TipYou can now lock sensitive chats in ChatGPT with a PIN – even on the free plan
ChatGPT now has locked chats. You can hide selected conversations from your history and search and open them with a four-digit PIN or Face ID. It is rolling out gradually to everyone, including free users. But if you forget the PIN and reset it, all locked chats are deleted for good.
On 20 October 2026 OpenAI started rolling out locked chats in ChatGPT. You choose which conversations to lock. They disappear from your regular history, pinned chats and search, and move to Projects > Locked chats instead. Opening them requires a four-digit account PIN. On your phone you can also use Face ID, Touch ID or your normal device unlock.
The feature is available on every plan: Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, on the web, in the iPhone and Android apps and in the new desktop app for Mac and Windows. It is rolling out gradually, so it may take a few days before you see it. The idea is to protect conversations about things like health, money or relationships when you share your screen or let someone else use your phone or computer.
Be aware of what locking does not do. The chats are not encrypted in any new way, OpenAI keeps them as long as before and your model-training settings do not change. Anything ChatGPT already remembered from the conversation stays in memory. And anyone who can open a locked chat can still copy its contents.
Most important of all: if you forget your PIN and choose to reset it, all locked chats and their files are permanently deleted. Not even OpenAI support can recover them. If you change the PIN while you still remember the old one, the chats stay. If you want a conversation never to be saved at all, a temporary chat is a better fit.
How to get started
- Open the three-dot menu (•••) next to the chat you want to protect and choose Lock chat.
- Create a four-digit PIN you do not use anywhere else, and save it in a password manager.
- If you like, turn on Face ID or Touch ID on your phone under Settings > Security and login > Account PIN.
- Tap Lock now when you are done, especially before sharing your screen.
- Never type your ID number, passwords or card numbers into ChatGPT, locked or not.
More on TipAI
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center: Using locked chats in ChatGPT (20 okt 2026) (retrieved 2026-10-21)
- OpenAI: ChatGPT release notes, 20 oktober 2026 (retrieved 2026-10-21)
- TechCrunch: ChatGPT now lets you lock your chats (20 okt 2026) (retrieved 2026-10-21)
Free cheat sheet: Get started with AI
A printable page with the basic formula, five things to try and how to use AI safely. Enter your email and we will send it straight away – free, unsubscribe any time.
Get the cheat sheet free →TipAI explains AI in plain language for beginners, families and small businesses. Every article has sources and a "How to get started" section.