How to Use Sora AI in 2026: It's Discontinued, Here's What to Know

If you’re searching for how to use Sora AI right now, the short answer is that you can’t: OpenAI has discontinued Sora. The Sora app and website shut down on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API was scheduled to end on September 24, 2026, according to OpenAI’s help center.

That’s surprising if you’ve just watched an older YouTube tutorial. Many of those videos are still online and still rank well, so the search keeps trending. This guide covers what happened, what it means for you, and how to choose a replacement without getting scammed.

What happened to Sora

Sora was OpenAI’s text-to-video model. In its final form it was a short-video app and website where you could generate clips from text prompts, animate images, remix other people’s videos and insert yourself into scenes with a feature called “cameos.”

On March 24, 2026, OpenAI announced it was ending the service. As Axios and Engadget reported, the company posted “We’re saying goodbye to Sora” and said it would share timelines for the app and API, plus details on preserving users’ work. A spokesperson said OpenAI was discontinuing Sora in the consumer app and the API and that the Sora research team would focus on world simulation research. Axios reported that this research is meant to advance robotics.

CNBC linked the decision to cost cuts at OpenAI. Some coverage also reported that OpenAI’s partnership with Disney ended. That claim came from a social media post quoted in the press, and OpenAI did not confirm it, so treat it as unconfirmed.

The shutdown timeline

Some outlets dated the announcement March 25 because of time zones. Either way, both shutdown deadlines have now passed.

Can you still use Sora at all?

As of October 2026, no official version of Sora is available to the public:

• The app and sora.com: discontinued since April 26, 2026.
• The API for developers: OpenAI listed September 24, 2026 as the end date. Developer write-ups such as CODERCOPS report that calls to the Sora endpoints now fail and that the sora-2 and sora-2-pro models were removed together. We could not confirm the exact post-shutdown API behavior from OpenAI directly.
• A successor: we found no official announcement of a replacement video model or a “Sora 3.” Third-party reports say OpenAI has not named one.

Watch out for “Sora access” offers

When a popular tool disappears, look-alike websites and apps often appear, claiming to still offer it, sometimes for a fee or in exchange for your login. OpenAI only ever offered Sora through its own app, its own website and its official API. If a third-party site promises Sora today, it is either reselling something else under the Sora name or isn’t legitimate. Don’t enter your OpenAI credentials anywhere other than OpenAI’s own domains.

What happened to your Sora videos

If you made videos with Sora, this is the part that matters most. OpenAI’s help center said users could export their data, and that:

1. If OpenAI offered a final export window, it would notify users by email before it began.
2. After Sora was discontinued and any export window had passed, OpenAI would permanently delete data associated with your use of Sora.

Some third-party reports say OpenAI had not decided whether to offer a post-shutdown export window, and that none had appeared by the API deadline. We could not confirm this from OpenAI directly.

What to do now:

1. Search your inbox (including spam) for emails from OpenAI about Sora or a data export.
2. Check the OpenAI help article on the discontinuation for any updated instructions.
3. Look in your phone’s camera roll, downloads folder and any social accounts where you posted clips. Videos you already downloaded or shared are still on those devices and platforms.
4. If none of those work, assume content that stayed only on Sora’s servers is no longer recoverable.

If you came here from an old tutorial

Most “how to use Sora” videos and articles were made between late 2025 and early 2026. They walk you through steps such as tapping the plus button to start a video, setting up a cameo or choosing a subscription tier. None of these steps work anymore, and details in those guides, such as pricing, clip length and resolution limits, often contradicted each other even while Sora was live. If a tutorial doesn’t mention the 2026 shutdown, it’s out of date.

How to choose a replacement for Sora

We can’t recommend a direct “Sora replacement” here, because AI video tools change every few weeks and we only recommend tools we’ve reviewed. The questions below will help you compare whatever you’re considering:

Lessons from Sora

• Download as you go. Keep local copies of anything you’d be upset to lose, whatever tool you use.
• Don’t build on a single model. Developers who wrapped Sora behind their own interface had an easier migration than those who called it directly everywhere.
• Read the shutdown notices. OpenAI gave about a month’s notice for the app and about six months for the API. Following a provider’s official help center and email updates is the most reliable way not to miss a deadline.

The bottom line

As of October 2026, you can’t use Sora AI because OpenAI has shut it down. If you have old Sora videos, check your email and devices for copies. Then choose a new AI video tool based on export rights, consent controls and a stable provider rather than on old Sora tutorials. We’ll update this guide if OpenAI announces a successor.