Gyfcat, a GIF database owned by Snapchat, is closing.

Gyfcat, a GIF database owned by Snapchat, is closing.


The Snap-owned GIF hosting service Gfycat made the announcement that it would shut down on September 1 and take its entire GIF library offline. A user has two months to preserve material before it permanently disappears from the platform.

“The Gfycat service is being discontinued,” a message on the website writes. “Please save or delete your Gfycat content by visiting https://www.gfycat.com and logging in to your account. After September 1, 2023, all Gfycat content and data will be deleted from gfycat.com.”

Whether Snapchat will include Gfycat material or destroy years' worth of GIFs permanently is unknown at this time. But according to a Snapchat spokeswoman who talked to TechCrunch, "Snapchatters are still able to search for and use GIFs in their conversations with friends."