OpenAI Removes GPT-4o From ChatGPT on February 13

OpenAI has announced it will remove several older models from ChatGPT’s model picker on February 13, 2026, including GPT-4o.

The change affects how users choose models inside ChatGPT, but does not change API availability “at this time,” meaning developers using these models through the OpenAI API aren’t being forced to migrate because of this specific ChatGPT retirement notice.

Which models are being retired in ChatGPT?

According to OpenAI’s Help Centre notice, ChatGPT will retire the following models on February 13, 2026: GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, OpenAI o4-mini, and (as previously announced) GPT-5 Instant and GPT-5 Thinking. After that date, they will no longer be selectable or usable inside ChatGPT.

What happens to your existing chats and projects?

OpenAI says your existing conversations don’t disappear,but they won’t keep running on the retired models. Instead, conversations will default to GPT-5.2 going forward. Projects and chats that were using GPT-4o (or the other retired models) can still be continued after February 13, but they’ll continue under available models rather than the retired ones.

What happens to GPTs (Custom GPTs)?

If you built or use GPTs that were set to any of the retiring models, OpenAI says those GPTs are unaffected until February 13, 2026. On that date, the GPT’s default model will be updated to GPT-5.2, and new messages will run on GPT-5.2.

Why OpenAI is retiring GPT-4o (and the others)

OpenAI’s blog post gives specific context for GPT-4o. The company notes that after GPT-4o was first deprecated and then restored during the GPT-5 rollout, it gained clearer insight into why some users preferred it, particularly for creative ideation and its “conversational style and warmth.”

OpenAI says user feedback influenced updates in GPT-5.1 and GPT-5.2, especially around “personality,” creative support, and response customisation (including selectable base styles like “Friendly” and controls for “warmth and enthusiasm”).

The second major reason is usage: OpenAI reports that the “vast majority” of usage has shifted to GPT-5.2, with only 0.1% of users still choosing GPT-4o each day, making it harder to justify maintaining the older model in ChatGPT.

What’s NOT changing (important)

A common worry is that anything “based on GPT-4o” might vanish. OpenAI explicitly clarifies a few key areas:

• API access: These retirements are for ChatGPT. “In the API, there are no changes at this time,” and OpenAI says it will give advance notice ahead of any future API retirements.
  
• Voice mode: ChatGPT Voice is not changing as part of this update (OpenAI notes Voice uses a similar base model, but it’s “ultimately a different model” from the text GPT-4o being retired).
  
• Images: ChatGPT Images is also not changing as part of this update (again, described as a different model from the text GPT-4o).

What you should do before February 13

If you regularly select GPT-4o (or any of the other retiring models), you don’t need to “save” your chats—but you should plan for the switch:

1. Test GPT-5.2 now for your key workflows (writing, brainstorming, formatting, coding, research prompts).
   
2. If you rely on GPT-4o’s tone, try the newer customization options OpenAI highlights (style/tone settings) to recreate the “warmth” you preferred.
   
3. Review any GPTs you built that are pinned to older models,expect automatic migration to GPT-5.2 on Feb 13.