Last read: 24 Oct 2026 · From Microsoft’s own pages
Copilot: what happens to your chats
Microsoft’s documentation separates the older Copilot app from the new Copilot app (from 18 Aug 2026). Both are covered here.
1. Training
Older app: Privacy > “Training on conversation activity” and “Training on voice conversations”. The path differs on web, desktop and mobile.
New app (from 18 Aug 2026): no training switch is listed. The activity history page says prompts, responses and file contents in the app are not used to train foundation models.
2. Retention and deletion
Older app: conversation history is kept 18 months by default, and you can delete it at any time.
New app: retention period not stated on the pages we read.
3. Human review
Older app: some conversations get automated and human review for product improvement and safety. Opting out of human review is not available.
New app: not stated on the pages we read.
What still applies with training off
- Older app: opting out covers future training only. Data can still be used for product improvement, advertising, safety, security and compliance.
- New app: not stated. The controls listed are memory, shared experiences, chat history, web search and ad personalization.
Worth knowing, in plain words
Terms in a privacy policy can be hard to read. These are the points that matter most for Copilot, with a generic example of each. The examples are illustrations, not real cases.
Opting out is not a rewind
In some products, turning training off applies only to data collected from that day on. Chats already used can stay used.
Example, illustrative onlyYou chat for a year, then opt out. The year before the opt-out is not automatically pulled back.
What this page says: Older app: opting out covers future training only.
A person may read a sample
Some products let trained staff or contractors read a sample of conversations for safety or quality. Whether you can opt out depends on the product.
Example, illustrative onlyA chat you thought only software saw is selected for review. A reviewer reads it to check how the system responded.
What this page says: Older app: some conversations get human review, and opting out is not available.
“Not stated” is not “No”
When the pages we read are silent on a point, we say “Not stated”. That means we found no statement, not that the practice does not exist.
Example, illustrative onlyA page says nothing about human review. You cannot conclude that nobody reads chats; you can only conclude the page does not say.
What this page says: New app: retention and human review are not stated on the pages we read.
Sources
- Microsoft: Copilot privacy controls (older app)
- Microsoft: Privacy FAQ for Microsoft Copilot (older app)
- Microsoft: Copilot privacy controls (new app)
- Microsoft: Copilot activity history (new app)
“Not stated” means the pages we read are silent on the point. It is not a statement that the practice does not exist. Wording is checked against the page on the date above and may have changed since.
Spot an error? Email corrections@aichatprivacy.com with a link to the source.