ChatGPT Adds Locked Chats Feature to Keep Sensitive Conversations Private

OpenAI announced on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, that ChatGPT users can now lock individual conversations to prevent others from viewing them when sharing a device. Locked chats can be secured with a four-digit PIN or, on supported devices, via Face ID or Touch ID.

The feature is designed for situations where users are discussing something personal or planning a surprise and need to hand their device to someone else to show them a different chat. Once locked, a conversation moves to a dedicated “Locked Chats” section, separate from regular chat history, pinned conversations, and chat search results. Unlike Temporary Chats — which create a separate session that doesn’t appear in chat history — users can return to Locked Chats at any time.

OpenAI notes that with Memory enabled, Locked Chats maintains its own separate memory shared only across conversations within that section. New messages sent after locking a chat can update that memory, but will not update regular Memory, meaning information from locked chats won’t carry over into standard conversations.

However, locking a chat has clear limitations. OpenAI states it does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault, does not change how long the company retains the chat, does not remove information ChatGPT remembered before the chat was locked, and does not alter the “Improve the model for everyone” setting. Resetting a PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, files, and related content.

The feature is not available for temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats created from a shared link, chats with scheduled tasks, or chats with meeting recordings. It is also unavailable on ChatGPT for Healthcare.

Locked Chats is available across ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans. The rollout began Tuesday and may not yet be live for all users.