Is Orkut Discontinued? What Happened?

Orkut was Google’s first big social network. It launched in 2004 and grew fast, especially in Brazil and India. It offered simple tools like communities, scraps (public messages), testimonials, and photo sharing. These features made it feel friendly and fun. People used it to meet new friends, reconnect with old ones, and join groups about anything they loved.

For a while, Orkut was huge. It became one of the most visited sites in Brazil and India. Google even moved its operations to Brazil because the user base there was so large.

But over time, Orkut stopped getting big updates. Google shifted attention to newer projects like Buzz and Google+. Meanwhile, Facebook grew quickly and offered more features people wanted, like a cleaner feed, better privacy tools, and a strong mobile experience. Orkut just didn't keep up.

In June 2014, Google announced that Orkut would shut down. The site officially closed on September 30, 2014. Users could download their data through Google Takeout.

Even after closing, Orkut remained a nostalgic memory for millions who used it as their first social network.