Washington, October 21, 2026 : OpenAI has introduced a new privacy feature in ChatGPT that enables users to protect individual conversations with a four-digit PIN or supported device authentication, adding an extra layer of privacy for sensitive chats.
The feature, called Locked Chats, moves selected conversations into a dedicated section under Projects, keeping them separate from the regular chat history and search results. Users can lock a conversation by selecting the “Lock chat” option from the chat’s menu.
Access to locked conversations is protected through an account PIN or supported authentication methods, including Face ID, Touch ID and device unlock, depending on the device.
OpenAI noted that the feature provides an additional privacy safeguard but does not create a separate encrypted vault or change existing data-retention and model-improvement settings.
Users are also advised to keep their PIN secure. According to OpenAI, resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes the locked conversations, their associated files and information stored exclusively within them. This content cannot be recovered, including through the company’s support team.
The feature is being rolled out gradually across ChatGPT’s Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans. It is available across the web, iOS and Android applications, as well as the macOS and Windows desktop apps.
Source: QNA
