ChatGPT - Custom GPTs

OpenAI is retiring custom GPTs and replacing them with plugins. This article explains what's changing in the University of Maine System (UMS) ChatGPT Edu workspace, how to move a GPT you built to a plugin, and what to do if you use someone else's GPT.

Custom GPTs stop working on December 11, 2026. If you built a GPT you or others rely on, move it to a plugin and test it before then.

What's changing

• You can't create new GPTs. New GPT creation ended October 26, 2026. You can still edit a GPT you already built, until you migrate it.
• Existing GPTs work until December 11, 2026. After that, custom GPTs and their pages stop working.
• Your past conversations with GPTs stay. You don't need to do anything to keep them.
• Plugins replace GPTs. A plugin brings together reusable instructions, reference files, and connected apps, so it can do what your GPT did.

What moves to the plugin

Move a GPT you built

Only the person who built a GPT, or a workspace admin, can move it to a plugin.

Before you start

• Finish your edits and publish them. Only the latest published version moves, and the GPT becomes read-only after migration. Publishing doesn't require sharing it publicly.
• Save a few prompts you use often, so you can compare the plugin's answers with the GPT's.
• Note who uses your GPT, so you can share the plugin with them.

Migrate

1. In ChatGPT, go to My GPTs.
2. Select Migrate to plugin for the GPT you want to move.
3. Review the migration details and follow the steps to create the plugin.

Test and share

1. Open the plugin and try the prompts you saved. Check that it follows your instructions, uses the right reference files, and gives complete answers. It may respond differently than the GPT did.
2. Fix anything that matters for your work. Make future changes in the plugin, not the GPT.
3. Select Share plugin. You can fill in your GPT's original audience. Review the list, then select Save.
4. Let the people who used your GPT know the plugin is ready, and ask one of them to try it.

To use a plugin, type @ and the plugin name in a chat, or select + → More. ChatGPT may also use an installed plugin on its own when your request matches it. Creating or editing a plugin through a conversation uses Work, which uses credits.

Use someone else's GPT

You don't need to migrate a GPT you only use, and you can't migrate one you didn't build.

1. Check the notice on the GPT for any guidance from its creator.
2. Ask the creator whether they're replacing it with a plugin.
3. Make sure they share the plugin with you before December 11, 2026. Having access to the GPT doesn't automatically give you access to its plugin.

Write good instructions

Your instructions decide how well a plugin works, whether you migrated a GPT or are building something new.

• Say what role it plays. For example: "You are a writing tutor who helps undergraduate students improve their academic essays. You never write content for the student. Instead, you ask guiding questions and suggest specific improvements."
• Set boundaries. Say what it should and shouldn't do, and whether it should decline requests outside its scope.
• Describe the output. Bulleted feedback, a scored rubric, a table with set columns, or a step-by-step checklist.
• Point to your reference files. For example: "When answering questions about policy, check the uploaded Employee Handbook first."
• Include an example of the tone, style, or response you want.

Ideas for plugins

• Teaching: a syllabus reviewer that checks a draft against your template and required policy language, or an assignment feedback assistant that comments against a rubric without rewriting student work.
• Research: a literature summarizer that returns each paper's question, methods, findings, and limitations in the same format.
• Administration: a policy guide grounded in your handbook, a meeting notes summarizer that pulls out decisions and action items, or a job description drafter that follows HR standards.
• IT: a documentation writer that follows your team's style guide, or a troubleshooting guide built from known issues and fixes.
• Student services: an advising or financial aid guide that answers routine questions and sends complex cases to the right office.

Things to keep in mind

• Check important answers. Even with good instructions and files, a plugin can get things wrong.
• Plugins don't learn from conversations. When your reference material changes, update the plugin's files.
• Follow UMS data guidance. Review Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Guidance on Use before you add files.
• Share carefully. Everyone you share a plugin with can use its instructions and files, so check what's in it first.

For more detail, see OpenAI's Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ (External Link).

Questions about moving your GPTs?

Start a chat Call 1-800-696-4357

Prefer to stop by in person? Check Service Desk Hours and Availability for current hours, phone, email, chat, and walk-up locations.

Environment

• University of Maine System (UMS) ChatGPT Edu workspace
• Custom GPTs and plugins
• Eligible UMS students, faculty, and staff
• Web browser at chatgpt.com, plus the ChatGPT desktop and mobile apps