Tools & Apps

ChatGPT now lets you lock chats behind a PIN or Face ID, but they are not encrypted

Locked Chats hide sensitive conversations from anyone using your device. They do not change data retention or training settings, and forgetting the PIN means losing the chats.

By Mayank Sahu, Founder & Editor

Sources checked by AI · approved for publication by the author

Published 22 Oct 2026, 19:29 IST

2 min read · 2 sources

Anawords illustration (not a photo): ChatGPT Locked Chats. PIN or Face ID, not encrypted. Reported by two or more outlets. — Built by Anawords from the facts in this story. Not an official company image. Graphic: Anawords

In short

OpenAI began rolling out Locked Chats in ChatGPT on 20 October 2026. Users can lock a conversation behind a four-digit PIN, or Face ID or Touch ID on supported devices, to hide it from others using the same device. Locking does not add end-to-end encryption or change how data is stored.

OpenAI began rolling out Locked Chats on 20 October 2026, protected by a PIN or Face ID/Touch ID.^1,2

Locking does not add end-to-end encryption or change retention.^1,2

Resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes locked chats.^1,2

What Locked Chats does

Locked Chats lets you protect individual ChatGPT conversations so others who can see your screen or use your device cannot open them.¹² OpenAI says it is designed for situations such as “discussing something personal or planning a surprise”.¹

How to lock: open a chat’s menu and choose Lock chat. The first time, you set a four-digit PIN for your whole account.²
Unlocking: the PIN, or Face ID or Touch ID on supported devices; Android uses the phone’s own unlock.¹²
Where they go: locked chats leave your history, pinned chats and search, and sit in a separate Locked chats section.¹²
Auto re-lock: on mobile, access ends after a minute in the background; in a browser, reloading or closing the tab locks them again.²

Who gets it

It is rolling out on Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans, on web, iOS, Android and the desktop apps.¹² It is not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare, or for temporary, archived, group, shared-link or scheduled-task chats.¹²

What it does not do

This is the important part. Both outlets stress the limits:¹²

No end-to-end encryption or separate encrypted vault. It hides chats on your device; it does not change how OpenAI stores them.
Retention and training settings are unchanged. If “Improve the model for everyone” is on, locked chats can still be used for training, according to Notebookcheck.²
Work accounts: in Enterprise and Edu workspaces, locked chats remain in compliance logs.²
Forgotten PIN: resetting it permanently deletes all locked chats and their files. Support cannot recover them.¹²

Memory

With Memory on, locked chats have their own separate memory, so new details there do not flow into regular chats. Anything ChatGPT remembered before you locked a chat stays in regular Memory.¹²

What it means

Locked Chats is useful for a common situation: a shared family phone or laptop, or a screen visible at work. In India, where many households share devices, that matters. But it is a privacy screen, not a safe. If you want a conversation kept out of training, check the “Improve the model for everyone” setting or use Temporary Chat. If the information is very sensitive, the safest choice is still not to share it.

What to watch

Whether OpenAI adds encryption or training opt-outs specific to locked chats.
Full rollout to all accounts, which is happening gradually.

Keep reading on this topic

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How this story was checked

ResearchedWith AI assistance · 2 sources
AI source checkEach sentence matched to its source
Editor approvalMayank Sahu · 22 Oct, 19:29
Published22 Oct, 19:29

Read the research behind this story3 sources read · 2 used · what we could not verify · published 22 Oct, 19:19 →

Verify this story

4 reported1 unconfirmed

2 sources, 0 official · 2 with an archived copy · see sources
Every fact has a label and a source number · fact ledger
What we searched, read and could not verify · research note
Machine-readable: facts as JSON · text as Markdown

How this was made: researched, drafted and source-checked by AI (Claude, made by Anthropic), then published under the editor’s standing approval. A person did not read it line by line before it went live. AI policy

Fact ledger

How labels work

Reported · 4

OpenAI began rolling out Locked Chats on 20 October 2026, protected by a PIN or Face ID/Touch ID.Source 1,2

Available on Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu; not on ChatGPT for Healthcare.Source 1,2

Locking does not add end-to-end encryption or change retention.Source 1,2

Resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes locked chats.Source 1,2

Unconfirmed · 1

Locked chats can still be used for training if that setting is on.Source 2

Questions readers ask

How do I lock a chat in ChatGPT?

Open the chat’s menu and choose Lock chat. You set a four-digit PIN the first time; Face ID or Touch ID can be used on supported devices.

Are ChatGPT locked chats encrypted?

No. Locking hides chats on your device but does not add end-to-end encryption or change how OpenAI stores them.

What happens if I forget my ChatGPT PIN?

Resetting it permanently deletes all locked chats and their files. They cannot be recovered.

Sources

1TechCrunch: ChatGPT now lets you lock your chats
Checked 22 Oct 2026 · Archived copy (22 Oct 2026)OUTLET
2Notebookcheck: ChatGPT can now lock chats behind a PIN, but they are not encrypted
Checked 22 Oct 2026 · Archived copy (22 Oct 2026)OUTLET

Updates and corrections

v122 Oct 2026, 19:29First published. Research note published first. Sources checked by AI; approved for publication by the editor.

Written and approved by

Mayank Sahu, Founder & Editor

Mayank Sahu is an SEO expert who loves using AI and learning how it works. He started Anawords because he felt the market was missing the best AI articles: clear, sourced and honest about what is confirmed and what is only claimed. He sets the rules every Anawords story must pass, runs its AI-assisted research desk and gives the approval its stories are published under. Each story says how it was checked.

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