# Open WebUI 0.12.3 adds end-to-end encrypted chats and one search box for the whole workspace

> OnPrem World · https://onpremworld.com/en/news/2026-10-open-webui-0-12-3-encrypted-chats · CC BY 4.0

Published: 2026-10-16 · Runtimes & apps

Open WebUI v0.12.3 lets direct messages and private group channels hold a temporary end-to-end encrypted chat: messages of up to 16 KiB are encrypted in the browser with MLS, only passed through the server without being saved, and cleared when you leave or reload. The feature is off by default; administrators enable it and grant a new Encrypted Channels permission, and it needs websockets, websocket server logging turned off and HTTPS in production. The release also adds one search across chats, shared folders, channels and notes, and limits the Google Drive picker to the files a user picks.

## Why it matters locally

Teams that already use a self-hosted Open WebUI for AI can now hold a sensitive side conversation in the same tool without the server keeping a copy.

## For the market

Open WebUI keeps adding team features such as channels, shared chats and now encrypted chats, which likely moves it from a chat front end toward an internal workspace that competes with hosted collaboration tools. Limiting Google Drive access to picked files also removes a verification hurdle for self-hosted installs.

## In plain words

Open WebUI is a free, self-hosted chat app for AI that many offices run on their own server. Colleagues can now start a private, scrambled conversation inside it that even the office server cannot read or keep, a bit like a sealed envelope passed by hand.

## For practitioners

Encrypted chats stay off until you set ENABLE_ENCRYPTED_CHANNELS and grant the permission, and they require websockets, websocket server logging off and HTTPS in production, so check your reverse proxy first. If you run Redis with WEBSOCKET_REDIS_ROOM_CHANNELS, the Redis user now needs PUBLISH, SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE and PING; also note that skills attached to a model now send their full instructions with each message, which lengthens prompts.

## Source

[Open WebUI v0.12.3 release notes (GitHub)](https://github.com/open-webui/open-webui/releases/tag/v0.12.3)

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