When is GPT-4o being retired?

GPT-4o is being retired from ChatGPT on February 13, 2026, along with GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini. The API will continue to support these models at this time.

What will replace GPT-4o in ChatGPT?

GPT-5.2 is the successor. It comes in three modes: Instant (fast, everyday tasks), Thinking (complex reasoning), and Pro (maximum accuracy). All are smarter than GPT-4o.

Will GPT-4o still work in the API after February 13?

Yes. OpenAI stated 'in the API, there are no changes at this time.' API users can continue using GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, and o4-mini for now.

Why is OpenAI retiring GPT-4o?

GPT-5.2 significantly outperforms GPT-4o across all benchmarks. Maintaining legacy models increases complexity. OpenAI is consolidating around the GPT-5 series.

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January 30, 20266 MIN READ

GPT-4o Retiring February 13, 2026: What You Need to Know

By Learnia Team

GPT-4o Retiring February 13, 2026: What You Need to Know

This article is written in English. Our training modules are available in multiple languages.

On January 29, 2026, OpenAI announced a significant cleanup of legacy models in ChatGPT. GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini will all be retired from ChatGPT on February 13, 2026—just two weeks away.

This follows the previously announced retirement of GPT-5 (Instant and Thinking) as OpenAI consolidates around GPT-5.2.

What's Being Retired

Model	Retirement Date	Replacement
GPT-4o	February 13, 2026	GPT-5.2 Instant
GPT-4.1	February 13, 2026	GPT-5.2 Instant/Thinking
GPT-4.1 mini	February 13, 2026	GPT-5.2 Instant
o4-mini	February 13, 2026	GPT-5.2 Thinking
GPT-5 (Instant)	February 13, 2026	GPT-5.2 Instant
GPT-5 (Thinking)	February 13, 2026	GPT-5.2 Thinking

Important: These changes only affect ChatGPT. API access to these models remains unchanged for now.

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What GPT-5.2 Brings

GPT-5.2, released December 11, 2025, offers three modes to replace all legacy models:

GPT-5.2 Instant

→Fast everyday assistant
→Better at info-seeking, how-tos, technical writing
→More conversational tone
→Improved for studying and skill-building

GPT-5.2 Thinking

→Complex reasoning and problem-solving
→Better spreadsheet/financial modeling
→Improved coding and summarization
→Clearer step-by-step explanations

GPT-5.2 Pro

→Maximum accuracy for difficult questions
→Fewer major errors
→Best for complex programming
→Worth waiting for when reliability matters

All three have a knowledge cutoff of August 2025—significantly more current than GPT-4o's older cutoff.

Who Is Affected

ChatGPT Users (All Plans)

→Free users: Will use GPT-5.2 Instant by default
→Go/Plus users: GPT-5.2 with Thinking mode access
→Pro users: Full access to Instant, Thinking, and Pro modes
→Enterprise/Edu: Same access as paid plans

API Users

→No immediate changes. API access to GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, and o4-mini continues
→Future API deprecation dates not yet announced
→Continue monitoring OpenAI's deprecation page

Migration Timeline

Date	Event
December 11, 2025	GPT-5.2 released in ChatGPT
January 29, 2026	Retirement announcement
February 13, 2026	GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, o4-mini removed from ChatGPT
TBD	API deprecation (not yet announced)

What You Should Do

If You Use ChatGPT

→Start using GPT-5.2 now to familiarize yourself with its behavior
→Update any saved prompts that reference specific models
→Test your workflows with GPT-5.2 before February 13
→Note behavioral differences—GPT-5.2 is warmer and more conversational

If You Use the API

→No immediate action required—models continue to work
→Plan for eventual migration to GPT-5.2 API endpoints
→Monitor announcements for API deprecation timeline
→Test GPT-5.2 API (available as gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

If You Use GPTs (Custom GPTs)

→GPTs will automatically use available models
→GPTs without custom actions can use any available model
→Update your GPT configurations if needed

Comparing Performance

GPT-5.2 consistently outperforms GPT-4o:

Capability	GPT-4o	GPT-5.2 Instant	GPT-5.2 Thinking
Speed	Fast	Faster	Slower (reasoning)
Coding	Good	Better	Best
Math	Good	Better	Best
Following instructions	Good	Better	Best
Knowledge cutoff	Jan 2024	Aug 2025	Aug 2025
Context window	128K	196K	196K

Why the Aggressive Deprecation?

OpenAI has been accelerating model releases:

→GPT-5 launched August 7, 2025
→GPT-5.1 launched November 12, 2025
→GPT-5.2 launched December 11, 2025

Maintaining multiple model generations is:

→Expensive in compute resources
→Complex for user experience
→Confusing with too many options
→Unnecessary when newer models are strictly better

The February 13 cleanup removes 6+ legacy models, simplifying ChatGPT to the GPT-5.2 family.

Model Picker Changes

After February 13, the ChatGPT model picker will show:

For Free users:

→GPT-5.2 Instant (default)
→Thinking mode (from tools menu)

For Plus/Pro users:

→GPT-5.2 (with Instant/Thinking toggle)
→GPT-5.2 Pro (Pro users only)
→o3-pro (Pro/Team only)

The "Show additional models" toggle in settings will no longer show 4o, 4.1, or o4-mini.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still access GPT-4o after February 13?

Not in ChatGPT. API access continues for now.

Will my old conversations using GPT-4o still work?

Yes. You can view them, but new messages will use GPT-5.2.

Is GPT-5.2 really better than GPT-4o?

Yes, across all benchmarks. OpenAI wouldn't deprecate if it weren't.

What if I preferred GPT-4o's behavior?

Try adjusting GPT-5.2's personality settings. It's more customizable than GPT-4o was.

Will prices change?

No pricing changes announced with this deprecation.

Key Takeaways

→February 13, 2026 is the end for GPT-4o in ChatGPT
→GPT-5.2 replaces all legacy models with improved performance
→API users have more time—no changes yet
→Start migrating now to avoid surprises
→GPT-5.2 is better—this isn't a downgrade

Official Sources

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