{"id":11287,"date":"2026-02-02T18:32:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T13:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/?p=11287"},"modified":"2026-02-02T18:37:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T13:07:33","slug":"lock-unlock-aadhaar-in-minutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/lock-unlock-aadhaar-in-minutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Lock Unlock Aadhaar in Minutes: Here\u2019s How to Do It Using UIDAI Website and Mobile App"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your Aadhaar number is an important identity proof used across banks, government services and digital platforms. To add an extra layer of security, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) now allows you to lock your Aadhaar. Once locked, you cannot use your Aadhaar number for authentication; instead, you can use a Virtual ID (VID) for verification. Let\u2019s delve deeper into this to know the proper steps.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Prerequisites<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before locking your Aadhaar, ensure you have the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your Aadhaar number (UID)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A registered mobile number linked with Aadhaar (to receive OTP)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A 16-digit Virtual ID (VID). You can generate it from the UIDAI website or the mAadhaar app<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are mainly 2 steps to doing so. One is either through the mAadhaar App, and the other is through the UIDAI website. Let\u2019s know about both processes for more clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Lock Aadhaar via the UIDAI Website<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Follow these steps to lock your Aadhaar on the official UIDAI website:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Go to<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and click on Lock\/Unlock Aadhaar under \u201cMy Aadhaar\u201d services.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read the instructions and click Next.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Enter your Virtual ID (VID), full name and pincode.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Type the captcha and click Send OTP.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Enter the OTP received on your registered mobile number and click on Lock Aadhaar.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once your Aadhaar is locked, you will not be able to authenticate using your Aadhaar number. You will have to use the VID for any authentication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11289 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-68.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"784\" height=\"513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-68.avif 784w, https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-68-300x196.avif 300w, https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-68-768x503.avif 768w, https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-68-150x98.avif 150w, https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Untitled-design-68-450x294.avif 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Lock Aadhaar Using mAadhaar App<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can also lock your Aadhaar directly from the mAadhaar mobile app by following the steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Open the mAadhaar app and log in.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tap on Aadhaar Lock from the \u201cMy Aadhaar\u201d tab.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read the confirmation message and check \u201cI agree\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lastly, tap Lock Aadhaar to complete the process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After all of this, Aadhaar-based authentication will be disabled. You can unlock your Aadhaar anytime from the \u201cUnlock\u201d section using your VID.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-11291 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-02-181742.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"571\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-02-181742.avif 571w, https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-02-181742-294x300.avif 294w, https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-02-181742-150x153.avif 150w, https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-02-181742-450x459.avif 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 571px) 100vw, 571px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Locking your Aadhaar is a smart security step to prevent unauthorized use of your personal information. Whether you do it through the UIDAI website or the mAadhaar app, the process is quick, secure and reversible anytime.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>FAQs<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b> What is a Virtual ID (VID)?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A VID is a temporary 16-digit number linked to your Aadhaar. It can be used instead of your Aadhaar number for authentication.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b> How can I generate my VID?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can generate it on the UIDAI website or the mAadhaar app by selecting Generate Virtual ID in the application.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b> Can I unlock my Aadhaar later?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Yes. You can unlock it anytime using the same steps. Just select Unlock Aadhaar instead of Lock Aadhaar.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b> How is the New Aadhaar App different from the old mAadhaar app?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Unlike mAadhaar, the new app supports consent-based data sharing, offline QR verification, face\/biometric features and more privacy controls. Support for the old mAadhaar app is being phased out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your Aadhaar number is an important identity proof used across banks, government services and digital platforms. To add an extra layer of security, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) now allows you to lock your Aadhaar. Once locked, you cannot use your Aadhaar number for authentication; instead, you can use a Virtual ID (VID)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":11295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[139,17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11287","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-apps","8":"category-technology"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11287"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11298,"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11287\/revisions\/11298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardwire.news\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}