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OpenAI retires the DALL-E GPT from ChatGPT on August 30, leaving users two days to save their generated images

· by Pondero Newsdesk

The short version

The official DALL-E GPT inside ChatGPT shuts down on August 30, 2026. Images created through it are not migrated automatically. ChatGPT Images, running on gpt-image-1 and gpt-image-1-mini, is the replacement.

OpenAI retires the DALL-E GPT from ChatGPT on August 30, leaving users two days to save their generated images

Two days remain before the official DALL-E GPT inside ChatGPT shuts down for good. OpenAI posted the retirement notice on July 31 in its ChatGPT release notes, setting August 30, 2026 as the final day. Images created through the DALL-E GPT are not migrated to the replacement service. Users must download any images they want to keep before the deadline.

What is going away

The DALL-E GPT was a dedicated first-party GPT inside ChatGPT configured to generate images using the DALL-E model family. It appeared as a standalone entry in the GPT store and gave users a purpose-built chat context for image creation.

OpenAI is replacing it with ChatGPT Images, per the ChatGPT release notes. ChatGPT Images integrates directly into the main chat flow and runs on gpt-image-1 and gpt-image-1-mini. ChatGPT Images 2.0 is available on all plans, including free accounts. The variant called Images with thinking, which exposes reasoning steps alongside the generated output, is currently limited to Plus, Pro, and Business subscribers. Enterprise and Edu access is expected to follow, per OpenAI.

User-created GPTs that have image generation enabled are not affected. Only the official DALL-E GPT is being removed.

How to save images before August 30

Every image generated through ChatGPT lives under the Images section in both the web interface and the mobile apps. Opening an image and selecting Save downloads it to the local device. Selecting Copy places it on the clipboard. Images also disappear when the conversation that produced them is deleted, so checking older conversations before the deadline matters.

OpenAI has not published details about what happens to images left in the service after August 30, per NotebookCheck's coverage. The company's release note only recommends downloading images before the cutoff.

Why it matters

This retirement closes the last first-party DALL-E surface inside ChatGPT. OpenAI removed dall-e-2 and dall-e-3 from the API on May 12, 2026, following a deprecation announcement in November 2025. The DALL-E GPT was what remained.

The move fits a pattern of August housekeeping at OpenAI. The o3 model left ChatGPT on August 26 after a 90-day sunset period, and the ChatGPT Atlas browser product shut down on August 9. In each case, OpenAI gave advance notice but placed the data responsibility on users.

For most ChatGPT users, the practical impact is limited. ChatGPT Images already handles image generation inside normal conversations. The DALL-E GPT offered a dedicated context, but the underlying capability carries forward under a different name and a newer model.

What to watch next

OpenAI has not confirmed whether image histories from the DALL-E GPT will be accessible anywhere in ChatGPT after August 30. No export tool had been announced as of August 28. Monitor the ChatGPT release notes and the Images in ChatGPT help page for any last-minute deadline extension or export announcement before the shutdown takes effect.

Sources