ChatGPT now lets you lock individual conversations behind an account PIN, giving you another way to keep private chats away from your regular conversation history. Whether you use ChatGPT for personal discussions, sensitive information, or conversations you don’t want appearing in front of someone looking over your shoulder, Locked chats can help keep those conversations out of immediate view.

The feature moves selected conversations into a separate Locked chats area, which requires a four-digit account PIN to access. On supported mobile devices, you can also use Face ID, Touch ID, or your device’s screen-unlock method.

Locked chats are available across ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans. Here’s how to set up your PIN, lock existing conversations, and access them later.

What are Locked chats in ChatGPT?

Locked chats are conversations that you’ve moved out of your regular ChatGPT history and protected with an account PIN. Once locked, their titles and contents no longer appear in your normal chat history, pinned chats, or regular conversation search.

Instead, you can find them under Projects > Locked chats. ChatGPT requires authentication before displaying the protected conversations.

The feature is designed to provide an additional layer of privacy when using ChatGPT on a shared computer, showing your screen to someone, or allowing another person to use your device.

However, locking a conversation does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted storage vault. It primarily controls how conversations appear and how you access them. It also does not change OpenAI’s chat retention policies or your existing model-improvement settings.

How to lock an existing chat in ChatGPT

You can lock an eligible existing conversation directly from its more options menu. You don’t need to delete the conversation or create a new one.

Follow these steps:

1. Open ChatGPT and find the conversation you want to protect.
2. Select the three-dot menu (•••) next to the chat.
3. Select Lock chat.
4. Select Lock chat again to confirm your choice.
5. Create a four-digit account PIN if you’re using the feature for the first time, or enter your existing PIN when prompted.

Once the process is complete, ChatGPT moves the conversation into the Locked chats area. Its title and contents disappear from your regular chat history and conversation search.

Important: If ChatGPT is still generating a response, wait until it finishes before attempting to lock the conversation.

How to set up an account PIN in ChatGPT

ChatGPT asks you to create an account PIN the first time you lock a conversation or open the Locked chats area.

Here’s how to configure it:

1. Select Create a PIN when ChatGPT prompts you.
2. Enter a four-digit PIN.
3. Enter the same PIN again to confirm it.

Your account PIN works across supported devices when you’re signed in to the same OpenAI account. You don’t need to create a different PIN for each device or workspace associated with that account.

Keep your PIN somewhere safe. If you forget it, you can leave your conversations locked without resetting it. However, resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes all your locked chats and content protected only by the previous PIN. OpenAI Support cannot recover that content.

How to open locked chats in ChatGPT

After locking a conversation, you can access it whenever you need it through the dedicated Locked chats area.

1. Open ChatGPT.
2. Select Projects.
3. Select Locked chats.
4. Enter your four-digit account PIN or use a supported device authentication method.
5. Select the conversation you want to open.

ChatGPT temporarily grants access to your locked conversations after authentication. Their titles may become visible in the Locked chats area, but this doesn’t permanently unlock them or return them to your regular conversation history.

When you’re finished, select Lock now to immediately end access and hide the conversation titles again.

How to use Face ID or Touch ID for locked chats

If you use ChatGPT on a supported mobile device, you can enable device authentication to make opening locked conversations more convenient.

On iPhone and iPad, you can enable Face ID or Touch ID from the Account PIN settings. On Android, you can select Use device unlock when prompted.

Device authentication is optional and configured separately on each device. Your four-digit account PIN remains available as an alternative authentication method.

How to change or reset your ChatGPT account PIN

You can change your account PIN without deleting your locked conversations, provided you know your current PIN.

To change it:

1. Open Settings in ChatGPT.
2. Select Security and login.
3. Select Account PIN.
4. Under Change PIN, select Change on the web or desktop app, or Change PIN on iOS or Android.
5. Enter your current PIN.
6. Create and confirm your new four-digit PIN.

The new PIN will be required the next time ChatGPT requests authentication on your other devices.

What happens if you forget your PIN?

If you forget your PIN, you can continue leaving your conversations locked without resetting it. However, you won’t be able to open them until you regain access through the available PIN options.

If you choose to reset your PIN, ChatGPT permanently deletes all locked conversations, remembered information stored only within locked chats, and files or other content protected only by your previous PIN.

To reset it:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Security and login.
3. Select Account PIN.
4. Under Reset PIN, select Reset on the web or desktop app, or Reset PIN on iOS or Android.
5. Verify your identity when prompted.
6. Review the deletion warning and confirm by selecting the appropriate reset and deletion option.
7. Create and confirm a new four-digit PIN.

Warning: Resetting your PIN is not the same as changing it. The reset permanently deletes your locked conversations and their protected content. This action cannot be undone, and OpenAI Support cannot recover the deleted conversations.

How to unlock a chat in ChatGPT

If you no longer need to keep a conversation protected, you can permanently unlock it and return it to your regular chat history.

1. Open Projects > Locked chats.
2. Authenticate using your account PIN or supported device authentication.
3. Open the conversation you want to unlock.
4. Select its three-dot menu (•••).
5. Select Unlock chat or Unlock on iOS.
6. Select Unlock chat again to confirm.

The conversation will return to your regular chat history. If it originally belonged to a project, it returns to regular history rather than going back into that project.

What you should know before locking ChatGPT conversations

Locked chats offer a convenient way to protect selected conversations, but there are a few important limitations to understand.

• They are not end-to-end encrypted: Locking a conversation doesn’t create a separate encrypted vault or change OpenAI’s data-retention policies.
• Existing memories remain: Locking a chat doesn’t remove information ChatGPT remembered before you locked it. Locked chats can also use relevant information from your regular Memory when Memory is enabled.
• Regular search won’t find them: You must open the Locked chats area to browse protected conversations. You cannot search across all locked chats.
• You cannot share or organize them normally: Locked chats cannot be pinned, archived, moved, or shared. You must permanently unlock a conversation before using these actions.
• Other devices may take time to refresh: A conversation title might remain visible on another device where ChatGPT is already open until its conversation list refreshes. On iOS, previously loaded content might also remain visible until the app refreshes.
• Some conversations cannot be locked: Temporary chats, archived chats, group conversations, chats created from shared links, branched conversations, and chats with scheduled tasks or meeting recordings are among the unsupported types.
• Workspace policies still apply: Locked chats in Enterprise and Edu workspaces remain subject to applicable organizational policies and compliance requirements.

On the web and desktop, access to locked chats is associated with the browser tab or desktop app window where you authenticated. On mobile, access automatically ends after one minute away from a locked chat or the Locked chats area, or after one minute in the background. You can also select Lock now to close access immediately.

Locked chats vs. Temporary Chat: What’s the difference?

ChatGPT offers two different features for people who want more privacy: Locked chats and Temporary Chat. Although both can help keep conversations away from regular chat history, they serve different purposes.

Locked chats are designed for conversations you want to save but protect behind an account PIN. They remain available in a separate area and follow your existing model-improvement settings.

Temporary Chat, on the other hand, is intended for conversations you don’t want saved in your regular chat history or used to improve OpenAI’s models while they remain temporary. Temporary chats don’t create or update memories.

You cannot lock a Temporary Chat while it remains temporary. Saving one converts it into a regular conversation that follows your account’s personalization and model-improvement settings.

Ultimately, use Locked chats when you want to keep a conversation but restrict access to it, and Temporary Chat when you want a conversation that doesn’t become part of your regular chat history.

Locking individual conversations gives ChatGPT users more control over who can casually see their saved chats. Just remember that it is an access-control feature, not a replacement for encryption or broader account security.