- OpenAI added virtual try-on to ChatGPT on October 1, 2026. It rolled out globally on mobile and web.
- When ChatGPT shows a clothing or accessory product card, there is a “Try on” button. Upload a selfie and ChatGPT generates an image of you wearing the item.
- You are not limited to what ChatGPT finds. Upload a screenshot from any store together with your photo and ask ChatGPT to show it on you.
- The images come from ChatGPT Images 2.5. OpenAI’s help page does not tie the feature to a paid plan; on a free account the limit is your image generation allowance.
- Your selfie is saved as a reference photo. Manage or delete it under Settings > Personalization > Reference photos.
- Below are 8 copy-paste prompts for outfits, colors, accessories and hairstyles. They work even when the button does not appear.
People were already doing this by hand. Upload a photo of yourself, upload a photo of a jacket, type “put this on me” and hope the face survives. OpenAI has now turned that into a button inside ChatGPT’s shopping results, backed by its newest image model.
This guide covers what the button does, what it saves about you, and what it cannot promise. Then it hands you eight prompts that do the same job in a plain chat, including the one thing the button does not do: hairstyles.
What the Try On Button Actually Does
Ask ChatGPT something with shopping intent (“find me a winter coat”, “I need a dress for a fall wedding”) and the answer comes back as product cards with images, prices and links to the store. Since October 1, clothing and accessory cards carry one more button: Try on.
Tap it, give ChatGPT a selfie, and it generates a new image of you wearing that item. The model doing the work is ChatGPT Images 2.5 , released in September. The two things OpenAI highlighted for that model, more natural lighting and richer textures, are exactly what matter here: how a fabric drapes and how a color holds up in daylight.
The same update added Favorites. Tap the bookmark icon on any product to save it, and sort your finds into folders in your ChatGPT Library.
How to Use ChatGPT Virtual Try-On
OpenAI’s help page lists three steps:
- Ask ChatGPT for a clothing item or accessory. The more specific you are, the better the cards: “linen shirt, solid color, oversized, under $50”.
- Tap Try on on the product card you like.
- Take a selfie or pick one from your gallery. A few seconds later you get the generated image.
On first use the camera screen asks for a clear photo of your face and tells you to avoid hats, sunglasses and headphones. Some users are also asked for a full-body photo. Give it one if you plan to try pants, skirts or shoes, because otherwise the model has to guess your proportions.
No button? Use a screenshot instead
The Try on button only appears on ChatGPT’s own product cards. For a dress you saw on Instagram or a jacket on a store’s site, there is no button, but OpenAI’s help page spells out the second route: upload a picture of the clothing in a conversation and ask ChatGPT to show how it could look on you.
In practice that means attaching two images to one message, your photo and the item. The prompts below are written for exactly that.
Is ChatGPT Try-On Free?
OpenAI’s help page has one line on availability: available in ChatGPT on mobile and web. It does not restrict the feature to Plus or Pro, and coverage of the launch describes a global rollout.
Images 2.5, which renders the try-on, opened to every plan including Free in September. So you can try it on a free account; what runs out is your image generation allowance, and on Free that can happen after a handful of tries. If you want to compare several options, ask for them in one image (see the color grid prompt below) instead of one generation each.
Reference Photos and Privacy
The selfie you upload is not one-off. ChatGPT keeps it as a reference photo so you do not have to upload it again. To manage it:
- Open Settings > Personalization > Reference photos.
- Select the photo.
- Choose Change photo to replace it, or the delete icon to remove it.
The second thing to know: images uploaded from a personal account can be used to train models unless you opt out. If you would rather they were not, turn off “Improve the model for everyone” under Settings > Data Controls before uploading a photo of your face.
And one line that should not need saying: do not run someone else’s photo through this without their permission.
8 Copy-Paste ChatGPT Try-On Prompts
They all follow the same logic: say clearly which image is you and which is the clothing, and tell the model not to touch your face. Leave those two lines out and the model either borrows the face of the model in the product shot or decides to “improve” yours.
Paste the prompt and attach both images in the same message, your photo first.
1. The basic outfit swap
The most searched use: put the item in the screenshot on you, as is.
The person in image 1 is me. Show me wearing the clothing from image 2. Keep my face, hair, skin tone and body proportions exactly the same, do not change or beautify my face. Keep the color, pattern, fabric and cut of the clothing identical to image 2. Do not use the face or body of the model in image 2. Full-body shot, natural pose, plain background, daylight.
2. Change one piece only
Swap just the jacket, shirt or shoes without the rest of the outfit drifting.
Image 1 is me, image 2 is a jacket. Replace only the jacket I am wearing with the one in image 2. Keep my pants, shoes, accessories, pose, background and lighting exactly as they are. Do not touch my face.
Replace “jacket” with whatever you are swapping. Asking for a single piece makes the model redraw far less of the photo, and the result looks more like a real picture.
3. Color grid
Four colors of the same item in one image. It is also the most allowance-friendly request on this list.
Image 1 is me. Show me wearing the sweater from image 2 in four colors: navy, beige, burgundy, olive. Make it a 2x2 grid with the same pose, lighting and background in every frame, and write the color name in small text under each one. Keep my face and hair identical in all four frames.
4. Outfit for an occasion
Let ChatGPT find the items, then try them on. Send this without a photo and use the Try on button once the cards appear.
I have a friend's outdoor wedding next month and it will be cool outside. Suggest three outfits that look put-together but not overly formal, under $250 in total each. Show each piece separately so I can try them on.
5. Inspired by a celebrity look
Capture the feel of an outfit you saw on a celebrity or a TV character without copying it piece for piece.
Image 1 is me. I like the overall feel of the outfit in image 2 but I do not want an exact copy. Design an outfit for me with the same color palette and style, and show me wearing it. Keep my face, hair and proportions. List the pieces in the outfit under the image.
6. Season swap
Turn a summer photo into a winter look. Because it also changes the background, this is the most fun one to share.
Image 1 is me. Show me in the same pose but dressed for winter: the coat from image 2, dark trousers, boots and a scarf. Change the background to a snowy city street and match the light to a cold winter afternoon. Keep my face and hair exactly the same.
7. Build around a piece you own
Start from something already in your closet. Upload a photo of your own item instead of a store image.
Image 1 is me, and I own the trousers in image 2. Suggest three tops that go with them: one casual, one for work, one for dinner. Show all three on me with these trousers, side by side in three frames. Keep my face.
8. Hairstyle try-on
The Try on button covers clothes and accessories, not hair. “Can ChatGPT try on hairstyles?” Yes, as a plain image edit with your photo:
This is me. Show me with a [shoulder-length layered cut / short bob / curtain bangs]. Keep my face, skin, eye color and expression exactly the same, change only the hair. Make the haircut realistic for my hair texture and face shape. Front-facing portrait, soft daylight. Then show the same cut in two more hair colors next to it.
Four Rules for Better Results
Use a front-facing photo in even light. The model learns your face and proportions from that one frame. A dim, side-on night shot gives it nothing to hold on to.
One item per clothing image. If the model in the store photo is wearing three pieces, say which one you want. Without “only the jacket” you get the whole outfit.
Do not keep editing the same output. Every round reinterprets the last result, and by round three your face starts to drift. Go back to your original photo and change the prompt instead.
Double-check patterns. Plaids, text and logos can get simplified. Look at the store’s own photos before you buy.
How It Compares With Google
The idea is not new. Google added a similar “try it on with your own photo” feature to Search in 2025. What ChatGPT adds is the conversation around it: you can ask “does this come with longer sleeves?” or “what shoes go with this?” and see the answer on you in the same thread.
It is also the latest step in a year of shopping features from OpenAI: product suggestions in chat, shopping from images, and now try-on and Favorites. You still buy on the store’s own site; ChatGPT handles discovery and the decision.
If you want to go beyond clothes, the same keep-the-face approach drives our 90s AI photo prompts and 80s AI photo prompts . Which outfit did you try, and how close was it to the real thing? Tell us in the comments 👇
FAQ
How do I use ChatGPT to try on clothes?
Either tap the Try on button on a clothing product card ChatGPT shows you and upload a selfie, or attach your photo and a picture of the item to one message and write “show me wearing the clothing from image 2, keep my face”.
Is ChatGPT virtual try-on free?
OpenAI’s help page does not restrict it to a paid plan; it says the feature is available on mobile and web. Images 2.5, which renders the result, is available on every plan including Free. On a free account the limit is your image generation allowance.
Why don’t I see the Try on button?
It only appears on clothing and accessory product cards that ChatGPT shows. For an item from any other site, upload a screenshot of it with your photo and ask ChatGPT to show it on you.
Can ChatGPT try on hairstyles?
Not through the Try on button, which covers clothing and accessories. You can do it as a regular image edit: upload your photo, name the haircut, and tell ChatGPT to keep your face identical and change only the hair.
Does ChatGPT save my selfie?
Yes, as a reference photo for future try-ons. You can change or delete it under Settings > Personalization > Reference photos. To keep uploads out of model training, turn off model improvement under Data Controls.
Will the try-on image show my real size and fit?
No. OpenAI says try-on images may not represent the product or your appearance exactly and do not guarantee fit or size. Check the store’s measurements and return policy before buying.