AI Chat Backup Guide

Last checked: against the official Transaction Notice

Is Character.AI shutting down?

Still online No, not yet. Character.AI is still online.

Illustration: stickers of a smiling floppy disk, a heart chat bubble, a calendar and stars

Auction (if held)

Source: Transaction Notice

Details

The notice says the auction takes place “unless cancelled or adjourned”. The court order says that if no qualifying bids other than the stalking-horse bids arrive by the bid deadline, the auction will not be held.

Sources: Transaction Notice; bidding-procedures order, ¶ 23 and Schedule A.

No, not yet. Character.AI is still online. The company filed for Chapter 11 on 12 October 2026 and says the platform will be wound down only if the court-supervised sale does not produce a buyer that keeps it running. Start the official data export now, because it can take 3–4 weeks.

Sources for this answer

Sources: An Update on Character.ai (official blog, 12 October 2026: “The Character.ai platform remains up and running”); company press release (12 October 2026); How do I download my data? (help center, updated 8 October 2026).

Unofficial guide. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Character Technologies, Inc. or Character.AI.

What should I do right now?

Request the official export today, keep a local copy while you wait, and keep your account until you have opened the file.

  1. 1

    Request the official export today

    Character.AI’s help center says the export can take 3–4 weeks and the emailed link is valid for 7 days. Follow the steps in our export guide.

  2. 2

    Save a local copy while you wait

    Independent browser tools can save a copy now, but they are not made by Character.AI. Compare them in the backup method table.

  3. 3

    Don’t delete your account until you have downloaded and opened the file

    Character.AI’s help center says account deletion “is permanent and cannot be reversed”. Open the file in our local viewer first, then read Should I delete my account before the sale?

Did Disney buy Character.AI?

No.

Stalking-horse bidder for a non-exclusive perpetual license; $20 million and transition services.

Full answer

No. Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. is the stalking-horse bidder for a non-exclusive perpetual license of certain intellectual property and certain claims, in exchange for $20 million and transition services, according to the company’s 12 October 2026 press release. The deal is subject to higher or better offers.

The press release does not say whether user chats are part of the deal. See Will Disney get my Character.AI chats?

The court case

No. 26-11603 (BLS)

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware · Stretto case site

What are the key dates in the Character.AI sale?

  1. 12 Oct 2026 —

    Chapter 11 petition filed

    Transaction Notice; official blog

  2. 4 Nov 2026 —

    Court enters the bidding-procedures order (the company posted the Transaction Notice on 5 Nov 2026)

    Transaction Notice

  3. 18 Nov 2026 4:00 p.m.

    Sale objection deadline

    Transaction Notice

    18 November 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET: sale objection deadline

    This is the deadline to file written objections to the sale with the court, other than objections about specific contracts. The Transaction Notice warns that a party that misses it may be barred from objecting at the sale hearing.

  4. 24 Nov 2026 12:00 p.m. (noon)

    Bid deadline

    Transaction Notice

    24 November 2026, noon ET: bid deadline

    This is the last time to submit a bid for any of the company’s assets. The Transaction Notice does not say whether other bids are expected.

  5. 1 Dec 2026 10:00 a.m.

    Auction (if held)

    Transaction Notice

    1 December 2026, 10:00 a.m. ET: auction (if held)

    The Transaction Notice says the auction will be held “unless cancelled or adjourned”. The court order says that if no qualifying bids other than the stalking-horse bids are submitted by the bid deadline, the company will not hold the auction and will ask the court at the sale hearing to approve the stalking-horse agreement instead. After an auction, the company says it will file a notice naming the winning bidder(s).

  6. 3–4 Dec 2026 9:30 a.m. each day

    Sale approval hearing

    Transaction Notice

    3 and 4 December 2026, 9:30 a.m. ET: sale hearing

    The court is scheduled to consider approving the sale, unless the hearing is adjourned. The company’s press release says that if the sale process does not result in a purchase that continues the Character.ai platform, the platform will be wound down.

More about these dates and the case

The next two deadlines are the sale objection deadline on 18 November 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET and the auction on 1 December 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET, if it is held. Both dates come from the court-approved Transaction Notice and the court’s bidding-procedures order.

Some AI answers and videos list other dates. The dates above are copied from Character.AI’s official Transaction Notice; check it directly before you rely on any date.

The case caption is In re: CHARACTER TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Case No. 26-11603 (BLS), in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. is the stalking-horse bidder for a non-exclusive perpetual license of certain intellectual property and certain claims, in exchange for $20 million and transition services. The court’s bidding-procedures order (entered 4 November 2026) states that the price to be paid by Disney “consists of $20 million in cash.” That is not a completed purchase of the whole company, and the agreement is subject to higher or better offers.

What happens at each date?

None of these dates switches off the app by itself; they are steps in the court-supervised sale. Here is what each one means, according to the court papers.

Sources: Transaction Notice; bidding-procedures order ¶¶ 19, 23, 26; press release.

Character.AI alternatives at a glance

Listed alphabetically. We do not rank by commission. Each cell repeats only what the product’s own pages said when we checked them on 12 November 2026; “not stated” means we did not find it there.

Free tier
Yes. Homepage: “Chatting, memory and voice are free.”
Imports Character.AI chats
Homepage: “Paste a chat or add screenshots” and “import your chats and keep them”.
Age limit
18 and over (homepage FAQ)
Free tier
Yes. Official FAQ: free to start after signing up with Google.
Imports Character.AI chats
Not stated in the FAQ we read.
Age limit
Official FAQ says it is designed for adults.
Free tier
Limited. Official docs: a one-time preview for new accounts, then the account can become read-only.
Imports Character.AI chats
Not stated in the help center.
Age limit
Adults only (18 or the local age of majority), per its moderation guidelines.
Show 5 more alternatives
Free tier
Yes. Plans page: $0 / month free plan.
Imports Character.AI chats
Yes. Import page for Character.AI, Chai and Chub files.
Age limit
Not stated on the pages we read.
Free tier
Yes. Homepage: free to start, no credit card required.
Imports Character.AI chats
Not stated on its marketing site.
Age limit
18 or older, per its Terms of Service.
Free tier
Yes. Help center: a “Free Use” program with limited access.
Imports Character.AI chats
Not stated.
Age limit
Not stated on the pages we read.
Free tier
Free, open-source software you run yourself; the model or API you connect may cost money.
Imports Character.AI chats
Its docs say to use the third-party CAI Tools extension to import Character.AI chats.
Age limit
Not stated (self-hosted software).
Free tier
Yes. Official FAQ describes a free app with an optional Talkie+ subscription.
Imports Character.AI chats
Not stated in the FAQ we read.
Age limit
Not stated in the FAQ we read.

FAQ

Is Character.AI still working today?

Yes, according to the company. Its 12 October 2026 blog post says “The Character.ai platform remains up and running, and you can continue to access all services at this time.” When we last checked the official blog on 12 November 2026, it had published no shutdown announcement.

What happens if nobody buys Character.AI?

The company says the platform will be wound down. Its 12 October 2026 blog post says: “If such a bid is unavailable, however, the platform will be wound down.” The press release says this applies if the sale process “does not result in a purchase that provides for a continuation of the Character.ai platform”. Neither source gives a shutdown date.

Will my c.ai+ subscription still work?

For now, yes. The company’s 12 October 2026 blog post says: “Yes, your subscriptions remain active, and billing is unchanged for now. If the service changes in a way that affects paid features, we intend to notify subscribers in advance.” The official announcements do not say what happens to subscriptions after a sale.

Change log

  • 12 Nov 2026 – Page published.