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NewsFreeSeptember 2026 Edition · Issue of 18 September 2026

OpenAI is retiring custom GPTs: what to do if your team uses them

Archive · Issue of 18 September 2026

What happened

On 11 September 2026 OpenAI told ChatGPT Business customers it plans to retire custom GPTs “across ChatGPT plans” and provide a migration path (ChatGPT Business release notes). The note reached the general ChatGPT release notes on 14 September (ChatGPT release notes). Their replacement is called plugins: reusable instructions, reference files and connected apps in one package.

Why it matters for your business

Many small firms built a custom GPT or two: a “quote writer” loaded with the price list, an “HR helper” with the staff handbook. Those will stop working. OpenAI said teams can keep using existing GPTs until retirement dates it will announce later, and that migration tools are coming.

Update, October 2026: OpenAI’s migration FAQ now gives the dates (OpenAI FAQ):

  • 26 October 2026: you can no longer create new custom GPTs.
  • 11 December 2026: custom GPTs retire on standard plans.
  • 11 February 2027: later date for Enterprise workspaces OpenAI has approved for an extension.

The FAQ describes a Migrate to plugin button under My GPTs. Instructions, knowledge files and connected apps move over. Two catches: custom actions (links to other software) do not move over automatically, and migrated plugins start out private, so colleagues lose access until you share them again. The old GPT turns read-only after migration. Past conversations stay.

The Swiss angle

The change applies to all ChatGPT plans, so Swiss users are affected in the same way. OpenAI notes that migration and plugin access “may vary by account or workspace”, so check what your own account shows. Nothing in the announcement changes prices or where data is stored.

What to do

This week, list every custom GPT your team relies on and who built it. OpenAI’s release note suggests the same: review your existing GPTs and their creators before the retirement date. Pay special attention to any GPT built by someone who has since left, because only creators or admins can migrate. When the migration tools arrive, move the ones you need and test each with a task you know the answer to. If a GPT connects to another tool, plan time to set that connection up again.

Sources

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