OpenAI sets two-stage Sora shutdown with app closing April 2026 and API following in September

OpenAI is killing Sora in two stages. The web and app version goes dark on April 26, 2026, with the Sora API following on September 24, 2026. OpenAI is urging users to download their content before the cutoff dates. Videos and images can be exported directly from the Sora library.

The company says it hasn't decided yet whether there will be a final export window after those dates. If one happens, users will get an email heads-up. Once all deadlines pass, user data gets permanently deleted. The shutdown also takes down the sora.chatgpt.com platform, which handled image and video generation. Full details are on OpenAI's help page under "What to know about the Sora discontinuation."

Sora's demise is part of a bigger strategic pivot. OpenAI wants to funnel compute toward coding tools and enterprise customers—a play that mirrors rival Anthropic—and a super app rolling ChatGPT and other tools into one package. Sora will stick around as a research project focused on world models, with the long-term goal of "automating the physical economy."