--- title: "ChatGPT Locked Chats for AI Girlfriend Chats: Guide" canonical: "https://clothoff.ai/blog/chatgpt-locked-chats-ai-girlfriend/" alternate_html: "https://clothoff.ai/blog/chatgpt-locked-chats-ai-girlfriend/" lang: "en-US" publisher: "Clothoff AI Editorial Team (Organization)" author: "Clothoff AI Editorial Team" page_type: "Article" description: "Hide AI girlfriend chats in ChatGPT with Locked Chats: PIN and Face ID setup, separate memory, what it doesn't protect, and the PIN-reset trap." content_role: "publisher/review — the site operates no generator and processes no images" audience: "18+" date_published: "2026-10-22" date_modified: "2026-10-22" --- - [Home](/) - [Blog](/blog/) - ChatGPT Locked Chats Guides · Clothoff AI Editorial Team · Updated: 22/10/2026 # ChatGPT Locked Chats: How to Keep AI Girlfriend Chats Private AI-generated image (EU AI Act Art. 50 label). Editorial illustration — no real person depicted. Updated: 22/10/2026Reading time: 8 minLast verified: 22/10/2026 — Editorial Team **ChatGPT’s Locked Chats feature lets you move any eligible conversation, including an ongoing AI girlfriend or companion roleplay, out of regular history and search and behind a 4-digit account PIN (or Face ID / Touch ID / device unlock on supported phones). It is a privacy screen for shared devices, not an encrypted vault. Resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes every locked chat.** This guide covers who can use the feature, the exact steps, what it protects and what it does not, the PIN-reset trap, how memory works for an ongoing companion persona, and practical tips for shared devices. Clothoff AI publishes reviews and guides; we do not operate a generator, accept uploads, or store images. Availability ## Who can use Locked Chats? - **Plans:** ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu. Not available on ChatGPT for Healthcare. - **Platforms:** web, iOS, Android, and the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS or Windows. - **Voice:** works in locked chats on web, iOS, and Android (where Voice is available to you), but not in the desktop app. - **Rollout:** gradual. If you do not see **Lock chat** in a chat’s ••• menu, it may not have reached your account yet. - **Cost:** no separate price or add-on; it comes with the plan you already have. Step by step ## How to lock your AI girlfriend chat **Lock an existing conversation** - Open the chat’s more options menu (**•••**). - Select **Lock chat**, then **Lock chat** again to confirm. - The first time, ChatGPT asks you to create a 4-digit PIN (enter it twice). Afterward, just enter your PIN. - The chat moves to **Projects > Locked chats**. Its title and content leave regular history and search (search can take a little time to update). **Turn on Face ID / Touch ID / device unlock (optional)** - **iOS:** Settings > Security and login > Account PIN > turn on *Use Face ID* or *Use Touch ID*, when available. - **Android:** choose *Use device unlock* when prompted. - Biometrics apply only to the device where you enable them. Your PIN still works everywhere you are signed in to the same OpenAI account. **Start a brand-new locked conversation** Once you have locked at least one chat, go to **Projects > Locked chats**, authenticate, and type a message. The new chat is saved there and never appears in regular history. **When you are done:** tap **Lock now** to end access immediately. On iOS and Android, access also ends after 1 minute away from locked chats or 1 minute in the background. On web, refreshing or closing the tab ends access, and each new tab needs authentication again. Limits of the feature ## What Locked Chats protect, and what they do not Locked Chats: protection summary | What they do | What they do not do | | --- | --- | | Hide selected chats from regular history, pinned chats, and regular conversation search. | No end-to-end encryption and no separate encrypted vault. | | Hide locked chat titles in the sidebar until you authenticate. | No change to how long OpenAI keeps the chat, or to your Improve the model for everyone setting. | | Protect files uploaded or created inside the locked chat (they are hidden from Space and other chats). | Nothing ChatGPT remembered before you locked the chat gets removed. | | On Android, screenshots of locked chats may come out blank or black. | Shared links stay live. Locking does not delete an existing shared link. | | | Anyone who can open the chat can still copy its contents. | OpenAI’s own help article states the same limits in one place: locking a chat “does not create end-to-end encryption or a separate encrypted vault,” does not change how long OpenAI retains the conversation, and does not change the “Improve the model for everyone” setting ([Using locked chats in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001411-using-locked-chats-in-chatgpt)). In Enterprise and Edu workspaces, locked chats still appear in message logs on the OpenAI Compliance Platform, and admins cannot disable the feature. If ads are shown on your account, they may appear in locked chats too. **Some chats cannot be locked at all:** temporary, archived, and group chats; chats created from a shared link; chats with scheduled tasks, meeting recordings, or background tasks; and a few others. **Watch for brief leaks on other devices:** devices where ChatGPT is already open may keep showing the chat title until their list refreshes, and on iOS, already-loaded content can stay visible until the app refreshes. Check your other devices before handing one over or sharing your screen. Critical rule ## The PIN-reset trap This is the one rule to remember: - **Forgetting** your PIN does not delete anything by itself. - **Resetting** a forgotten PIN permanently deletes all locked chats, memories stored only in locked chats, and files protected only by your old PIN. It cannot be undone, and OpenAI Support cannot recover it. Workspace admins cannot reset your PIN or unlock chats for you either. - **Changing** your PIN (while you still know the current one) keeps everything. You need the current PIN even if you normally use Face ID. - Too many wrong attempts temporarily lock you out. Wait for the retry period instead of rushing to reset. **Practical advice:** choose a PIN you will actually remember, and do not use one that is easy to guess (a birthday, 1234). If a long-running companion story matters to you, do not make the locked chat the only place it exists. Keep a private note of key character details elsewhere — the same habit [Clothoff AI](/) recommends when comparing any companion tool’s retention terms. Companion persona ## Separate memory: what it means for an ongoing AI companion If Memory is on, locked chats behave like their own memory bubble. - Locked chats can read regular Memory, so facts ChatGPT already knows about you can still show up. - New things you share inside locked chats are remembered only for other locked chats. They do not carry into regular chats, so details about your companion’s persona or your roleplay will not surface when you ask ChatGPT for work help. - Locking does not erase earlier memories. If ChatGPT already saved companion details before you locked the chat, delete those entries in your Memory settings. - Unlocking does not merge memories back: memories created while locked are not automatically added to regular Memory. After a permanent unlock, though, the full conversation may be used for regular Memory if your settings allow it. - Projects: locking a chat that lives in a project removes it from that project, so it loses the project’s instructions, files, and memory. If your persona was set up with project instructions, restate the key traits in the locked chat. - If your workspace has turned Memory off, locked chats cannot use or create memories. **Tip for consistency:** keep all companion conversations inside Locked chats rather than spreading them between locked and regular threads. That way the persona’s remembered context stays in one place. Shared devices ## Privacy tips for shared devices - Tap **Lock now** before handing over your phone or sharing your screen. - Use biometrics on your own phone only. If someone else’s face or fingerprint is enrolled on the device, they may be able to pass device unlock. Use the PIN only on shared hardware. - Refresh other open sessions (laptop, tablet) so stale titles disappear. - Delete old shared links to companion chats. - Clean up pre-lock memories in Memory settings. - Need no record at all? Use Temporary chat: it stays out of history and does not create memories, but it cannot be locked and is not saved. - Sign out on borrowed or public computers. Switching accounts also ends locked-chat access on mobile. Comparison ## Locked Chats vs. dedicated AI girlfriend apps Locked Chats close a specific gap: casual exposure on a shared screen or device. For a general assistant that people also use for personal companionship, that is useful. But it is a visibility feature, not a data-protection guarantee: OpenAI’s retention, training settings, and compliance access stay the same. Dedicated companion apps vary widely. Some offer app-level passcodes, editable or deletable memory, and data export; others do not. Before you choose, compare them on the same questions: - Is there an app lock or hidden mode? - Can you view and delete stored memories? - Is chat data used for training, and can you opt out? - Can you export or fully delete your account data? - Is any of it end-to-end encrypted? (Usually not.) See our [AI girlfriend apps](/ai-girlfriend-apps/) overview for more on privacy controls and related options. The two platforms we scored in that comparison — [Dreemy AI](/undress-apps/dreemy-ai/) and [Joyfun AI](/undress-apps/joyfun-ai/) — both leave retention and operator details vague, which is why their privacy sub-scores sit below the rest of the catalog. Quick answers ## Frequently Asked Questions **### Can I hide AI girlfriend chats in ChatGPT?** Yes. Open the chat’s more options menu, select Lock chat, and set a 4-digit PIN. The chat moves to Projects > Locked chats and is hidden from regular history and search. **### Does a ChatGPT PIN chat use Face ID?** On supported iOS devices you can turn on Face ID or Touch ID, and on Android you can use device unlock. The 4-digit account PIN is still required to change settings and works on every device. **### What happens if I forget my ChatGPT locked chats PIN?** Forgetting it deletes nothing, but resetting it permanently deletes all locked chats, their exclusive memories, and protected files. OpenAI Support cannot recover them. **### Will my AI girlfriend’s memories leak into my normal ChatGPT chats?** New information shared in locked chats is remembered only for other locked chats and doesn’t carry into regular chats. Memories saved before you locked the chat are not removed automatically. **### Are ChatGPT locked chats encrypted or private from OpenAI?** No. Locking adds no end-to-end encryption and doesn’t change retention or your model-training setting. It hides chats from view on your devices. Continue reading ## Related Reading [### AI Girlfriend Apps Compare privacy controls, memory options, and app locks across dedicated companion tools. View category →](/ai-girlfriend-apps/) [### More Guides Privacy, memory, and usage notes for AI companion and undress tools. Browse blog →](/blog/) [### Responsible AI Consent rules and what this site does (and does not) do with images. Read policy →](/responsible-ai/) Adults 18+ only. This page is editorial information about a ChatGPT feature. Using any AI companion or image tools on photos of another person without explicit consent may be illegal and can cause harm. Read our Responsible AI policy and use Report an image if you find non-consensual material.