Does Copilot train on your data? Personal vs Microsoft 365
Copilot has different data terms on personal and business plans. Personal: Microsoft Copilot app (web, desktop, mobile) signed in with a personal Microsoft account. Business: Microsoft 365 Copilot. Every value links to Microsoft's own page. Last verified .
Microsoft Copilot (personal Microsoft account)
Depends on app version
Training default depends on which Copilot app version you use.
Full personal-plan page →Microsoft 365 Copilot
Doesn't train
Doesn't train on business data by default.
Full business-plan page →Side by side
| What we checked | Personal Microsoft Copilot (personal Microsoft account) | Business Microsoft 365 Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Trains on your data by default | Depends on app version Microsoft says the new Copilot app (from Aug 18 2026, and Copilot on the web) does not use prompts, responses or files to train foundation models. The older app's FAQ says signed-in adult users' conversations are used for AI training unless they opt out. Note that "foundation models" is narrower than "any model". Source: support.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/microsoft-copilot/activity-history (checked Oct 17, 2026), support.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/microsoft-copilot/overview (checked Oct 17, 2026), support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/privacy-faq-for-microsoft-copilot (checked Oct 17, 2026) | No Prompts, responses, and Microsoft Graph data aren't used to train foundation LLMs. Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
| Can you turn training off? | Older app: yes. New app: no training toggle needed or listed Older app: Profile > Privacy > Training on conversation activity / Training on voice conversations. The new app's privacy-controls page lists Memory, Shared experiences, Chat history, Web search, Personalized ads, and Edge import, with no training setting. Source: support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/microsoft-copilot-privacy-controls (checked Oct 17, 2026), support.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/microsoft-copilot/privacy-controls (checked Oct 17, 2026) | Not tracked for business plans |
| Data retention | Older app: 18 months by default. New app: unknown The new-app pages checked describe how to delete chats but give no retention period. Source: support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/privacy-faq-for-microsoft-copilot (checked Oct 17, 2026), support.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/microsoft-copilot/privacy-controls (checked Oct 17, 2026) | Admin-configurable Interaction history is stored; admins set retention via Microsoft Purview. Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
| Retention after you delete | Unknown No post-deletion purge window found on the Copilot pages checked (old or new app). Pages checked: support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/privacy-faq-for-microsoft-copilot (checked Oct 17, 2026) | Not tracked for business plans |
| Human review of chats | Older app: yes, no opt-out. New app: feedback reviewed; otherwise unknown Older-app FAQ: some conversations get automated and human review for product improvement and safety, with no opt-out. The new-app Transparency Note says submitted feedback is reviewed by Microsoft's operations teams. Source: support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/privacy-faq-for-microsoft-copilot (checked Oct 17, 2026), support.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/microsoft-copilot/transparency-note (checked Oct 17, 2026) | Not tracked for business plans |
| Temporary / incognito chat | Unknown No temporary or incognito chat mode is described on the consumer Copilot pages checked. | Not tracked for business plans |
| Data location / residency | Your region, the US, and other Microsoft locations From the general Microsoft Privacy Statement. Nothing Copilot-specific found. Source: microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement (checked Oct 17, 2026) | Yes EU Data Boundary and data residency commitments; LLM calls may route to other regions for capacity. Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
| SOC 2 Type II | Not checked yet Not checked in this personal-plan research pass (consumer/business compliance docs not reviewed). | Unknown Not stated on the Copilot privacy pages checked. Pages checked: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy (checked Oct 17, 2026), learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/enterprise-data-protection (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
| ISO/IEC 42001 | Not checked yet Not checked in this personal-plan research pass (consumer/business compliance docs not reviewed). | Yes Listed: ISO 42001 standard for AI management systems. Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
| DPA available | Not checked yet Not checked in this personal-plan research pass (consumer/business compliance docs not reviewed). | Yes Covered by the Microsoft Products and Services DPA. Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/enterprise-data-protection (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
| BAA / HIPAA | Not checked yet Not checked in this personal-plan research pass (consumer/business compliance docs not reviewed). | Yes Supports HIPAA compliance for properly configured implementations (web search queries excluded). Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/enterprise-data-protection (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
| Zero-retention option | Not checked yet Not checked in this personal-plan research pass (consumer/business compliance docs not reviewed). | Unknown Not stated on the Microsoft pages we checked. Pages checked: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy (checked Oct 17, 2026), learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/enterprise-data-protection (checked Oct 17, 2026) |
Verbatim quotes from each source are on the personal and business pages.
How to turn off training on a personal Copilot account
New app (Aug 18 2026+): Microsoft says chats aren't used to train foundation models, so there's no toggle. Older app: turn off "Training on conversation activity". Step-by-step instructions →
See also: Why AI training on your data matters · How we source and verify this