# Introduction to Fine-Tuning with Cohere Models

:::callout{intent="danger"}
Cohere's fine-tuning feature was deprecated on September 15, 2025
:::

Our ready-to-use large language models, such as `Command R`, as well as `Command R+`, are very good at producing responses to natural language prompts. However, there are many cases in which getting the best model performance requires performing an **additional** round of training on custom user data. Creating a custom model using this process is called **fine-tuning**.

## Why Fine-tune?

Fine-tuning is recommended when you want to teach the model a new task, or leverage your company's unique knowledge base. Fine-tuning models is also helpful for generating a specific writing style or format.

If you are aiming to use a language model to draft responses to customer-support inquiries, for example, using a model fine-tuned on old conversations with customers will likely improve the quality of the output.

Note that there might be pricing differences when using fine-tuned models. You can use our [Pricing Calculator](https://cohere.com/pricing) to estimate the costs.

## How to Create Fine-tuned Models

Cohere offers two methods of creating fine-tuned models: via the [Cohere Dashboard](https://dashboard.cohere.com/welcome/login?redirect_uri=%2Ffine-tuning), via the [Fine-tuning API,](/api) and via the [Python SDK](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning). The fine-tuning process generally unfolds in four main stages:

- Preparing and uploading training data.
- Training the new Fine-tuned model.
- Evaluating the Fine-tuned model (and possibly repeating the training).
- Deploying the Fine-tuned model.

Once you Fine-tune a model, it will start appearing in the model selection dropdown on the Playground, and can be used in API calls.

## Types of Fine-tuning

Models are fine-tuned for use in specific Cohere APIs. To be compatible with the Chat API, for example, a model needs to be fine-tuned on a dataset of conversations. APIs that support fine-tuned models are:

- [Chat](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Classify](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Rerank](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)

## Fine-Tuning Directory

For your convenience, we've collected all the URLs relevant to fine-tuning Cohere models below. Think of this as being like a fine-tuning table of contents.

### Fine-tuning for Chat

- [Preparing the Chat Data](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Starting the Chat Training](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Understanding the Chat Results](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Improving the Chat Results](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)

### Fine-tuning for Classify

- [Preparing the Classify Data](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Starting the Classify Training](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Understanding the Classify Results](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Improving the Classify Results](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)

### Fine-tuning for Rerank

- [Preparing the Rerank Data](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Starting the Rerank Training](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Understanding the Rerank Results](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)
- [Improving the Rerank Results](/guides/get-started-fine-tuning-fine-tuning)

## Related pages

- [Changelog](../changelog.md)
- [Cohere](../index.md)
- [Cohere API](./cohere-api-index.md)
- [Cohere Labs](./cohere-labs-index.md)
- [Cohere Platform](./cohere-platform-index.md)
- [Cookbooks](./cookbooks-index.md)
- [Deployment Options](./deployment-options-index.md)
- [Embeddings (Vectors, Search, Retrieval)](./embeddings-vectors-search-retrieval-index.md)
- [Get Started](./get-started-index.md)
- [Going to Production](./going-to-production-index.md)

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