Confirmation on DALL·E 3 retirement timeline and extension policy (Azure OpenAI)

Question

According to the model documentation, DALL·E 3 is scheduled for retirement. Could you confirm:

The exact retirement date

Whether existing deployments qualify for the 6-month extension

The minimum advance notice period

Whether GPT Image models are the official replacement

We need to assess production impact and migration planning.

Answer 1

Hello Nico,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A and Thank you for reaching out.

Below is a consolidated confirmation regarding the DALL·E 3 retirement timeline and migration guidance in Azure OpenAI Service.

Retirement Date

DALL·E 3 is scheduled for retirement on February 18, 2026.

After this date, DALL·E 3 deployments will no longer be available for inference.

You should plan to complete migration activities before this date to avoid production disruption.

6-Month Extension Policy

Existing deployments qualify for a 6-month extension, provided they were active prior to the retirement announcement.

Extensions are not automatic in all cases and may require validation depending on subscription and deployment status.

If you rely on DALL·E 3 in production, it’s recommended to confirm eligibility early to support planning.

Advance Notice Period

Azure retirement communications follow these minimum notice guidelines:

At least 60 days’ notice for generally available (GA) model retirements.

At least 30 days’ notice for preview model upgrades or changes.

Notifications are typically communicated through:

• Azure Service Health
• Email to subscription owners
• Azure Updates documentation

Official Replacement Model

• The recommended and official replacement for DALL·E 3 is the GPT Image family, specifically:
  • gpt-image-1-mini (and related GPT image models)

These models are designed to replace legacy image-generation models and provide improved capabilities.

Important:

• Azure will not automatically migrate existing DALL·E 3 deployments.
• You must create a new deployment using the GPT Image model.
• Application updates may be required (model name changes, parameter adjustments, response handling updates).

Recommended Next Steps for Production Planning

To minimize impact:

1. Create a test deployment of gpt-image-1-mini.
2. Validate output quality and parameter compatibility.
3. Update application configuration to support the new model.
4. Plan production rollout well before February 18, 2026.
5. Confirm extension eligibility if additional migration time is required.

Please refer this DALL·E 3 Model Retirement and Upgrade Documentation

I Hope this helps. Do let me know if you have any further queries.

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Answer 2

DALL·E 3 is scheduled for retirement on February 18, 2026. Regarding the extension policy, existing deployments do qualify for a 6-month extension. The minimum advance notice period for the retirement is 30 days. Additionally, the official replacement for DALL·E 3 is the GPT Image models, specifically gpt-image-1-mini, which will be available after the retirement date.

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References:

• Azure OpenAI in Microsoft Foundry model deprecations and retirements
• Azure OpenAI in Azure AI Foundry Models model deprecations and retirements
• Azure OpenAI in Azure AI Foundry Models retired models
• Azure OpenAI in Azure AI Foundry Models retired models