AI tool register · AI assistant
Is Microsoft Copilot safe for confidential information?
Microsoft Copilot’s work version is built for confidential information: signed in with a work or school account, Microsoft says prompts and responses are not used to train its foundation models, and it follows your Microsoft 365 permissions. The consumer app runs on different terms. Check which one people are actually signed in to.
PlanTrains on your content
- Copilot for individuals, new app (personal Microsoft account, available from August 18, 2026)No
- Copilot for individuals, older app versionYes, unless you turn it off
- Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat for work or school (formerly Microsoft 365 Copilot), with enterprise data protectionNo
Read October 5, 2026Microsoft
What Microsoft Copilot does with your data, plan by plan
Copilot for individuals, new app (personal Microsoft account, available from August 18, 2026)
No
Microsoft says prompts, responses, and file contents in the new Copilot app are not used to train foundation models. Optional feedback is not used to train them either. Source (opens in a new tab)
- How long it is kept
- Not stated. Chat history is kept so you can return to it, and you can delete single chats or all history. No fixed period appears on the pages reviewed.
- Admin controls
- None. Personal accounts only. Each user manages memory, chat history, web search, and ad personalization in Settings.
Copilot for individuals, older app version
Yes, unless you turn it off
Conversations, including uploaded files, are used for AI training unless the user opts out. Some groups are excluded, such as users under 18 and users who are not signed in. Source (opens in a new tab)
- How long it is kept
- Conversations are saved for 18 months by default. Users can delete single conversations or their entire history at any time.
- Admin controls
- None. Personal accounts only.
Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat for work or school (formerly Microsoft 365 Copilot), with enterprise data protection
No
Prompts, responses, and data accessed through Microsoft Graph are not used to train foundation models. Microsoft acts as a data processor under its Data Protection Addendum. Source (opens in a new tab)
- How long it is kept
- Prompts and responses are stored with the organization's other Microsoft 365 content. Admins set retention policies in Microsoft Purview. Users can delete their Copilot activity history.
- Admin controls
- Copilot follows the tenant's identity model, permissions, sensitivity labels, and retention policies, and supports audit of interactions. Admins choose which agents are allowed. Exact controls vary by subscription plan.
Where your data is stored
Work Copilot follows Microsoft 365 data residency commitments and is an EU Data Boundary service. For customers outside the EU, queries may be processed in the US, EU, or other regions.
Source (opens in a new tab)Attestations
What the vendor has had audited
For work Copilot, Microsoft cites GDPR, ISO 27001, HIPAA, ISO 42001, and ISO/IEC 27018. No attestations for the consumer app were stated on the pages reviewed.
Source (opens in a new tab)Worth knowing
What to watch for
The older consumer app uses conversations for AI training unless you opt out, keeps them 18 months, and allows human review with no opt-out. Different terms apply to the new app available from August 18, 2026.
Source (opens in a new tab)Work Copilot can use Anthropic models as a subprocessor. Microsoft says these models are excluded from the EU Data Boundary and from in-country processing commitments.
Source (opens in a new tab)Web search queries from work Copilot go to Bing under the Microsoft Services Agreement, with Microsoft as an independent data controller. The EU Data Boundary and HIPAA terms do not apply to those queries.
Source (opens in a new tab)In the new consumer app, people without a Microsoft 365 subscription might see ads. Personalized ads might use chat history and saved memories unless the user turns ad personalization off.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Our take
For a firm of 15 to 200 people
Use Copilot signed in with your firm’s work account. The personal app has different terms and people can end up in it without noticing, so say which one is approved and show people how to tell them apart.
This is our reading of the facts above, not a rating. We have no product to sell and take no referral fee from any vendor.
Compare and decide
How this was checked
Every fact on this page is taken from Microsoft’s own documentation as it read on . Vendors change these terms often, sometimes monthly. Check the linked page before you rely on it.
- Data, Privacy, and Security for Microsoft Copilot (work: training, permissions, residency) (opens in a new tab)
- Enterprise data protection in Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Chat (rename, web queries, Anthropic models) (opens in a new tab)
- Privacy FAQ for Microsoft Copilot (older consumer app: training, 18 months, human review) (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Copilot for individuals: overview (new consumer app) (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Copilot for individuals: your activity history (new app, no training) (opens in a new tab)
- Microsoft Copilot for individuals: your privacy controls and choices (ads, memory) (opens in a new tab)
- Copilot connectors overview (synced and federated) (opens in a new tab)
- Federated connectors overview (MCP, admin controls, write actions) (opens in a new tab)
- Set up custom federated connectors (opens in a new tab)
- Connecting Microsoft Copilot to other services (consumer connectors) (opens in a new tab)
- Learn about retention for Copilot and AI apps (Microsoft Purview) (opens in a new tab)
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