OpenAI announced on Tuesday that ChatGPT users can now lock individual conversations to keep them private when another person might see their screen or use their device. Locked chats are protected by a four-digit PIN, or by Face ID or Touch ID on supported devices. Unlike Temporary Chats, which create a separate session that never appears in chat history, Locked Chats can be reopened at any time, so users can return to them later. The company says the feature is intended for situations where someone wants to discuss something personal or plan a surprise, then hand their device to a friend or family member to show a different chat.

Once a chat is locked, it moves to a dedicated Locked Chats section, where it is kept out of regular chat history, pinned conversations, and chat search results. With Memory enabled, Locked Chats has its own separate memory shared across conversations in that section. New messages sent after locking a chat can update the locked memory, but they do not update regular Memory, so information from locked chats will not leak into ordinary chats. The addition gives ChatGPT a new layer of access control as the app becomes more common for personal conversations.

The feature is designed as access control rather than a change to data handling. OpenAI explicitly notes that locking a chat does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault. It also does not change how long the chat is retained, does not remove information ChatGPT remembered before the chat was locked, and does not change the Improve the model for everyone setting. In other words, locking addresses casual screen viewing and device sharing, but not broader questions about how sensitive information is stored or used.

Resetting the PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, files, and other content protected by the previous PIN. Locked Chats 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. The feature is rolling out starting Tuesday to ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans, and it is not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare.