ChatGPT gets Locked Chats: hide sensitive conversations behind a PIN or Face ID

#What happened

Verified October 22, 2026.

OpenAI announced on October 20 that ChatGPT users can now lock individual conversations. Locked chats move out of regular history, pinned chats, and search results into a dedicated "Locked Chats" section under Projects. Access requires a 4-digit account PIN on web/desktop, or Face ID, Touch ID, or device unlock on eligible mobile devices. Availability spans Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans (not Healthcare). It is a gradual rollout: update the app or wait a few days if the option is not visible yet.

#Why it matters

Locked Chats adds a local-visibility layer only: it does NOT provide end-to-end encryption, does NOT create an encrypted vault, does NOT change retention policies or the model-improvement setting, and does NOT erase information already remembered before locking. New messages in locked chats do not update regular Memory (though locked chats can still draw on existing regular Memory). Resetting the PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, files, and content protected by the old PIN, and OpenAI Support cannot recover them. Locked chats are unavailable for temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats created from shared links, chats with scheduled tasks, chats with meeting recordings, and Codex conversations.