OpenAI Sora Shutdown Explained: Dates, Exports, API Changes and Next Steps

OpenAI has shut down Sora, its video generation product, and every team that used the app, the website or the Videos API now has to account for the content, the integrations and the workflows it leaves behind. Sora was a text-to-video model and product from OpenAI, first shown as a research preview and released to ChatGPT subscribers on 9 December 2024 and relaunched as Sora 2 with a social iOS app on 30 September 2025. OpenAI announced on 24 March 2026 that it was discontinuing Sora; the Sora web and app experience closed on 26 April 2026 and the Sora API, including the Videos API and every sora-2 model, shut down on 24 September 2026 with no one-to-one replacement. This page sets out the dated timeline, exactly what closed, what happened to user data and credits, what developers had to change, and what to check before choosing another video tool. It is written for creators, marketing and content teams, developers and the security and privacy teams who support them.

Last checked: 2026-11-15.

This is an independent reference page from NHI Mgmt Group based on public provider documentation; it is not sponsored or endorsed by any provider.

Key takeaways

• Announced 24 March 2026. OpenAI's deprecations page records 24 March 2026 as the notice date for the Videos API and every Sora 2 model.
• App and web closed 26 April 2026. OpenAI's help centre gives 26 April 2026 as the date the Sora web and app experience was discontinued.
• API closed 24 September 2026. The Videos API, sora-2, sora-2-pro and three dated snapshots were shut down on that date, and OpenAI lists "No one-to-one replacement".
• Data is deleted after the export window. OpenAI says Sora will permanently delete data tied to use of the service after discontinuation and any final export window.
• Provenance still matters. Sora outputs carried C2PA metadata and, at launch, a visible watermark, so files already published remain identifiable as Sora output where the metadata survives.

What was OpenAI Sora?

Sora was OpenAI's video generation model family and the consumer product built on it. The first Sora model was presented by OpenAI as a text-to-video model that "can generate videos up to a minute long", made available first to red teamers and to a group of visual artists, designers and filmmakers for feedback. The December 2024 release moved a faster version, Sora Turbo, out of research preview into a standalone product at sora.com. Sora 2, announced on 30 September 2025, added synchronised dialogue and sound effects and powered a social iOS app called Sora.

When did Sora shut down?

The shutdown ran in two stages. OpenAI first said it was "saying goodbye to Sora" in a social media post on 24 March 2026, as reported by Engadget on the same day, without dates at that point. OpenAI's deprecations page and help centre later set out the dates below.

The six-month gap between notice and API shutdown is longer than the minimum OpenAI sets for this class of model: its deprecations policy gives "at least 3 months" notice for specialised variants and image generation models.

What exactly closed?

• The Sora app and sora.com: the consumer experience, including the social feed and characters (the likeness feature that let users verify themselves and decide who could use their likeness), closed on 26 April 2026.
• The Videos API: the v1/videos endpoint, used for text-to-video, image-guided generation with an image as the first frame, reusable character assets, extensions and targeted edits, closed on 24 September 2026.
• The models: sora-2 (described in the API guide as prioritising speed) and sora-2-pro (prioritising quality, and required for 1080p exports at 1920x1080 or 1080x1920), plus the dated snapshots, are marked shut down and Legacy.
• The documentation: OpenAI keeps the video generation guide online for historical reference, with a notice that no one-to-one replacement API is available.

The API guide described generations of 16 and 20 seconds, with extensions of up to 20 seconds each, up to six times, for a maximum of 120 seconds. API pricing on the model page was $0.10 per second for Sora 2 and $0.30 per second for Sora 2 Pro, at 720x1280 or 1280x720.

Why did OpenAI shut down Sora?

OpenAI's help article on the discontinuation does not give a reason, and the deprecations page gives only its general statement: "As we launch safer and more capable models, we regularly retire older models." Engadget reported on 24 March 2026 that an OpenAI spokesperson said that, as compute demand grows, the Sora research team would focus on world simulation research to advance robotics. The same report cited Appfigures data showing month-on-month falls in new installs and user spending into early 2026, and a Hollywood Reporter report that Disney was exiting its deal with OpenAI. Those last two points are third-party reporting, not OpenAI statements.

What happened to Sora users' data and credits?

OpenAI's help centre sets out the user steps:

1. Export: go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and select "Export"; OpenAI sends an email when the export is ready.
2. Final window: OpenAI says a final export window may be offered, with an email notice before it opens, and recommends exporting "as soon as possible". It gives no fixed export deadline.
3. Deletion: after discontinuation and any final export window, Sora permanently deletes data tied to use of the service.
4. Subscriptions: refunds follow OpenAI's general process for requesting a ChatGPT subscription refund.
5. Credits: purchased ChatGPT or Sora credits "can still be used for Codex, if you so choose".

For organisations, the practical issue is that any project archive which relied on Sora's own library as the system of record is gone. Content that was not exported now exists only where it was downloaded, published or shared.

What did developers have to change?

Any integration calling v1/videos or a sora-2 model returns errors after 24 September 2026. A clean migration covers code, configuration and credentials, not just the model name.

1. Inventory callers: search code repositories, infrastructure as code and environment files for "sora-2", "v1/videos" and video webhook handlers; check OpenAI usage dashboards by project for video spend before the shutdown date.
2. Remove or redirect: because OpenAI lists no one-to-one replacement, each workflow needs a product decision: retire it, move to another provider, or keep a static asset library instead of on-demand generation.
3. Clean up batch and webhook jobs: the Videos API supported Batch API processing and webhook notifications, so remove queued jobs, schedulers and webhook endpoints that would otherwise fail silently or stay exposed.
4. Rotate or scope keys: where an OpenAI project existed only for video work, revoke its API keys and service accounts rather than leaving dormant credentials. See the OpenAI API Keys Security Guide.
5. Re-test content rules on the new tool: Sora's API rejected copyrighted characters and music, real people including public figures, and input images containing human faces, and required content suitable for under-18 audiences. A replacement may apply different rules, so brand and legal reviews need repeating.
6. Update records: amend the AI system inventory, data processing records and vendor register so Sora is shown as retired with its end date.

How was Sora content labelled, and does that still apply?

OpenAI said at the December 2024 launch that all Sora videos include C2PA metadata identifying them as Sora-generated, with visible watermarks added by default, and an internal search tool to help verify whether content came from Sora; it also acknowledged those safeguards were imperfect. For Sora 2, OpenAI's launch safety post said every video carried visible and invisible provenance signals, all outputs carried a visible watermark at launch, videos embedded C2PA metadata, and internal reverse image and audio search could trace videos back to Sora.

The shutdown does not remove these signals from files already in circulation. C2PA metadata survives only where platforms and editors keep it, a limit OpenAI itself noted in its May 2024 provenance post, so a re-encoded clip may carry no credential. See the AI Content Provenance and C2PA Guide and the AI Model Provenance and Watermarking Guide.

What safeguards did Sora apply to likeness?

Teams moving to another video tool should compare these controls one by one, because likeness consent and impersonation controls are what limit deepfake misuse. See the Deepfake and AI Impersonation Guide.

What are the alternatives to Sora?

OpenAI names no successor video product on its deprecations page. Other providers publish video generation products, and the facts for each (versions, prices, output limits, provenance and licence terms) are kept side by side, in alphabetical order and with sources, on the AI Video Generators Compared page. That page and the AI Image, Video, Voice and Music Models Hub are the right starting points; this page does not rank or recommend any product.

Factual criteria to check for any replacement:

• Status and deprecation policy: is the model generally available, and how much notice does the provider commit to before retirement?
• Provenance: does output carry C2PA Content Credentials, an invisible watermark such as SynthID, a visible mark, or a combination?
• Likeness controls: how does the tool handle real people, consent and takedown?
• Commercial terms: who owns output, and what licence or revenue thresholds apply?
• Data handling: retention, training use and enterprise controls, as documented by the provider.
• Export: can you bulk export your library if this product is retired too?

Is the DALL-E shutdown related?

It is a separate retirement on the same deprecations page. OpenAI gave notice on 14 November 2025 and shut down dall-e-2 and dall-e-3 in the API on 12 May 2026, listing gpt-image-2, gpt-image-1 or gpt-image-1-mini as replacements. gpt-image-1 itself was shut down on 23 October 2026. Unlike Sora, the image models have listed replacements. See AI Image Generators Compared.

Is Sora coming back?

As of 15 November 2026, OpenAI's pages describe Sora as discontinued, and the deprecations page lists no replacement for the Videos API. OpenAI has not announced a return on its official pages. Treat any claim of a "new Sora" with care until it appears on openai.com or the OpenAI developer documentation.

Where identity and security fit

A retired AI service leaves identity debris: API keys, service accounts, OAuth connections and webhook secrets created for it. Each should be revoked or reassigned when the service ends. The likeness side is an identity issue too: verified "characters" tied a real person's face and voice to an account, which is why exporting and then confirming deletion matters for anyone who created one. Staff who switch to unsanctioned replacement tools in a hurry create shadow AI risk; the AI Image and Video Generation at Work guide covers the policy side.

Practitioner checklist

• Confirm every Sora user in the organisation exported needed content from sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and stored it in a managed location.
• Search repositories and configuration for sora-2, sora-2-pro and v1/videos, and remove or replace each caller.
• Delete Batch API jobs, schedulers and webhook endpoints that served the Videos API.
• Revoke OpenAI API keys and service accounts used only for video generation.
• Mark Sora as retired, with dates, in the AI system inventory, records of processing and vendor register.
• Check that published Sora clips keep their C2PA metadata, and label them as AI-generated where your disclosure rules require it.
• Evaluate any replacement against status, provenance, likeness controls, commercial terms, data handling and export.
• Update the AI use policy so staff know which video tools are approved now.

Standards and references

• OpenAI: Deprecations
• OpenAI Help Center: What to know about the Sora discontinuation
• OpenAI: Video generation with Sora (historical guide)
• OpenAI: Sora 2 model page
• OpenAI: Sora 2 is here
• OpenAI: Launching Sora responsibly
• OpenAI: Sora is here
• OpenAI: Understanding the source of what we see and hear online
• Engadget: OpenAI is shutting down its Sora video generation app

Related NHI Mgmt Group resources: AI Video Generators Compared · AI Image, Video, Voice and Music Models Hub · AI Content Provenance and C2PA Guide · ChatGPT Enterprise Security Guide