# ChatGPT can now lock chats behind a PIN or Face ID

URL: https://ai-pulse.aglaganova.com/blog/chatgpt-can-now-lock-chats-behind-a-pin-or-face-id
Published: 2026-10-21
Author: Roman Aglaganov, Full-stack developer
Category: Tools
Region: Global
Tags: privacy, safety

> Locked chats move into their own section and need a PIN or biometrics to open. OpenAI is clear about the limits: they are not end-to-end encrypted, and forgetting the PIN deletes them.

![Illustration: a stack of grey message boxes with one black-outlined box linked to a black padlock with a red keyhole](https://ai-pulse.aglaganova.com/api/media/file/locked-chats-1.png)

OpenAI began rolling out Locked Chats in ChatGPT on 20 October. You can lock a conversation so that it needs a four-digit PIN, or Face ID or Touch ID on supported devices, before it opens. OpenAI pitches it for moments when someone else might see your screen.

## How it works

**Out of sight:** locked chats move to a separate “Locked Chats” section. They no longer show up in your history, your pinned chats or search.

**Not temporary:** unlike Temporary Chats, which are never saved to history, locked chats stay and can be reopened at any time.

**Separate memory:** if Memory is on, the locked section has its own shared memory. What you say there can update that memory, but not your regular one.

**The catch:** resetting the PIN permanently deletes every locked chat and file protected by the old one.

It is available on Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans, but not ChatGPT for Healthcare, and not for temporary, archived, group or shared-link chats.

## What it does not do

OpenAI’s own notes are blunt. Locking a chat does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault. It does not change how long OpenAI keeps the conversation, it does not remove anything ChatGPT remembered before you locked it, and it does not change the setting that decides whether your chats help train future models.

## Why it matters

People increasingly use ChatGPT for health worries, money and relationships, often on shared phones and laptops. A lock is a sensible, overdue fix for the person looking over your shoulder. It is not protection from anyone with access to OpenAI’s servers, and the help page says so. Read it before you lock anything you would not want stored.

## Sources

- [TechCrunch: ChatGPT now lets you lock your chats](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/20/chatgpt-now-lets-you-lock-your-chats/)
- [OpenAI Help Center: Using Locked Chats in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001411-using-locked-chats-in-chatgpt)