ChatGPT locked chats: hide a chat behind a PIN. What it protects, and the PIN risk
ChatGPT can now hide chosen chats behind a 4-digit PIN, on Free and Go too. What locked chats protect on a shared laptop or phone, what they do not, and the PIN mistake that deletes them for good.
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On 20 October 2026 OpenAI added locked chats to ChatGPT: you can hide a chosen conversation behind a 4-digit PIN, so it no longer shows in your chat history or search. For anyone who uses ChatGPT for quotations, staff matters or customer problems on a shared laptop or phone, ChatGPT locked chats are useful. They also come with one serious risk. This update explains what the feature does, what it does not protect, and how to use it safely. It follows OpenAI's own release notes and help page, read on 21 October 2026.
What happened: ChatGPT adds locked chats
- The launch. OpenAI's ChatGPT release notes of 20 October 2026 say locked chats are "rolling out gradually" to Free, Go, Plus and Pro users on the web, in the iOS and Android apps, and in the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS and Windows. OpenAI's help page also lists Business, Enterprise and Edu.
- How it works. A locked chat disappears from your regular history, pinned chats and search. You find it under Projects, then Locked chats. Opening it needs your 4-digit account PIN, or Face ID, Touch ID or your phone's unlock method on supported phones.
- Files. Files uploaded or created in a chat are protected with it while it is locked.
What is not known: OpenAI gives no date by which every account will have the feature. If you do not see "Lock chat" in a chat's menu, the help page says it may not be available for your account yet.
Why it matters for a small business
Many owners now ask ChatGPT about a supplier's rate, a staff member's salary letter, a customer's complaint or next year's prices. The titles of those chats sit in the sidebar for anyone who uses the same laptop, looks at your phone, or sees your screen in a meeting. Locked chats take them out of view.
The risk is the PIN. OpenAI's help page says resetting a forgotten PIN "permanently deletes all locked chats", and that "OpenAI Support cannot recover the deleted content."
Who should care
- Owners who use ChatGPT on a shop or office computer that others also use
- Anyone who shares their screen with clients, staff or a trainer
- People who keep plans, prices or staff matters in their ChatGPT chats
- Families and teams who share one phone or one login
What changes for you
| Locked chats do | Locked chats do not |
|---|---|
| Hide the chat from history, pinned chats and search | Create "end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault" |
| Ask for your PIN or face or fingerprint to open it | Change how long OpenAI keeps the chat |
| Protect files uploaded or created in that chat | Change your "Improve the model for everyone" setting |
| Lock again after 1 minute away on a phone | Remove what ChatGPT remembered before you locked the chat |
OpenAI's help page also says that anyone who can open a locked chat can still copy its contents.
How to use locked chats safely: five steps
- Check whether you have it. Open a chat's menu (the three dots). If "Lock chat" is there, the feature has reached your account.
- Lock a chat. Select Lock chat, confirm, and create a 4-digit PIN when ChatGPT asks for it. The chat moves to Projects, then Locked chats.
- Choose a PIN you will not forget, and keep it to yourself. You can change the PIN at any time if you know the current one; that keeps your locked chats. Only a reset of a forgotten PIN deletes them.
- Close access when you are done. Select Lock now. On the web, access also ends when you refresh or close the tab; on a phone, after 1 minute away.
- Still keep sensitive data out of ChatGPT. Locking only hides a chat from view; it does not change what OpenAI stores. Customer phone numbers, Aadhaar or PAN numbers, bank details and passwords should not go into any AI chat. This step is our advice, not OpenAI's.
Some chats cannot be locked, among them temporary chats, group chats, chats created from a shared link and chats with scheduled tasks.
Locked chat or temporary chat? OpenAI's help page puts it this way: a temporary chat stays out of your history and is not used to improve OpenAI's models while it remains temporary; a locked chat is saved and protected by your PIN, and follows your existing model-improvement setting. For a one-time question with private details, a temporary chat is the better choice. For a conversation you want to keep and come back to, lock it.
For simple habits around customer data, read our guide on customer data, privacy and AI tools. If your team uses ChatGPT, add these points to your simple AI rules for your team.
What to watch next
- When the rollout reaches every account, since OpenAI gives no date.
- Whether OpenAI adds a way to recover locked chats after a forgotten PIN; today a reset deletes them.
- Whether the feature changes for team plans. Today the help page says workspace administrators cannot turn locked chats off, unlock them or reset a member's PIN.
Not sure where AI can help your business safely? The free AI Business Checkup takes about three minutes.
