OpenAI unveiled a new privacy feature on Tuesday that lets users lock specific ChatGPT conversations, keeping sensitive discussions hidden from anyone who might glance at their screen or handle their device. Access to these locked chats can be secured with a four-digit PIN, or through Face ID or Touch ID on devices that support it.

Unlike Temporary Chats—which create a separate session that never shows up in chat history—Locked Chats remain accessible whenever the user wants to return to them. According to the company, the feature targets scenarios where someone is discussing something personal or planning a surprise and needs to hand their phone to a friend or family member to show something in a different conversation.

The rollout adds another privacy layer to ChatGPT, which is increasingly being used for personal conversations. That said, locking a chat only limits access—it doesn't resolve broader questions about how sensitive information is stored or handled. OpenAI points out that locking a chat does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault, does not alter how long the chat is retained, does not erase information ChatGPT remembered before the chat was locked, and does not modify the "Improve the model for everyone" setting.

Once a chat is locked, it relocates to a dedicated "Locked Chats" section, kept apart from regular chat history, pinned conversations, and chat search results. When Memory is enabled, Locked Chats maintains its own separate memory shared among conversations within that section. New messages sent after a chat is locked can update that memory, but they won't update regular Memory—meaning information from locked chats won't leak into regular conversations.

Resetting a PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, files, and other content protected by the previous PIN, OpenAI says. The Locked Chats option is unavailable for temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats created from a shared link, chats with scheduled tasks, and chats with meeting recordings.

Locked Chats will be available to users on the ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans. The company notes the feature is not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare. Rollout began Tuesday, so it may not yet be live for everyone.