---
title: "Lock a list or the whole app"
description: "Put a numeric PIN on a single list, or on Kairo itself, so a passing glance doesn't reveal everything."
section: "Privacy & account"
keywords: "lock, pin, password, private, hide, secure, passcode, privacy"
canonical: https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/locks
---
# Lock a list or the whole app

Put a numeric PIN on a single list, or on Kairo itself, so a passing glance doesn't reveal everything.

Source: https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/locks
Section: Privacy & account

## Lock a list

1. Go to **Lists** and find the list.
2. Click **Lock**.
3. Enter a PIN of 4–8 digits, then confirm it.

Its tasks now disappear from **everywhere**, Today, the Calendar, the Log, search, the inbox count, even the AI's context. The list itself shows only its name and a *Locked, tap to unlock* panel.

> **Note:** If a locked list has tasks planned for today, Today shows a discreet `🔒 2 hidden` note without revealing any titles.

## Lock all of Kairo

1. Open your profile and find **App lock**.
2. Click **Set up**, then choose and confirm a PIN.

A full-screen PIN pad now guards the app. Use **🔒 Lock now** whenever you step away, and note that keyboard shortcuts are disabled while the lock screen is up.

> **Good to know:** On a computer, just type: digits enter the PIN, `Backspace` deletes, `Enter` confirms. No clicking required.

## How unlocking lasts

- An unlock applies to **the tab you're in**. Refreshing and navigating keep it open.
- A new tab, a new window, or reopening Kairo asks for the PIN again.
- **Relock** hides an unlocked list again immediately, useful before handing someone your laptop.
- Unlocks are per account: unlocking as one [account](https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/accounts) never reveals anything in another.

## Change or remove a PIN

Both locks offer **Change PIN** and **Remove** while unlocked. Each requires the current PIN, knowing the old one is always the price of changing it.

> **Heads up:** There is no PIN recovery. If you forget a list's PIN, its contents stay hidden; if you forget the app PIN, you can still sign out from the lock screen and sign in again, but the list PIN can't be reset for you.

## What a lock actually protects

PINs are never stored as text, only a salted hash lives on the server, checks happen there, and every wrong attempt is deliberately slowed down.

> **Heads up:** Be clear-eyed about what this is: **glance privacy, not encryption.** It stops someone using your unlocked device from seeing those tasks. It does not protect against someone who can inspect the page, use the API with your session, or read the database. There's also no attempt limit, a determined person with your unlocked laptop could guess a 4-digit PIN.

> **Note:** The app lock guards **one account**. If you have other [accounts](https://kairo.jaimansoni.com/support/accounts) signed in, the lock screen lets you switch to them without unlocking this one, by design, so you're never trapped.