How to Export Your Custom GPTs and Gems to Files You Own (2026)

How do I export my Custom GPTs and Gemini Gems to files I own?

Last checked 2026-10-25 against OpenAI Help, ChatGPT Learn and Google’s Gemini Help. Dates are as of Oct 2026 and may move; check the linked pages before you rely on them.

Why keep a portable copy at all?

A Custom GPT or a Gem only exists inside one company’s app. Both are being replaced: OpenAI retires Custom GPTs on Dec 11, 2026 in favor of plugins, and Google turns Gems into skills for personal accounts from Nov 17, 2026. Each company offers its own path forward, but that path keeps your assistant inside the same app, and some parts don’t make the trip. A folder of plain files is yours whatever either company does next, works in any AI app that takes instructions and files, and lets you compare the new version with the original.

Key dates (as of Oct 2026)

ChatGPT’s own “Migrate to plugin”, and when you’d still want a copy

ChatGPT has a built-in migration: in My GPTs, the creator can choose Migrate to plugin. The GPT’s instructions become a skill, knowledge files become reference files, and connected apps carry over (OpenAI FAQ, as of Oct 2026). If all you want is to keep using the GPT inside ChatGPT, that’s the place to start, and it’s free.

A copy in your own files is still worth having when:

• You want it outside ChatGPT. A plugin runs in ChatGPT. Instructions and files in a folder can go into a Claude Project or a Gemini skill.
• It’s a draft or has unpublished edits. Migration uses the latest published version, and personal accounts can no longer publish, so drafts can only be kept by copying them out (ChatGPT Learn).
• It has custom actions. Actions don’t migrate; they have to be rebuilt as an app or custom MCP server. Keeping the OpenAPI schema makes that a lot easier.
• You want a record of what doesn’t move. The selected model and sharing settings don’t carry over, and conversation starters don’t map one-to-one (ChatGPT Learn).
• You want to compare. After migrating, the original GPT is read-only, and the plugin may not behave the same way. The original instructions next to a few test questions let you check and fix it.

Gemini Gems: Google converts them, but not everything comes along

For personal Google accounts (18+), Google will recreate your Gems as skills automatically. On Nov 17, 2026 the Gems become read-only, and on Dec 17, 2026 they’re removed along with their files (Gemini Help, as of Oct 2026). What doesn’t make it:

• Some knowledge files. Audio, video, GitHub files, legacy Office (.doc, .xls, .ppt) and archives (.zip, .tar, .7z, .rar, .gz, .tgz) aren’t supported in skills, and skills have a 100 MB limit (Google drops the largest files first). Google says to download files one by one before Dec 17.
• Some tools. Canvas, Deep Research, Guided learning and video and music creation don’t work with skills yet.

Copy each Gem’s name, description and instructions, note its default tool, and download its files. Because a skill is a SKILL.md file, the same copy can also be imported into Gemini later or used elsewhere.

Method 1 — Export a GPT by hand (free)

This works wherever you can open the GPT’s editor. Do it for every GPT you built, starting with the ones other people use.

1. Copy the text. In ChatGPT open My GPTs, choose Edit on the GPT and open the Configure tab. Copy the name, description, instructions and every conversation starter into a README.md in a folder named after the GPT.
2. Keep the knowledge files. Put a copy of each file listed under Knowledge in a knowledge/ folder. If you no longer have an original, write its name down so you know what to replace.
3. Save custom actions. For each action, save the OpenAPI schema as actions/openapi-1.yaml (or .json) and note the authentication type. Leave out API keys and secrets; you’ll re-enter them wherever you rebuild it.
4. Write down what won’t move. Note the model, which capabilities were on, who it’s shared with, and whether this version is a draft.
5. Make a portable version. Copy the instructions into a SKILL.md with a short name and description header, and into a claude-project.md you can paste into a Claude Project.
6. Save a few test questions. Three to five real questions and answers let you check the copy, or the plugin, behaves the same way.

my-gpts/
  course-tutor/
    README.md           # name, description, instructions, starters, settings
    SKILL.md            # same instructions as an Agent Skill
    claude-project.md   # paste into a Claude Project
    actions/openapi-1.yaml   # no secrets
    knowledge/          # original files
    test-questions.md

Method 2 — Export all your GPTs at once with ChatCairn GPT Rescue (free)

ChatCairn 0.4.0 adds a GPT Rescue tab that builds the folders above for every Custom GPT and Gem you created, in one ZIP on your computer. It reads your GPTs through your signed-in chatgpt.com tab, only when you click; nothing is changed or sent anywhere. Free, no Pro plan needed.

1. Install or update ChatCairn and keep a chatgpt.com tab open and signed in.
2. Click the ChatCairn icon in your toolbar and choose Open library (or the GPT Rescue card), go to the GPT Rescue tab and click Find my GPTs. It lists only GPTs you own, drafts included, all pre-selected.
3. For each Gem, open its edit page in Gemini and click Save this Gem. It appears under Your saved Gems, ready for the ZIP.
4. Click Download backup (ZIP).

What each folder holds: README.md (instructions, starters, capabilities, the model or “ChatGPT default” when none is set, voice and memory settings, sharing and draft status, and a warning section for anything that couldn’t be read), SKILL.md, claude-project.md, actions/ with each action’s OpenAPI file (secrets removed), knowledge/ with the files ChatGPT lets it download (up to 20 MB each and 60 MB per GPT) plus FILES.md listing all of them, the GPT’s avatar, and the raw gpt.json (secrets removed). An INDEX.md lists every folder. Files that are too big or that ChatGPT won’t hand over are listed with download links (they expire after a while), so you can download them yourself.

Gems are lighter: GPT Rescue saves a Gem’s name, description, instructions, default tool and the names of its knowledge files, and flags the file types Google says won’t carry over (audio, video, legacy Office, archives and GitHub files). It can’t copy Gem files, so download those from the Gem. One Gem at a time, before Nov 17.

chatcairn-gpt-rescue-2026-10-25.zip   # named with the day you download it
  INDEX.md
  course-tutor/
    README.md  SKILL.md  claude-project.md  gpt.json  avatar.png
    actions/openapi-1.json
    knowledge/FILES.md
  writing-coach/
    README.md  SKILL.md  claude-project.md  gem.json
    knowledge/FILES.md

Using your copy in Claude or Gemini

• Claude: create a Project, paste claude-project.md into the project instructions and upload the files from knowledge/. Claude Projects don’t run GPT Actions; the OpenAPI files are there so you can rebuild them as a connector.
• Gemini: import SKILL.md as a skill (Gemini can import a skill by uploading its SKILL.md), and add the knowledge files to it.
• ChatGPT: if you also migrated to a plugin, rerun your test questions on it and use the original instructions to fix any differences.

ChatCairn isn’t affiliated with OpenAI or Google. Only GPTs and Gems you created are read.

FAQ

Do I still need a copy if I use Migrate to plugin?

Only if you want something the plugin doesn't keep. Migrate to plugin keeps your GPT working inside ChatGPT, using its latest published version. It doesn't carry over custom actions, the selected model, sharing settings, drafts or unpublished edits, and it doesn't give you anything you can open in Claude or Gemini. A copy in your own files covers those cases (as of Oct 2026).

Will my old conversations with a Custom GPT disappear on Dec 11, 2026?

No. OpenAI's FAQ says existing conversations stay accessible after retirement; the GPT itself and its page become inaccessible (as of Oct 2026).

Can I use my Custom GPT in Claude or Gemini?

Not directly, but its instructions and files move well. Paste the instructions into a Claude Project and upload the knowledge files, or turn them into a SKILL.md file, which Gemini can import as a skill. Custom actions won't run in a Claude Project; rebuild them as a connector or MCP server.

Do Gemini Gems migrate automatically?

Yes, partly. For personal Google accounts, Google turns Gems into skills and makes them read-only on Nov 17, 2026, then removes them on Dec 17, 2026. Google says some files won't carry over (audio, video, GitHub, legacy Office and archive files, and anything past 100 MB), and tools like Canvas and Deep Research don't work in skills yet (as of Oct 2026).

Can I export a GPT someone else made?

No. OpenAI only lets the creator (or a workspace admin) migrate a GPT, and ChatCairn GPT Rescue only reads GPTs and Gems you created.

Is ChatCairn GPT Rescue free?

Yes. GPT Rescue is free on every ChatCairn plan, no Pro needed, and the backup is built on your computer; nothing is uploaded.

Sources: OpenAI Help — Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ; ChatGPT Learn — Migrate custom GPTs; OpenAI Help — GPTs in ChatGPT; Gemini Help — About the transition from Gems to skills; Google Workspace Admin Help — transition to skills. All checked 2026-10-25.