If you've used the built-in "DALL-E" option in ChatGPT to turn a text description into a picture, that specific tool is now gone. OpenAI retired the dedicated DALL-E GPT inside ChatGPT on August 30, 2026.
What actually changed. DALL-E was one of the original ways to generate images in ChatGPT — a separate, named tool you could open from the GPT menu. OpenAI has replaced it with ChatGPT Images, built on its newer gpt-image-1 models, which is now simply part of the regular ChatGPT chat. You no longer pick a separate "DALL-E" option — you just ask ChatGPT for an image in the same conversation you'd use for anything else, and it generates one using the newer technology. This is available on every plan, including the free tier, not just paid subscriptions.
Why this matters. OpenAI has not said what happens to images you previously created and saved through the old DALL-E tool once the deadline passes. To be safe, if you have images stored there that you want to keep, download them to your device rather than assuming they'll stay available in ChatGPT indefinitely.
What's not affected. Image generation itself isn't going away — it's simply built into ChatGPT's main chat now, using better models. Custom GPTs that other people built with image generation turned on also keep working; this change only removes OpenAI's own standalone DALL-E tool.
What to do. If you've relied on the old DALL-E option, there's nothing to set up — asking ChatGPT to create or edit an image in a normal chat now uses ChatGPT Images automatically. If you have older saved images you care about, take a few minutes to save copies to your phone or computer.
For more on getting good results from AI image tools generally, see our guide on creating AI images for free.