-digit account PIN, with optional Face ID, Touch ID, or Android device unlock. | No Locked chats PIN; it remains a separate chat mode. |
| Memory | Can use relevant regular Memory; new memories from locked chats remain available to other locked chats. | Does not create or update memories. |
| Model improvement | Your account’s existing Improve the model for everyone setting still applies. | Not used to improve OpenAI models while the chat is temporary. |
| Can it be locked? | Already protected by the Locked chats controls. | A Temporary Chat cannot be locked while it remains temporary. |
Use Temporary Chat when the absence of a lasting record matters more than returning to the conversation later. Use Locked chats when you need continuity, files, or a saved record but want an explicit access step and less visibility in ordinary lists.
How should I protect the ChatGPT account around Locked chats?
Locked chats add a second gate inside an already signed-in account. They should supplement, not replace, account-level security.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on the OpenAI account.
- Review active sessions and end sessions you no longer recognize or need.
- Use a hardware-backed security key for phishing-resistant sign-in where available. OpenAI’s account-security guidance also identifies an OpenAI and Yubico YubiKey bundle for eligible users; availability, pricing, and regional eligibility can change.
- Keep the account PIN private and avoid entering it while someone can watch your screen.
- Use a strong device passcode, because device authentication is only as strong as the device’s own unlock protection.
- Lock the chat before screen sharing, presenting, or lending a device.
A security key protects account sign-in. It does not replace the Locked chats PIN or the optional device-authentication setting. MFA is particularly important because someone who obtains your account password would still need the second factor to sign in, while the Locked chats PIN adds a separate gate after sign-in.
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The old title is still visible
On the web, an already-open tab or another device may not have refreshed its conversation list. Use Lock now, refresh every open session, or close the tabs before assuming the title has been removed everywhere. Avoid sharing a screen until you have checked the browser windows and other signed-in devices you control.
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Confirm that Face ID, Touch ID, or Android device unlock is enabled in the ChatGPT account PIN settings on that specific device. The device method is optional; use the account PIN if the sensor, permission, or device setting is unavailable. Turning on biometrics on one device does not propagate to your other devices.
The lock option is missing
Check whether the account and conversation type are supported. Healthcare accounts and Codex conversations are excluded from the listed availability, and the feature rollout may not yet have reached every eligible account. Update the app, sign out and back in, and check whether the account has the Projects > Locked chats area.
You need to share the conversation
Locking does not control copies or previously issued shared links. Remove the shared link separately, and remember that anyone who can authenticate into the chat can still copy its contents. If the recipient needs the information, consider sending a deliberate redacted excerpt rather than exposing the entire locked conversation.
You are about to reset the PIN
Stop and inventory the locked chats, files, and memories first. If any device still accepts the existing PIN or device authentication, export or copy what you need. A reset cannot be undone and support cannot restore content deleted by that reset.
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What is the safest day-to-day workflow?
- Use Temporary Chat when you do not need a lasting record, especially when you do not want new memories created.
- For a conversation you need to keep, lock it immediately after the sensitive work is finished.
- Verify that it appears in Projects > Locked chats and no longer appears in regular history or search.
- Enable device authentication on each phone or tablet where you want the faster unlock method.
- Use Lock now before switching tasks, presenting a screen, or leaving a device unattended.
- Refresh or close web and desktop windows after locking, especially on shared computers.
- Review shared links and delete any that should no longer provide access.
- Review account MFA and active sessions periodically.
- Before changing or resetting credentials, make sure you understand that a forgotten-PIN reset permanently deletes protected chats, files, and memories.
This workflow separates three different privacy decisions: whether to save a conversation, whether to hide it from ordinary navigation, and whether the account and device are secure. Locked chats address the second decision and partly the first; MFA, device security, Memory controls, retention settings, and shared-link management address the others.
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Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I archive, pin, move, or share a locked chat?
Those actions are unavailable while the conversation is locked. The lock is intended to keep the chat in its protected area until you authenticate, rather than let it be reorganized through ordinary chat controls.
Are files in a locked chat protected automatically?
Files uploaded or created inside the locked conversation are protected with it. A file that was added from elsewhere in Space keeps the access rules it already had, so locking the conversation does not change that file’s broader permissions.
Can a locked chat create a Memory that appears in my normal chats?
A locked chat can use relevant regular Memory when Memory is enabled. New information remembered from a locked chat is available to other locked chats, but it does not automatically carry into ordinary, unlocked conversations. Information remembered before locking is not removed.
Does locking delete an existing shared link?
No. Locking changes how the conversation appears and opens inside ChatGPT. Delete an existing shared link separately, and remember that people who already copied the content may still have it.
Is the 4-digit PIN different for every chat?
No. Locked chats use an account PIN for the feature. You enter that PIN to open the Locked chats area and its conversations.
Can I use Face ID on one phone and a PIN on another?
Yes. Device authentication is optional and configured separately on each device. Face ID or Touch ID on one Apple device does not automatically enable it on another, and the account PIN remains available as a fallback.
What happens if I reset a forgotten PIN?
Resetting permanently deletes all locked chats, files and other content protected only by the old PIN, and remembered information stored only within locked chats. The action cannot be undone, and OpenAI Support cannot recover the deleted material.
Are Locked chats end-to-end encrypted?
No. They hide selected conversations from regular history, pinned chats, and ordinary search and require an additional authentication step, but they do not create an end-to-end-encrypted vault or change retention.
Can I lock a Temporary Chat?
No. Temporary Chat is a separate mode and cannot be locked while it remains temporary. Use Locked chats when you need a saved conversation behind a PIN.
Why does a locked conversation still show on my screen after I lock it?
The current web tab or another signed-in device may not have refreshed. Use Lock now, refresh or close the tab, and check other open sessions before screen sharing.
The Bottom Line
Locked chats are the right tool for keeping a ChatGPT conversation while hiding it from ordinary history and search behind a 4-digit account PIN. Add Face ID, Touch ID, or Android device unlock on each supported device, relock deliberately, remove shared links separately, and never reset a forgotten PIN without backing up what you can—the reset permanently deletes protected chats and related content.
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