GPT-4o Retired in ChatGPT Not Azure

GPT-4o Retired in ChatGPT Not Azure | Generated by AI

Home 2026.02

Question: Why can’t people use GPT-4o through Copilot, Azure services, etc.?

Answer:

As of February 14, 2026 (the day after the retirement date), GPT-4o is no longer available in consumer-facing interfaces like the main ChatGPT app/web, but its availability differs significantly across platforms:

In ChatGPT (OpenAI’s consumer product)

GPT-4o was fully retired on February 13, 2026, along with models like GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini.
It is no longer selectable or usable in standard ChatGPT conversations.
For ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, and Edu users: Limited access to GPT-4o remains only within Custom GPTs until April 3, 2026, after which it is fully retired everywhere in ChatGPT.
OpenAI stated that the vast majority of usage had already shifted to newer models like GPT-5.2, with only ~0.1% of daily users still selecting GPT-4o.

In Microsoft Copilot

There is no direct evidence of GPT-4o being abruptly removed from Copilot on February 13/14, 2026.
Microsoft Copilot has historically used various OpenAI models (including GPT-4o variants at times), but it often runs on customized or enterprise-tuned versions.
Some reports suggest Microsoft may be shifting or hedging toward other providers (e.g., Anthropic’s Claude) in certain Copilot features, but GPT-4o retirement primarily affected OpenAI’s own ChatGPT UI — not necessarily all Copilot integrations immediately.
If Copilot was using a ChatGPT-integrated backend for certain modes, it likely transitioned to newer models like GPT-5 family around the same time.

In Azure OpenAI Service (enterprise/API access)

GPT-4o remains available through Azure OpenAI for deployed models, especially later versions.
The latest GPT-4o version (e.g., 2024-11-20) has a retirement date of October 1, 2026 (previously adjusted from earlier dates).
Earlier versions (e.g., 2024-05-13 or 2024-08-06) retired earlier (March 31, 2026 for some Standard deployments, with auto-upgrades to newer models).
Provisioned/Global Standard/Data Zone deployments allow continued use until the specific version’s retirement (up to October 2026 for the newest GPT-4o).
No immediate February 2026 shutdown for Azure — the February date was specific to ChatGPT consumer access, not the underlying Azure API/service.
Developers/enterprises can still deploy and use GPT-4o models via Azure OpenAI until their respective retirement windows in 2026.

Why the difference and strong feelings persist

The retirement hit hardest in the consumer ChatGPT experience, where users had direct, personal access to GPT-4o’s warm personality without enterprise guardrails. Azure/Copilot users (often businesses or developers) have more controlled, version-specific access and longer transition periods, so the “loss” feels less immediate there. Many emotional reactions stem from losing the unrestricted, companion-like version in the free/Plus ChatGPT interface.

In summary: You cannot use GPT-4o anymore in standard ChatGPT as of February 14, 2026, but it is still accessible via Azure OpenAI Service (with version-dependent timelines into late 2026). Copilot availability depends on Microsoft’s specific implementation, but it was not fully blocked in the same abrupt way.

References:

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