What is Custom GPT migration?
A Custom GPT is made of a few parts: instructions, knowledge files, sometimes Actions that call outside services, and settings such as conversation starters. Migration means moving those parts so your assistant keeps working somewhere that will outlast the original.
Why people are migrating
OpenAI's help center describes a planned retirement of Custom GPTs and encourages users to consider plugins as the replacement. The dates it lists, and what they mean for you, are on our retirement dates page. Even if your plan has a later date, anything customers or teammates rely on deserves a plan now.
Your three options
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI's Migrate to plugin | Teams that stay in ChatGPT | Actions do not transfer; you must be the creator or an admin; the GPT must be published |
| Rebuild on another platform | Teams that want a different assistant or embed | You redo setup and testing; behavior will differ |
| Host it yourself | Public or customer-facing bots | You choose and pay for a model provider |
The alternatives guide explains how to choose, and the step-by-step guide walks through each path.
What transfers and what does not
With OpenAI's own migration, instructions become a skill and knowledge files come over as reference files. Custom actions, the selected model, conversation starters, previous chats and capability settings do not carry over one-to-one. See the full transfer breakdown.
Where to start
- Run the free checker to see what your GPT contains.
- Export your instructions and back up your files.
- Follow the migration checklist.
- Test the new version before you tell anyone to switch.
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
- OpenAI Help Center: Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ
- ChatGPT Learn: Moving your custom GPT workflows to plugins
Pages describing other companies' products reflect their public documentation on the date shown and can go out of date.