OpenAI is adding a new privacy feature to ChatGPT that allows users to lock individual conversations, making sensitive discussions harder for other people to access when they have access to the same device.
Announced Tuesday, the new Locked Chats feature lets users protect selected conversations with a four-digit PIN or biometric authentication, such as Face ID or Touch ID on supported devices.
The update offers an additional layer of privacy for people who use ChatGPT to discuss personal matters, handle sensitive topics, or plan surprises they don’t want others to see.
How Locked Chats Work
Unlike Temporary Chats, which don’t appear in regular chat history, Locked Chats remain accessible to the user after authentication.
Once a conversation is locked, it moves into a dedicated Locked Chats section, separate from regular chat history, pinned conversations, and chat search results.
This means users can keep a conversation available for future reference without leaving it openly accessible alongside their everyday chats.
OpenAI says the feature is intended for situations where someone might hand their phone or computer to a friend or family member to show them something in another conversation while keeping private discussions out of view.
A Separate Memory Space for Locked Conversations
Locked Chats also have their own memory behavior when ChatGPT’s Memory feature is enabled.
Information shared in new messages after a conversation is locked can update the memory associated with Locked Chats, but it won’t update the user’s regular ChatGPT Memory. This separation is designed to prevent information from locked conversations from carrying over into ordinary chats.
However, locking a conversation doesn’t erase information ChatGPT may have remembered before the chat was locked. Users concerned about previously saved information should review their Memory settings separately.
OpenAI also warns that resetting the PIN permanently deletes the locked chats and their associated files and other protected content. Users should therefore keep their PIN safe.
What Locked Chats Don’t Protect
Although the feature adds a useful access restriction, it isn’t a replacement for comprehensive data security.
OpenAI says locking a conversation does not introduce end-to-end encryption or create a separate encrypted vault. It also doesn’t change how long ChatGPT retains the conversation or affect the setting that controls whether conversations can be used to improve models.
Users should therefore avoid assuming that a locked chat has special encryption or different data-retention protections.
The feature is intended primarily to limit access to conversations through the ChatGPT interface when someone else may be using the device.
Some Conversations Can’t Be Locked
Locked Chats won’t be available for every conversation type. OpenAI lists several exclusions, including:
- Temporary or archived chats
- Group conversations
- Chats created through shared links
- Conversations involving scheduled tasks
- Chats containing meeting recordings
Users will need to lock eligible conversations to take advantage of the feature.
Availability Across ChatGPT Plans
OpenAI says Locked Chats are rolling out to ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu users. The feature is not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare.
The rollout is gradual, so some users may not see the option immediately.
The new feature reflects how ChatGPT is increasingly being used for personal conversations alongside work, research, and everyday tasks. Giving users a way to restrict access to selected discussions could make sharing a device less awkward.
Still, the distinction matters: locking a chat helps keep a conversation out of reach of other people using the app, but it doesn’t change how OpenAI stores or handles that information behind the scenes.
