Short answerWork backward from December 11, 2026, the planned retirement date in OpenAI's FAQ, which may change. Inventory and back up first, migrate the most important GPTs next, then test and announce well before the date.
Dates in OpenAI's FAQ are described as planned and subject to change. Check your plan before relying on this schedule.
Countdown plan
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| Now (as soon as you can) | Inventory every GPT (template). Back up instructions and files. |
| 6 weeks before | Choose a destination for each GPT. Start Actions rebuilds, which take longest. |
| 4 weeks before | Migrate the top GPTs. Finish edits to originals first. |
| 3 weeks before | Test with real questions (test set). |
| 2 weeks before | Share, announce and update links. |
| 1 week before | Fix leftovers. Keep a final backup of everything. |
| December 11, 2026 | Planned retirement of Custom GPTs. |
If you are late, read what to do if you miss the deadline.
Check your GPT before you move it
Paste your instructions, file names and Actions schema into the free checker. It runs in your browser and builds a portable bundle. Nothing is uploaded.
Open the free checkerRelated guides
Sources
Pages describing other companies' products reflect their public documentation on the date shown and can go out of date.