Sora Discontinuation: How to Backup and Recover Your Videos in 2026
On March 24, 2026, OpenAI announced it was discontinuing Sora — the AI video generator that went from fastest-growing consumer AI app to shutdown in roughly six months. The consumer app closed on April 26, 2026, and the API follows on September 24, 2026. When it's over, every video in your Sora library will be permanently deleted with no cloud backup. If you generated videos in Sora — for creative projects, client work, or personal use — you have a shrinking window to act. This guide covers exactly how to export your Sora videos before the deadline, what to do if the export fails or the deadline has passed, and how to recover Sora videos you already downloaded but have since lost from your local storage.
Part 1. What Is the Sora Discontinuation and Why It Matters to You
OpenAI announced on March 24, 2026 that Sora would be shut down in two stages. The consumer app went dark on April 26, 2026, and the API will follow on September 24, 2026. After that final date, all user data — including every video you ever generated — will be permanently erased from OpenAI's servers.
The shutdown stems from severe financial pressure. Sora's compute costs ran approximately $1 million per day, while its user base had declined from 1 million to under 500,000 active users. Lifetime in-app revenue totaled only around $2.1 million, and a reported $1 billion Disney partnership collapsed. OpenAI is developing a replacement model called "Spud," and video generation will continue as a feature within ChatGPT rather than as a standalone product.
💡 Tip: Act before September 24, 2026 — that is the absolute final deadline for any data on OpenAI's servers. The consumer export window may close earlier, so do not wait.
Table 1: Sora Shutdown Timeline
| Phase | Date | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Announcement | March 24, 2026 | OpenAI posts shutdown notice |
| Consumer App Closed | April 26, 2026 | sora.com and mobile apps go dark |
| Export Window | April 26 – TBD | Email export ZIP available to users |
| API Shutdown | September 24, 2026 | All Sora API endpoints disabled |
| Data Deletion | After API Shutdown | All user data permanently erased |
Part 2. How to Export Your Sora Videos Before the Deadline
OpenAI has provided an official export path for users who want to download their entire library. The process is straightforward, but export times can vary significantly depending on how many videos you have.
Step 1: Go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset or sora.chatgpt.com/exports/me and sign in with your OpenAI account.
Step 2: Click the "Export" button. OpenAI will queue your request and send a download link to the email address on your account.
Step 3: Wait for the email. Processing times vary — users with large libraries have reported waiting several hours before receiving the download link.
Step 4: Download the ZIP file when the email arrives. The archive contains all of your generated MP4 video files, still images, and content metadata.
Step 5: Immediately copy the downloaded ZIP to at least two separate locations — for example, an external hard drive and a cloud storage service such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
💡 Tip: Don't wait. Export time is unpredictable. Users with large libraries report waiting hours for the email. Start the export request as soon as possible and keep your inbox accessible.
Regarding refunds: Sora Pro subscribers (at $200/month) are receiving pro-rated refunds from OpenAI for the unused portion of their subscription. ChatGPT Plus subscribers who had access to Sora as part of their plan will lose the feature, but there is no corresponding price reduction at this time.
Part 3. What Happens If the Export Window Closes — Or You Missed It
After the consumer app closed on April 26, 2026, OpenAI has not guaranteed a second formal export window. If OpenAI does offer any additional opportunity, the company will notify affected users by email at the address associated with their account.
Once all deadlines pass and the API shuts down on September 24, 2026, the data is permanently deleted. Server-side recovery will not be technically possible after that point — this is not a situation where a data recovery service can step in.
⚠️ Important: If you missed the April 26 deadline and have not received an export email, contact OpenAI support immediately at help.openai.com. After September 24, 2026, recovery of videos that exist only in the Sora cloud will be technically impossible.
What you may still be able to do is check whether you previously downloaded any videos directly to your local device. Many users downloaded individual Sora videos as they were generated, even if they never requested a full library export. Those files may still exist on your computer.
🗣️ r/OpenAI user: "The API still works until September — but most of my videos are just sitting in the Sora library and I have no idea how to get them all out."
Part 4. Finding Sora Videos You Already Downloaded Locally
If you downloaded individual Sora videos during the time the app was active, those files may still be on your device. The default save location depends on your operating system and browser settings.
- Windows: Typically
C:\Users\{username}\Downloads, or whichever custom folder your browser is configured to use - Mac:
~/Downloadsby default, unless you changed your browser's download destination
To search for these files efficiently:
- Windows: Open File Explorer, navigate to your Downloads folder, and use the search bar to filter by
*.mp4. Narrow results by date range — Sora was active from late 2024 through April 2026. - Mac: Use Spotlight (Cmd + Space) and search for
.mp4, then filter by creation date within the same date range.
💡 Tip: Filter your Downloads folder by date — Sora was active from late 2024 through April 2026. Sora videos are typically named with a random alphanumeric string followed by
.mp4, so they may not look immediately recognizable.
If you cannot locate the files directly, check your browser's download history. Most browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) maintain a record of files downloaded, including links back to the original source. This can help you confirm whether a file was downloaded and where it was saved.
Also check any cloud services that may have auto-synced your Downloads folder — for example, OneDrive on Windows or iCloud Drive on Mac, if those services were configured to sync your desktop or downloads.
🗣️ r/OpenAI user: "I didn't realize I had auto-sync on — found a bunch of my Sora exports sitting in OneDrive from months ago. Check your cloud backups before panicking."
Part 5. How to Recover Sora Videos Deleted from Your Local Storage
If you previously downloaded Sora videos but accidentally deleted them from your PC or Mac, data recovery software may be able to help — depending on how much time has passed and how actively the drive has been used since the deletion.
When a file is deleted on Windows (including files removed from the Recycle Bin), the operating system removes only the file system entry that points to the data. The actual video data typically remains on disk until new files are written to those sectors and overwrite it. The same underlying principle applies to Mac volumes using HFS+ or APFS. This is why speed matters: the sooner you attempt recovery, the higher the likelihood that the data is still physically present on the storage medium.
💡 Tip: Stop saving new files to the drive where the videos were stored immediately. Every new file written to that disk can overwrite the deleted video data. Ideally, run recovery software from a different drive or a bootable USB to minimize risk.
Ritridata can scan Windows HDD, SSD, SD card, and external hard drives for deleted MP4 files, including videos that were previously downloaded from Sora.
Table 2: Recovery Method by Situation
| Situation | Recommended Method | Success Chance |
|---|---|---|
| File still in Recycle Bin | Restore from Recycle Bin | Very High |
| Recently deleted, PC not heavily used since | Ritridata data recovery software | High |
| Deleted weeks ago, PC used heavily since | Data recovery software deep scan | Medium |
| Video never downloaded, only in Sora cloud | Contact OpenAI before September 24, 2026 | Depends on export window |
Part 6. Recover Deleted Sora MP4 Files with Ritridata
Ritridata is a data recovery tool for Windows that can recover deleted MP4 video files from local storage — including hard drives, SSDs, SD cards, external drives, and USB flash drives. If you downloaded Sora videos to your PC and they were later deleted (accidentally, during a system cleanup, or by mistake), Ritridata performs a deep scan to find the raw video data before it gets overwritten.
What Ritridata supports: recovering deleted .mp4 files from Windows HDD and SSD; recovering files from external hard drives, SD cards, and USB drives; deep scan mode for files deleted long ago; preview before restoration so you can confirm the file before committing to recovery.
What Ritridata does not cover: Videos that exist only in the Sora cloud (use the official OpenAI export tool for those); RAID or NAS devices; Linux systems.
Step 1 — Select the drive where your videos were stored
Open Ritridata and select the drive or folder where your Sora videos were originally saved — typically your C: drive Downloads folder, or an external drive if you moved the files there. Click Scan to begin.
Step 2 — Run a safe scan
Ritridata will perform a non-destructive deep scan of the selected drive. This process searches for deleted file entries and raw MP4 data that may still be present on the disk. Scan time varies depending on drive size and whether a quick or deep scan is selected.
Step 3 — Preview and recover to another drive
Once the scan completes, filter results by file type (MP4) and review the recovered files. Use the preview function to confirm the video content before recovering. Select the files you want and save them to a different drive — never recover files back to the same drive you scanned.
Part 7. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I still export my Sora videos after April 26, 2026?
A: The consumer app closed on April 26, 2026, but OpenAI may offer a final export window for affected users. Check sora.chatgpt.com/exports/me to see if an export option is still available, and watch for any notification emails from OpenAI. If you have not received an export email, contact OpenAI support at help.openai.com.
Q: What happens to my Sora videos after the API shuts down on September 24, 2026?
A: OpenAI has confirmed that all user data will be permanently deleted after the API shutdown. Once that process completes, there is no technical pathway to retrieve videos from OpenAI's servers. Any recovery at that point would depend solely on files you previously downloaded to local storage.
Q: Will I get a refund for my Sora Pro subscription?
A: Yes. OpenAI is issuing pro-rated refunds to Sora Pro ($200/month) subscribers for the unused portion of their subscription period. The refund process may take several billing cycles to appear, depending on your payment method and region.
Q: What format are exported Sora videos in?
A: The export package is delivered as a ZIP file containing MP4 files for all generated videos and image files for any generated stills. The archive may also include metadata about each generation. MP4 is a widely compatible format playable on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android without additional software.
Q: Can data recovery software recover Sora videos I deleted from my computer?
A: In many cases, yes — if you previously downloaded the videos to your PC and the storage space has not been heavily overwritten since deletion. Software like Ritridata can scan for deleted MP4 files as long as the underlying data is still physically present on the disk. The sooner you run the scan after deletion, the higher the likelihood of a successful recovery.
Q: Where does Sora save downloaded videos on my computer?
A: Downloaded Sora videos typically go to your default browser downloads folder. On Windows, this is usually C:\Users\{username}\Downloads. On Mac, it is typically ~/Downloads. If you customized your browser's download destination, check that location instead. Sora-generated video filenames tend to be random alphanumeric strings ending in .mp4.
Q: What is OpenAI replacing Sora with?
A: OpenAI is developing a new model called "Spud" as a direct replacement for Sora's video generation capabilities. In the meantime, video generation is being integrated into ChatGPT as a feature rather than offered through a separate standalone application.
Q: Is the Sora API still usable?
A: Yes, the Sora API remains operational until September 24, 2026. Access is priced at approximately $0.15 per second of video generated. After the September 24 shutdown date, all API endpoints will be disabled and no further video generation through the Sora API will be possible.