How to Migrate a Custom GPT to a ChatGPT Plugin Before 11 December
Custom GPTs retire on 11 December 2026. Here is how to migrate a custom GPT to a ChatGPT plugin step by step, what transfers, what does not, and what to do if the option is missing.
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To migrate a custom GPT to a ChatGPT plugin, open My GPTs, select Migrate to plugin for the GPT you created, review the migration details and follow the instructions. Custom GPTs are scheduled to retire on 11 December 2026, so creators should migrate custom GPT workflows and test the replacement before then.
Migration only moves part of a GPT. Instructions, knowledge files and connected apps carry over; custom actions, the selected model and sharing settings do not. This guide walks through the steps, what to check, and what to do if you only use someone else’s GPT.
Quick summary
- Deadline: custom GPTs retire on 11 December 2026 for most accounts. FedRAMP workspaces and Enterprise workspaces with a qualifying, approved deferral get until 11 February 2027.
- Who can migrate: the GPT’s creator, or a workspace admin in Enterprise, using the account or workspace where the GPT was created.
- What moves: instructions become a skill, knowledge files become reference files, connected apps become apps.
- What doesn’t: custom actions, the chosen model, public sharing settings, drafts and unpublished edits.
- Simpler option: for writing, research or planning work, a ChatGPT project may be enough.
Why custom GPTs are being retired
OpenAI is replacing custom GPTs with plugins. A plugin can bundle reusable instructions (called skills), reference files and connected apps, so the guidance you wrote can work alongside the tools a task needs. The change affects all ChatGPT plans, although migration and plugin access may differ by account or workspace, so always follow the notice shown in your own account.
Also read: Gemini on CarPlay: How to Use Gemini Live in Your Car (iPhone Guide)
Your GPT is not gone yet. Existing GPTs keep working until the retirement date, and your old conversations with them stay accessible after retirement without you doing anything. What disappears on the retirement date is the GPT itself and its GPT page.
What you need before you migrate a custom GPT
- The ChatGPT account or workspace where the GPT was created. Being allowed to use a GPT does not let you migrate it.
- A published version of the GPT. Migration uses the latest published version; drafts and unpublished edits do not transfer. Publishing does not mean sharing it publicly.
- Plugin access on your account. In a managed workspace, plugins must be enabled.
- A few familiar prompts saved somewhere, so you can compare the plugin’s answers with your GPT’s.
How to migrate a custom GPT to a plugin: step by step
The migration itself is short. The careful part is preparing beforehand and testing afterwards, because the original GPT becomes read-only once it is migrated.
- Finish and publish your edits. Make any essential changes and publish them. After migration the original GPT is read-only and its creator cannot delete it, and future changes go into the plugin.
- Open My GPTs. Sign in to the account or workspace where you built the GPT and open your GPT list.
- Select Migrate to plugin. Choose it for the GPT you want to move. If you don’t see it, migration may not have reached your account yet (see the fixes below).
- Review the migration details. Follow the on-screen instructions to create the plugin.
- Check what came across. Read the migrated skill (your old instructions) and the reference files.
- Test it. Run your familiar prompts and at least one harder case. Check it picks the right skill, uses the right reference material, produces complete answers or files in the right format, and has the tools it needs.
- Share it if needed. The new plugin starts private and is not installed for anyone automatically. Share it only after testing.
What transfers and what doesn’t
Plan the extra work before you start. Here is how each part of a GPT is handled, according to OpenAI’s migration FAQ.
| Part of your GPT | After migration |
|---|---|
| Instructions | Become a skill inside the plugin |
| Knowledge files | Copied into the plugin’s reference files |
| Connected apps | Added to the plugin as apps |
| Custom actions | Not transferred; must be rebuilt |
| Selected model | Not transferred (Enterprise defaults apply in Enterprise) |
| Public sharing settings | Not transferred; the plugin starts private |
| Drafts and unpublished edits | Not transferred |
| Past conversations | Stay in your chat history |
How to replace custom actions
Custom actions are the biggest gap. Any feature that depended on one will not work in the plugin until you set up a replacement, so start with GPTs that call outside services.
- List each custom action and the task it performs.
- Check whether an available app already supports those tasks.
- If none fits, the connection may need a custom MCP server. That is a technical job, and access to custom integrations depends on your account or workspace.
- Test the rebuilt integration separately before switching, and don’t assume it can do everything the original action did.
If your business relies on a GPT that talks to internal systems, it may be worth asking a developer to review the rebuild. Suprams, which runs TeQBlogs, offers custom software development for this kind of integration work.
Don’t see Migrate to plugin? Try these fixes
- Wrong account: switch to the account or workspace where the GPT was created.
- Not rolled out yet: migration reaches accounts at different times; check the notice in your account.
- Plugins disabled: in a workspace, ask your admin to check that plugins are enabled.
- Not published: drafts can’t be migrated. Publish the GPT first; it doesn’t need to be public.
- Not the creator: only the creator, or an Enterprise workspace admin, can migrate it.
Enterprise admins can also migrate many GPTs at once through the ChatGPT Admin plugin. Getting the full inventory of a workspace’s GPTs currently requires a workspace Owner, and bulk migration runs in the background, so check each result before asking staff to switch.
If you only use someone else’s GPT
You don’t need to migrate anything. Look for the notice on the GPT and any guidance from its creator about a replacement plugin. Access to the old GPT does not automatically give you access to its replacement, so check that the plugin is available to you before the retirement date. Once it is installed, you can call it with an @ mention or pick it from the + menu where supported, and ChatGPT may also use a relevant installed skill on its own.
If you used a GPT mainly to keep instructions and files together, a project may be simpler: select New project in the sidebar, add your instructions in Project settings, upload your reference files and start a new chat. Old GPT chats can’t be moved into a project. Google is making a similar move with Gemini, which we covered in how to convert Gemini Gems to skills.
Frequently asked questions
When do custom GPTs stop working?
The standard retirement date is 11 December 2026. FedRAMP workspaces and Enterprise workspaces with a qualifying, approved deferral have until 11 February 2027; follow the notice in your own account.
Will I lose my chats with a custom GPT?
No. OpenAI says existing conversations with custom GPTs remain accessible after retirement, and you don’t need to do anything to keep them.
Does the migrated plugin use the same model as my GPT?
Not necessarily. The GPT’s selected model does not carry over, so answers may differ. Test with familiar prompts before relying on it.
Can I still edit my GPT after migrating it?
No. The original GPT becomes read-only after migration, though it stays usable until retirement. Make all future changes in the plugin instead.
Bottom line
If you built a custom GPT, publish your final edits, use Migrate to plugin, and test the result well before 11 December 2026. Start early with any GPT that uses custom actions, because those need rebuilding. The same day, ChatGPT also retires Advanced voice; read our explainer on ChatGPT Advanced Voice retiring, and see ChatGPT plans in India to check which features your plan includes.
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