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How do I lock a chat in ChatGPT, and is it private enough for business?
Short answer
Yes, you can now lock a chat in ChatGPT. OpenAI started rolling out locked chats on 20 October 2026. Open the chat's three dots menu, choose Lock chat, confirm, then set a 4-digit account PIN. The chat disappears from your normal history, pinned chats and search, and only opens with the PIN (or Face ID, Touch ID or your phone's unlock on supported devices). OpenAI says it is coming to Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, but gradually, so you may not see it yet. Everything below was checked on OpenAI's help centre on 25 October 2026.
What are locked chats in ChatGPT?
Short answer: a hidden, PIN-protected folder for chats you want to keep but not have on show.
Locked chats live under Projects, then Locked chats. The titles stay hidden in the sidebar until you enter your PIN. OpenAI says the feature is meant for times when you share your screen or hand your device to someone else. For a tradesperson, that covers a lot of real days: the family tablet, a phone passed to an apprentice to show a photo, or a laptop on a customer's kitchen table while you go through a quote.
How do I lock a chat in ChatGPT?
Short answer: three dots, Lock chat, confirm, then enter or create your PIN.
- Open the more options menu (the three dots) on the chat.
- Choose Lock chat, then Lock chat again to confirm.
- The first time, ChatGPT asks you to create a 4-digit PIN. Enter it twice.
- On an iPhone you can turn on Face ID or Touch ID under Settings, Security and login, Account PIN. On Android you can use your device unlock when asked.
To start a fresh locked chat, go to Projects, then Locked chats, enter your PIN and type your message. OpenAI says first-time users need to lock an existing chat before they can do this. On a computer, OpenAI says you need the new ChatGPT desktop app for Mac or Windows, or the website.
How do I open or unlock a locked chat?
Go to Projects, then Locked chats, and enter your PIN. That gives you temporary access. On the website, access ends when you refresh or close the tab. On phones it ends after 1 minute away or in the background. There is also a Lock now button. To put a chat back in normal history for good, open it, tap the three dots and choose Unlock chat.
What does locking a chat not do?
Short answer: it hides the chat on screen. It is not encryption and it doesn't change what OpenAI keeps.
OpenAI is clear that locking a chat 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" (training) setting
- remove anything ChatGPT already remembered before you locked it
- override your workspace's policies or legal and compliance duties
Anyone who can open a locked chat can still copy what's in it. Ads, where they show on your account, can still appear in locked chats. If you want a chat that isn't saved at all and isn't used to improve models, use a temporary chat instead. To switch off training, go to Settings, then Data controls. Our page on whether ChatGPT uses your data for training explains this.
What happens if I forget my ChatGPT PIN?
Short answer: resetting a forgotten PIN deletes every locked chat for good.
This is the biggest catch. OpenAI says a reset permanently deletes all locked chats, anything remembered only inside them, and files protected only by the old PIN. OpenAI Support can't get them back, and a workspace admin can't reset your PIN or unlock your chats. Changing the PIN while you still know it keeps your chats. So pick a PIN you'll remember, and don't keep the only copy of a quote, price list or customer agreement in a locked chat. Save anything important to your own files too.
Which chats can't be locked?
OpenAI lists temporary chats, archived chats, group chats, chats made from a shared link, chats with scheduled tasks, chats with meeting recordings and chats tied to background tasks. If you lock a chat that sits in a project, it leaves the project and stops using that project's instructions and files. If a chat already has a share link, locking it doesn't delete the link, so delete the link separately.
What does this mean for a UK trade or small business?
Short answer: useful for keeping chats off screen, but it doesn't make it fine to paste customer details into ChatGPT.
Good uses:
- Pricing notes, margins and supplier rates you don't want a customer to see over your shoulder.
- Draft letters about a dispute, a late payer or a staff issue on a shared family device.
- Anything personal mixed in with work chats on one phone.
What it doesn't fix: under UK GDPR you're still responsible for any customer personal data you put into ChatGPT, locked or not. The safer habit is to leave names, addresses, phone numbers and bank details out and use placeholders such as [CUSTOMER] and [ADDRESS], then fill them in yourself. Read can I put customer data into ChatGPT?, is ChatGPT GDPR compliant? and the ICO's guidance on AI and data protection. If you have staff using AI, a short AI policy helps.
A prompt to use in a locked chat
I'm a [TRADE] in [TOWN]. Here are my costs for a job: materials [£X], labour [X hours at £X], van and travel [£X]. My target margin is [X%]. Work out a price, show the sum, and write a short, friendly quote for [CUSTOMER] without changing any of my figures.
Your numbers stay hidden from anyone who picks up the phone, and no customer details go in.
If you want ready-made prompts and Word templates built this way, the AI Till Trades Pack has 40 AI prompts for UK trades plus editable quote, invoice and payment reminder templates. It's our own product. The free quote wording generator needs no ChatGPT account at all.
Limits and risks
- Rolling out gradually. If you can't see Lock chat in the three dots menu, it may not have reached your account yet.
- Other screens. OpenAI says other devices may keep showing the chat title until they refresh. Check before sharing your screen.
- No search across locked chats. You browse them in the Locked chats area instead.
- Business plans. On ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu, locked chats are still included in the logs available to the organisation's compliance tools. See what ChatGPT Business is.
For the wider picture, read are ChatGPT chats private?, is ChatGPT safe for business?, how to delete your ChatGPT data and what else changed in ChatGPT this October.
Related questions
Can you lock a chat in ChatGPT?
Yes. Open the chat's three dots menu, choose Lock chat and set a 4-digit PIN. It is rolling out gradually from 20 October 2026 on Free, Go, Plus, Pro and the business plans.
Is locking a ChatGPT chat free?
Yes. OpenAI lists locked chats on the Free plan as well as paid plans, so there's no extra charge.
Does locking a chat stop OpenAI seeing or training on it?
No. Locking only changes where the chat appears and how you open it. Retention and your training setting stay the same. Turn off training in Settings, then Data controls.
Can someone see my ChatGPT history if I lock a chat?
Not in your normal history, pinned chats or search. They would need your PIN or your device unlock to open the Locked chats area.
What happens if I forget my ChatGPT PIN?
You can reset it, but OpenAI says resetting permanently deletes all your locked chats and the files protected by the old PIN. Support can't recover them.
Why have my pinned ChatGPT chats disappeared?
If you locked them, they move out of your pinned list into Projects, then Locked chats. You can't pin a locked chat without unlocking it first.
What's the difference between a locked chat and a temporary chat?
A temporary chat isn't saved to history and isn't used to improve models while it stays temporary. A locked chat is saved and protected by your PIN, and follows your normal training setting.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center: using locked chats in ChatGPT (read 25 October 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT release notes (20 October 2026 entry)
- TechCrunch: ChatGPT now lets you lock your chats (20 October 2026)
- ICO: guidance on AI and data protection
Checked 25 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on it. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
More on data, privacy and gdpr
- Are AI detection tools accurate?
- Are AI tools secure for business?
- Are ChatGPT chats private? Can OpenAI read them?
- Are Microsoft Copilot chats private?
- Can AI agents be trusted?
- Can AI read my WhatsApp messages?
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