# Locking seats

> Learn how to lock seats, add optional notes and symbols, unlock individual seats from the chart, and manage locked-seat groups from the Locked seats list.

Locking a seat reserves it without completing a sale — useful for holding seats for VIPs, press, or any group you are not ready to ticket yet. Locked seats are clearly marked on the chart and can be released at any time.

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## Lock seats

1. Open the event in the Box Office and navigate to the seating chart.
2. Select one or more available seats on the chart.
3. In the right panel, below the seats list, click **Lock**.
4. In the popup that opens, optionally fill in:

- **Note** — a free-text reminder about why the seats are held, such as “Press row” or “VIP hold”. The note appears in the seat info box when you click the locked seat.
- **Symbol** — a single Latin letter from A–Z used to identify related locked seats. The symbol appears inside the seat’s yellow circle on the seating chart.

5. Confirm to apply the lock.

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## How locked seats appear on the chart

Each individually locked seat is shown as a **yellow circle** on the seating chart. If you assigned a symbol, that letter is displayed inside the circle, making it easy to identify related locked seats at a glance.

Click a locked seat to view its note and symbol in the seat info box. For more information about seat states, see [Box office overview](/organizers/box-office-and-orders/box-office-overview.md).

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## Unlock seats from the chart

1. Select one or more locked seats directly on the seating chart.
2. In the right panel, below the seats list, click **Unlock**.
The selected seats are released back to available status with no sale recorded.

> **Note**: Seating charts only show locks on individual seats. To access locked seats inside regions or for custom ticket types, use the **Locked seats list** button.

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## Manage locked seats from the list

Use the **Locked seats list** to view and manage groups of locked seats:

1. In the right panel, click **Locked seats list**.
2. In the popup that opens, review each group of locked seats. The list shows its **Symbol**, **Note**, **Seats**, **Operator** (the cashier or team member who locked the seats), and **Date of locking**.
3. For each group, you can:
- **Edit the note**.
- **Select** individual seats only.
- **Unlock** the whole group.
- **Sell** to select the seats and continue to the [booking-info step](/organizers/box-office-and-orders/in-person-sales-and-registrations.md).