OpenAI retires older ChatGPT models
- OpenAI retired GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, o4-mini, and older GPT-5 options from ChatGPT on February 13 and March 11, 2026. - The company said API access did not change, while Business, Enterprise, and Edu customers kept GPT-4o in Custom GPTs until April 3. - ChatGPT now centers newer auto-switching GPT-5.3 and GPT-5.5 models instead. (help.openai.com)
OpenAI has removed a batch of older model choices from ChatGPT, retiring GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, o4-mini, and several older GPT-5 variants from the product interface. (help.openai.com) The first wave took effect on February 13, 2026, when ChatGPT dropped GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, OpenAI o4-mini, and GPT-5 Instant and GPT-5 Thinking. A second wave followed on March 11, 2026, removing GPT-5.1 Instant, GPT-5.1 Thinking, and GPT-5.1 Pro. (help.openai.com) OpenAI said the change applies to ChatGPT availability, not the application programming interface. Its help pages say API access to those models remained unchanged even as the ChatGPT picker was slimmed down. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) The company left one temporary exception for workplace customers. Business, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces kept GPT-4o inside Custom GPTs until April 3, 2026, before full retirement across plans. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) What replaced those older options is a narrower menu built around automatic routing. OpenAI’s current help pages say GPT-5.3 is the default for logged-in users, described as a single system that switches among models behind the scenes. (help.openai.com) OpenAI has also been stacking newer variants on top of that default. Its release notes say GPT-5.5 began rolling out in ChatGPT on April 23, 2026, as the company’s top model for professional work. (help.openai.com) The model list has not disappeared entirely, but it has become more managed. OpenAI’s model notes say GPT-5.4 mini does not appear as a selectable option and instead serves as a fallback when users hit GPT-5.4 Thinking limits. (help.openai.com) That leaves ChatGPT users with fewer explicit choices and more OpenAI-controlled routing, while developers still have to decide what to call through the application programming interface and what to use as a fallback if one model is unavailable. (help.openai.com 1) (help.openai.com 2) The practical message from OpenAI’s help pages is simple: older names are disappearing from ChatGPT faster than they are disappearing from the underlying platform. (help.openai.com)
