ChatGPT now lets you lock a conversation so it disappears from your regular chat list. It is for the moment someone else is looking at your screen or using your device. It does not change what OpenAI keeps, and OpenAI says it is not end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault.

What a locked chat does

OpenAI's release notes say a locked chat is hidden from regular chat history, pinned chats and search. You open it with your 4-digit account PIN or supported device authentication.

To lock a chat, open its more options menu (the ••• button) and choose Lock chat. ChatGPT asks you to confirm, and to create a PIN the first time.

OpenAI's help page says locked chats live under Projects, then Locked chats. Face ID or Touch ID is optional on iOS, and Android can use device unlock.

What it does not do

The help page is plain about the limits. Locking does not:

  • create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault
  • change how long OpenAI keeps the chat
  • change your "Improve the model for everyone" setting
  • remove what ChatGPT remembered before you locked the chat

So this is a privacy screen for your device, not for your account. Locking protects against the person holding your phone. For a different kind of chat exposure, see Meta's paused Muse chat sharing.

Where it works

OpenAI says locked chats are rolling out gradually to Free, Go, Plus and Pro users on the web, in the iOS and Android apps, and in the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS and Windows. The help page also lists Business, Enterprise and Edu, and says it is not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare.

If you do not see Lock chat in an eligible chat's menu, it may not be available on your account yet.

Things to know before you lock

Several details in the help page matter in daily use:

  • Resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes all locked chats and the content protected only by the old PIN. OpenAI Support cannot recover it, and a workspace admin cannot reset it for you.
  • A chat that already has a shared link keeps that link. Delete the link separately.
  • Locking a project chat moves it out of the project, so it stops using that project's instructions, files and memory.
  • Other devices that already have ChatGPT open may keep showing the title until they refresh.
  • Group chats, temporary chats and chats created from a shared link cannot be locked, according to OpenAI's help page.

On mobile, access ends after 1 minute away. On the web it ends when you refresh or close the tab.

In the desktop app, OpenAI says you can lock eligible cloud conversations in Chat or Work mode. For more on those modes, see ChatGPT's Chrome extension and its Chat and Work modes.

What is not known

The sources we read do not say how long locked chats are kept, only that the existing retention setting is unchanged. They do not say whether locked chats are excluded from OpenAI's own review for safety or legal reasons. The help page says locking does not override workspace policies, safety requirements or legal obligations.

OpenAI has not said when the rollout will reach everyone.