Microsoft Copilot offers you tailored experiences by remembering key details and preferences from your conversations with Microsoft Copilot Chat using Copilot Memory. Over time, it can recall useful information like your communication style, favorite topics, work goals, and recurring tasks to make conversations straightforward and more relevant. If the user has Copilot memory enabled, Copilot can provided personalized recommendations by using Copilot Chat conversations and usage data, Microsoft 365 work data, usage signals, and profile information.
Personalize what Copilot Chat remembers
Copilot personalizes your chat experience and its responses by:
- Saving memories to Copilot Memory
- Making inferences from your chat history
- Using your Copilot custom instructions
- Forgetting what was discussed in a temporary chat
Save memories using Copilot Chat
When Copilot Memory is turned on, Copilot automatically saves key information to its memory from your Copilot Chat conversations.
Learn how to manage saved memories in Copilot Chat at Manage Copilot Memory in Microsoft Copilot.
Revisit your chat history
Copilot keeps a history of your previous conversations with Copilot Chat. Copilot can make inferences about what matters to you using previous conversations to respond to subsequent conversations.
Learn how to revisit your chat history at Revisit your Microsoft Copilot Chat history.
Add custom instructions to Copilot settings
To further personalize how Copilot responds to you, create custom instructions that tell Copilot important information to remember, like your communication preferences.
Learn how to manage custom instructions for Copilot at Customize how Microsoft Copilot responds to you.
Use temporary chat to limit what Copilot Chat remembers
If you want to chat without using or updating memory, you can Start a temporary chat. These conversations won’t access or store any personalized information. Also, the conversation won’t appear in your chat history and can’t be referenced or accessed later by you or Copilot.
However, your organization’s data retention policy might require retaining temporary chat data. Your IT administrator might be able to access this data during the retention period.
To start a temporary chat, complete the following steps:
- Go to Copilot Chat and sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.
- At the top-right of the Copilot Chat page, select
Start a new temporary chat button. - Chat with Copilot like you normally would.
How does Microsoft handle Copilot Memory data?
Microsoft handles Copilot Memory with the same care as your other work data in Microsoft Copilot.
To learn more about Copilot Chat data handling standards, see Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Copilot Chat.
How do I fully delete something Copilot knows about me?
If you turn on Copilot Memory and want to completely remove something Copilot remembers, take these two steps:
Delete the saved memory from your Chat settings. Learn how to delete saved memories at Delete information from Copilot Memory.
- This step ensures Copilot no longer retains the specific detail you asked it to remember.
Delete memories from your chat history by switching off the Chat history personalization setting. This action deletes any inferences Copilot made from previous Copilot Chat conversations. You can also contact your IT admin. Learn how to delete chat history data at How do I turn off Copilot personalization based on chat history?
- If you turn the Chat history personalization setting back on within 30 days after the deletion, Copilot adds back the deleted memories from your chat history.