The how to lock chats in ChatGPT process is straightforward once the feature is available: select an eligible conversation, choose Lock chat, and set up an account PIN. Locked conversations move out of regular history and search, giving them an extra access barrier when someone might otherwise browse your chats.
OpenAI's Locked Chats feature is rolling out gradually. It is designed to hide selected conversations from regular chat history, pinned chats, and regular conversation search. It does not create an encrypted vault or change how long OpenAI retains a conversation. This guide explains how to use it and what to check before relying on it for privacy.
For the latest supported options and platform-specific details, consult OpenAI's official guide to Locked Chats.
What Are Locked Chats in ChatGPT?
Locked Chats lets you keep selected conversations in your account while adding an access check before they can be opened. Locked chats are moved to Projects > Locked chats and do not appear in regular conversation search. Opening them requires a four-digit account PIN. On supported mobile devices, Face ID, Touch ID, or the device unlock method can also be enabled.
The feature can help keep a conversation out of view when sharing a screen or using a shared device. It is an access control, not a promise of complete secrecy. It does not change your model-improvement setting, remove information ChatGPT remembered before the chat was locked, or override workspace policies and compliance requirements.
How to Lock Chats in ChatGPT
If Locked Chats is available for your account, use these steps to lock an eligible conversation.
- Open ChatGPT and find the conversation in your chat history.
- Open the chat's more options menu, shown as three dots (•••).
- Select Lock chat.
- Select Lock chat again to confirm.
- When prompted, create a four-digit account PIN or enter your existing PIN.
After the chat is locked, its title and content are removed from regular history and regular conversation search. Search results may take some time to update. Other devices where ChatGPT is already open may continue to show the title until their conversation lists refresh. On the web, the chat may remain open in the current tab after you lock it, so check other open devices or tabs before sharing your screen.
How to Find and Open a Locked Chat
Locked chats do not appear in regular conversation search. To access one, open the dedicated Locked chats area.
- Select Projects in ChatGPT.
- Open Locked chats.
- Enter your account PIN or use supported device authentication, if enabled.
- Select the conversation you want to open.
Opening a locked chat gives temporary access; it does not permanently unlock the conversation or return it to regular history. When you finish, select Lock now to end access immediately. Access also ends automatically after inactivity, with timing depending on the platform. On web, refreshing or closing the tab ends access; on iOS and Android, access ends after a short period away from the locked-chat area or while the app is in the background.
How to Change Your ChatGPT PIN
If you know your current PIN, you can change it without deleting your locked chats.
- Open Settings.
- Select Security and login.
- Select Account PIN.
- Under Change PIN, choose the change option for your platform.
- Enter your current PIN, then create and confirm a new four-digit PIN.
Your account PIN works across supported devices when you are signed in to the same OpenAI account. Device authentication is configured separately on each device. Face ID, Touch ID, or device unlock is optional where supported, and you can still use your account PIN if device authentication is unavailable.
Resetting a forgotten account PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, memories stored only within locked chats, and files or other content protected only by the previous PIN. This cannot be undone, and OpenAI Support cannot recover the deleted content. Changing a PIN while you still know the current one is different and does not delete locked chats.
What Locked Chats Do and Do Not Protect
Locked Chats adds a barrier to opening selected conversations, but it does not change the underlying retention or privacy settings for the account. Keep these distinctions in mind:
- Regular history and search: Locked conversations are hidden from regular history and regular conversation search.
- Retention: Locking a chat does not change how long OpenAI retains it.
- Model improvement: The lock does not change the account's “Improve the model for everyone” setting.
- Memory: Locking a chat does not remove information ChatGPT remembered before the chat was locked. Information remembered only within locked chats does not carry into regular chats.
- Shared links: Locking a chat does not delete an existing shared link. Previously shared content may remain available through that link, so delete the link separately if you need to stop access to its shared content.
- Files: Files uploaded or created in the locked chat are protected with that chat. Files added separately from Library or connected services keep their existing access rules.
- Workspaces: Locked Chats does not override organizational policies or compliance access. Enterprise and Edu conversation message logs may remain available through the Compliance Platform.
For broader privacy practices, see Saganote's guide to protecting your data when using AI chatbots. It is worth reviewing what information you share with any AI service, even when additional access controls are available.
Which Chats Cannot Be Locked?
The Lock chat option is not available for every conversation type. OpenAI lists several exclusions, including:
- Temporary chats
- Archived chats
- Group chats
- Chats created from a shared link
- Chats with scheduled tasks or meeting recordings
- Chats associated with background tasks
- Chats with responses saved as project sources
- Chats from the earlier Health experience
Project chat eligibility can also vary by platform. If the lock option is missing from an otherwise eligible chat, the feature may not have reached your account yet or the conversation may not be supported on that device. OpenAI says the feature is rolling out gradually.
Locked Chats vs. Temporary Chat
Locked Chats and Temporary Chat solve different problems. Use Locked Chats when you want to keep a saved conversation and add a PIN or supported device authentication step. Use Temporary Chat when you want a conversation to stay out of regular history and not be used to improve OpenAI's models while it remains temporary, subject to applicable safety and retention rules.
| Feature | Locked Chats | Temporary Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Save a conversation with an added access check | Start a conversation outside regular history |
| Appears in regular history | No, while locked | No |
| Requires account PIN | Yes, or supported device authentication | No Locked Chats PIN requirement |
| Model-improvement setting | Follows the account's existing setting | Not used to improve models while temporary |
| Memory behavior | Can use regular Memory if enabled; memories created only within locked chats stay separate | Does not create or update memories |
A Temporary Chat cannot be locked while it remains temporary. Saving it converts it into a regular chat that follows the account's personalization and model-improvement settings. Check OpenAI's current documentation for the exact behavior that applies to your account.
Privacy Settings to Review Alongside Locked Chats
A chat lock is only one part of account privacy. Consider these additional steps when a conversation contains sensitive information:
- Review ChatGPT's data controls and understand whether your conversations may be used to improve models.
- Protect your account credentials and any devices where you are signed in.
- Check shared links separately; locking a conversation does not revoke an existing link.
- Review connected apps and services before sharing information from them.
- Avoid entering passwords, authentication codes, or financial credentials that ChatGPT does not need for the task.
ChatGPT's connected features can also make data access more important to review. For example, our guide to ChatGPT opening and editing Google Drive files inside a chat explains another workflow where permissions and connected content matter.
For readers considering ChatGPT for younger users, Saganote has also covered ChatGPT's safety protections for teens. The relevant controls differ, but both topics highlight why product safeguards should be understood in context rather than treated as a complete substitute for privacy awareness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I lock any ChatGPT conversation?
Does locking a chat delete it from OpenAI's systems?
What happens if I forget my PIN?
Can I use Face ID or device unlock instead of a PIN?
Are Locked Chats end-to-end encrypted?
The Bottom Line
Locked Chats gives ChatGPT users a way to keep selected conversations out of regular history and search, with access protected by an account PIN or supported device authentication. To use it, open an eligible chat's three-dot menu, select Lock chat, confirm, and follow the PIN setup prompts. Then find the conversation under Projects > Locked chats when you need it again.
Before relying on the feature, remember that it does not change retention or model-improvement settings, and it does not remove information ChatGPT already remembered. Most importantly, resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes the locked chats and content protected only by that PIN. Read OpenAI's official Locked Chats documentation before making changes to your account PIN.
