ChatGPT Lets You Lock Your Conversations with a Pin: Here is How

It has been over 4 years since ChatGPT entered our lives and slowly became a part of it. While a lot of people these days use the AI chatbot for work, there are others who use it just to chat about their personal lives as well. There are enough reports on the internet that talk about how many people use it as a relationships guide and share the most personal things at times with the AI chatbot.

Now when you are sharing such personal info, the last thing you would want is someone else to read it. And now, you can prevent such situations by locking your ChatGPT conversations. How? Read on.

ChatGPT Introduces Locked Chats Feature

OpenAI has just introduced a new privacy feature for ChatGPT that lets users lock individual conversations behind a four-digit PIN or biometric authentication. Called Locked Chats, the feature moves selected conversations out of regular chat history and search results, making it harder for other people with access to a device to view them.

The feature is designed for users who discuss sensitive topics on ChatGPT and want an additional layer of privacy. However, it is worth noting that locking a conversation does not encrypt it end to end or change OpenAI's existing data retention policies.

OpenAI is rolling out the feature gradually across Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans. The feature is also available on the ChatGPT apps for macOS and Windows.

How to Lock Your Chat on ChatGPT

To lock a conversation, simply open ChatGPT and find the chat you want to protect. Then, select the three-dot menu next to the conversation, choose Lock chat and confirm your choice. When prompted, create a four-digit account PIN or enter your existing PIN.

Once the process is complete, the conversation will move to Projects > Locked chats and disappear from regular chat history and search results. You can return to the section and authenticate whenever you need to access it again.

How Does the Feature Work?

According to OpenAI's support page, Locked Chats moves selected conversations into a separate section under Projects. Once a chat is locked, it no longer appears in regular chat history, pinned chats or standard conversation search.

To access a locked conversation, users must authenticate with their four-digit account PIN on the web and desktop. Supported iOS and Android devices also allow users to use biometric authentication methods, such as Face ID or Touch ID, depending on the device.

Unlike Temporary Chats, which do not appear in regular chat history, Locked Chats remain saved in the user's account. This means users can return to them whenever needed, provided they can authenticate successfully. Users can also start new conversations directly within the locked section.

Access to locked conversations is temporary. On the web and desktop, chats relock when users refresh the page, close the tab or step away from the window. On iOS and Android, access ends after a minute away from the locked section or when the app moves to the background. Users can also lock the section immediately using the Lock now option.

Files uploaded or created within a locked conversation are protected as well. They remain hidden from the user's regular file space and other chats.

What Happens to ChatGPT Memory in Locked Chats?

OpenAI has also explained how the feature works with ChatGPT's Memory function. When Memory is enabled, locked conversations can use relevant information from a user's regular memories. However, information ChatGPT learns from within a locked conversation will not be added to the memory used in regular chats.

Locking a conversation does not erase information ChatGPT remembered before the chat was locked. Users should keep this distinction in mind if they want to prevent previously saved information from being used in other conversations.

There are also limits to which conversations users can lock. Temporary Chats, archived conversations, group chats, chats created through shared links, scheduled-task conversations and chats with meeting recordings are among the types that cannot be locked.

A locked conversation also cannot be archived, pinned, moved or shared unless it is unlocked first. If a conversation already has a shared link, locking it will not delete that link. Users who want to stop others from accessing previously shared content must delete the link separately.

Locked Chats Do Not Offer End-to-End Encryption

While the feature adds another layer of privacy, do remember that it does not turn ChatGPT into an encrypted vault. OpenAI has clarified that Locked Chats do not introduce end-to-end encryption, change how long conversations are retained or alter the user's existing setting for whether chats can be used to improve its AI models.

This means users should not treat the feature as a guarantee that sensitive information is completely protected. Someone who gains access to an unlocked conversation can still copy its contents.

Locked Chats are primarily intended to prevent other people who may have access to a user's device from casually opening selected conversations. They do not change OpenAI's broader data-handling practices.

You Could Also Lose Your Locked Chats

There is another important detail users should know before enabling the feature. OpenAI warns that resetting a forgotten account PIN will permanently delete all locked conversations.

The deletion also includes files protected by the previous PIN and information remembered only within those locked chats. According to OpenAI, this process cannot be undone, and its support team cannot recover the deleted content.

Changing a PIN is different from resetting a forgotten one. Users can change their PIN without losing their locked conversations, but they need to know their current PIN to do so.