What is it, what is it for, who can use it and how to activate it

Let’s explain to you what is lock mode of ChatGPTa method with which you can have more protection against attacks aimed at the artificial intelligence. To do so, it will greatly limit what AI can do, but in exchange it will be more difficult for it to send data abroad.

We are going to start by explaining what this mode is and what it is for, so that you can understand its usefulness. Then we will explain who will be able to use it, and we will finish by explaining the steps to activate it in case you are within that group of users.

What is ChatGPT Lock Mode

ChatGPT’s Lockdown Mode is used to Protect organizations from prompt injection and other types of attacks that could compromise sensitive data of its members.

Prompt injection is when you put a hidden instruction inside a file or a website so that, when an AI reads it, it behaves in a certain way without the user knowing. And this can be quite dangerous in some contexts.

Imagine that you are part of an organization or company where you review contracts, analyze customer data, or work with confidential company information using artificial intelligence. So, by using ChatGPT you expose yourself to the fact that a document, an external app or a website have a hidden instruction to execute commands that send this data to an attacker.

And that’s where this mode comes into play. To protect you, when you activate ChatGPT will very strictly limit AI. With these limitations it will be much less useful, but also safer to use when handling sensitive data.

What it does and what it is for

Lock Mode will limit ChatGPT’s interaction with the outside world. It will be like a barrier that does not allow you to consult apps and pages, in order to minimize the possibilities of attacks and data leaks when you work with extremely sensitive information.

The premise is simple: if ChatGPT can’t send data outyou won’t be able to filter them even if someone tries to trick you. It assumes that an attacker could trick the model, and focuses on preventing this trick from resulting in the leak of sensitive data.

This mode does not eliminate prompt injectionsbut rather the channels through which these injections can cause you to send data to an attacker. For example, ChatGPT will continue reading in a PDF the hidden order to send your clients’ personal data to a certain address. However, without access to external pages, you simply will not be able to comply with that order.

Lockdown Mode disables six key capabilities of artificial intelligence. They are the following:

• Web browsing with live web access: ChatGPT will only be able to access cached content on the web. This makes search results outdated and limited, but also prevents data from being transmitted to an attacker.
• Image Support: ChatGPT responses may not include images.
• Advanced research: This function is disabled.
• Agent mode: This feature is also disabled so that ChatGPT cannot take actions on your behalf.
• Canvas networks: Users cannot approve code generated in canvas to access the Internet.
• File download: ChatGPT will not be able to download files for analysis. If you upload a file you will be able to work on it manually, but you will not be able to download them from the internet.

ChatGPT will answer your questions and help you with the text based on the knowledge it has been trained with, but you will no longer be able to connect to the internet or interact with external systems while you have this mode activated.

One thing you should be careful with is that applications can interact with the Internet when you activate this mode, including MCPs and connectors. This poses an added risk that you must take into account if you link these elements.

Who can use Lock Mode

From June 2026 Any user can use Lock Mode. It was initially aimed only at users of ChatGPT Enterprise, Edu, ChatGPT for Healthcare and ChatGPT for Teachers, but now anyone can use it.

How to activate ChatGPT Lock Mode

To activate ChatGPT blocking mode you have to enter its settings on the web or mobile app. Once inside go to the section Securityand in it activate the option Lock mode that appears in the section Advanced security.

This will open a window informing you of all the things you will no longer be able to do when you activate it. On this screen, simply press the button Activate to confirm the action.

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