How to Lock WhatsApp Chats (Chat Lock)

To lock a WhatsApp chat, press and hold the conversation in your chat list, tap Lock chat, and confirm with your fingerprint, face unlock or device PIN — the chat then moves into a private Locked chats folder. WhatsApp’s Chat Lock feature keeps your most sensitive conversations out of the main inbox and behind your phone’s biometrics, and it hides their contents from notifications. Here is how to set it up and use it well.

What Chat Lock does

Chat Lock takes a thread out of your normal inbox and puts it in a dedicated Locked chats folder that opens only after you authenticate. Two privacy wins come with it automatically: the chat’s message previews are hidden from notifications (you will not see the sender or text pop up), and the conversation no longer sits in your main list where a glance could reveal it. It works for both one-to-one and group chats, and the other person is never told — locking is entirely on your side.

How to lock a chat

1. Open WhatsApp and go to your Chats list.
2. Press and hold the chat you want to protect. (Alternatively, open the chat, tap the contact or group name at the top, and scroll to Chat lock.)
3. Tap Lock chat and turn it on.
4. Confirm with your fingerprint, face unlock or device PIN.

The chat immediately moves into the Locked chats folder and disappears from your main list.

How to open your locked chats

To see locked conversations, go to your chat list and slowly pull down from the top — the Locked chats folder appears above your normal chats. Tap it and authenticate with your fingerprint, face or PIN. When you are done, they stay hidden again the next time you leave the app.

Add a Secret code for extra privacy

By default, anyone who pulls down on your chat list can at least see that a Locked chats folder exists. A Secret code fixes that. It sets a separate passcode for the folder and can hide the folder entirely, so it only appears when you type the secret code in the search bar.

1. Open the Locked chats folder.
2. Tap the three-dot menu and choose Locked chats settings (or Secret code).
3. Tap Secret code, enter a word or phrase, tap Next, and confirm it.

Now, to reach your locked chats, you type that secret code into the WhatsApp search bar. Choose something memorable but not obvious, because there is no “forgot code” reset that reveals it for you.

Unlock or remove Chat Lock

To unlock a chat, open it from the Locked chats folder, tap the contact or group name, and turn Chat lock off. The conversation returns to your normal inbox. If you set a Secret code and want to stop using it, open Locked chats settings and turn the Secret code off.

Good to know before you rely on it

A few practical points keep Chat Lock working the way you expect. First, it uses your phone’s biometrics or PIN, so you must already have a screen lock set up — if your phone has no lock, set one in your device security settings first. Second, Chat Lock is per-device: locking a chat on your phone does not automatically hide it on a linked companion phone or the desktop app, so lock it on each device where you want it private. Third, media from a locked chat is kept out of your phone’s shared gallery, which stops private photos appearing in your camera roll. Finally, on newer versions you can lock a chat straight from inside the conversation via the contact or group name, which is handy when you are already reading it.

Pair it with your other privacy settings

Chat Lock is strongest as part of a wider privacy setup. Turn on two-step verification so your number cannot be re-registered without your PIN, and control who sees you online with our guide on hiding your last seen. If you use WhatsApp across devices, remember locked chats sync with the account, so review how to use WhatsApp on two phones to keep every device secure.

It helps to be clear about what Chat Lock does and does not protect. It hides chats from someone casually using your unlocked phone, and it keeps previews out of notifications — that covers the everyday worry of a family member or colleague glancing at your screen. It is not extra encryption; all WhatsApp chats are already end-to-end encrypted in transit regardless of Chat Lock. So treat it as a privacy screen on your device, not as protection against hacking. For that side of things, a strong device passcode and two-step verification do the heavy lifting.

Chat Lock is quick to enable and genuinely useful when you hand your phone to someone or worry about over-the-shoulder glances. Lock the chats that matter, add a secret code, and your private conversations stay private.