Personal Copilot / A history-first guide

Keep your account.
Protect your history.
Improve your privacy.

A clear, six-step walkthrough using the Microsoft account you already have. Save your conversations, set your privacy, and upgrade only if you need more features.

Begin with Step 1 Just looking for the upgrade?

The important distinction

Privacy first. A purchase is optional.

A higher-priced personal plan buys more features, not enterprise data protection. Keep your current account and follow the privacy steps first. Do not upgrade solely for confidentiality.

What protection does a personal plan provide?

Microsoft says the updated personal Copilot app does not use prompts, responses, or file contents to train foundation models. Its documentation applies to the new experience introduced August 18, 2026. Older apps have different controls. [1]

Microsoft 365 Premium or Pro does not turn a personal account into an enterprise-protected account. Enterprise data protection belongs to the organizational experience. A personal subscription is still governed by consumer terms. [2] [3]

01Step 1 of 6 · Start here

Confirm your existing account

Open Copilot the way you normally use it. Open an older conversation you recognize.
Select your profile picture or initials. Note the signed-in email and sign-in method. A Gmail address can also be a Microsoft account.
Open Microsoft subscriptions ↗. Confirm it is the same account, then find your current plan and select Manage.
Note the plan name, renewal date, and billing provider. If Apple, Google, or another seller manages it, use that seller for subscription changes. [4]

You should have: one confirmed personal account, visible old chats, and the exact subscription name.

The account or plan does not match

Stop before purchasing. Do not create an account, change your email alias, cancel a plan, or buy under a different login. If you use Google or Apple sign-in, keep that method while confirming the linked Microsoft identity. If the profile says Work or school, have the account administrator check the license instead. [5]

Next: Save your history

02Step 2 of 6 · Preserve what matters

Save a copy of your conversations

Open the Microsoft privacy dashboard ↗ with that same account.
Go to PrivacyEmpower your productivityCopilotYour Copilot app activity history
Under Copilot apps, choose Export all activity history. Under Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps, export the app activity and Copilot Chat activity offered there, too.
Save the downloaded CSV files privately. Open them and check that important older conversations are present. Save any especially important reports or images separately. [6]

Choose Export—not Delete or Clear. An export is a reference copy, not a supported way to import chats into another account.

Microsoft says ordinary chats move with the updated app, but retired features have exceptions. Keeping the same account avoids an account migration; it is not a guarantee of permanent retention. Verify the export before proceeding. [5]

Next: Set your privacy

03Step 3 of 6 · No purchase needed

Set your privacy controls

After exporting, open the current Copilot web app ↗ with your existing personal account. Check that your chats are there. If they are missing, stop and use the troubleshooting section below.

In the current app

For a privacy-focused configuration, set these options: [7]

One shared experience Off: Reduce cross-product personalization with Bing, Edge, and MSN.
Web search Off: Prevent web-search grounding. Answers may no longer reflect current online information.
Allow ads personalization Off, if shown: Limit personalized advertising. Availability depends on your account and subscription.
Saved memories Off for less recall: Stops new saved memories; existing memories are not automatically erased. Your chat list is a separate feature.

Under Settings → Web browsing → Import browser data, leave Bring over your browsing data from Microsoft Edge off, if shown. [7]

Do not delete chats or saved memories. You can keep Saved memories on if personalized recall matters more to you; it is not the same as model training.

I still have the older Copilot app

The older experience has training switches. Turn off Training on conversation activity and Training on voice conversations:

Older web: profile icon → profile name → Privacy
Older Windows/Mac: profile icon → Settings → Privacy
Older mobile: menu → profile icon → Account → Privacy

The opt-out applies to future training use, not every other use of data. It does not require deleting your chats. Do not assume an absent switch means it is on: the updated app uses different privacy terms and controls. [8]

Next: Secure your sign-in

04Step 4 of 6 · Protect your sign-in

Secure the same Microsoft account

Open Microsoft account security ↗. Select Manage how I sign in.
Check that your recovery methods are current and accessible before changing security settings.
Under Additional security → Two-step verification, choose Turn on if it is not already enabled. Follow the setup instructions; an authenticator app is a good option.
Keep recovery information in a secure place. Never send anyone a password, sign-in code, or recovery code. [9]

Already enabled? Verify your recovery methods and continue. No new account is needed.

Next: Decide whether to upgrade

05Step 5 of 6 · Optional upgrade

Upgrade only if you need more features

For privacy alone, skip the purchase. If you also want more Copilot features or usage, Microsoft 365 Premium is a reasonable consumer upgrade to consider. If you already have Premium or Pro, do not buy another plan.

Optional / More features, not more privacy

Microsoft 365 Premium

More AI usage and advanced Copilot features. Your existing personal Microsoft account remains the account to use.

$19.99/monthor $199.99/year

US public pricing checked October 30, 2026. Confirm tax, renewal terms, regional availability, and the actual amount due at checkout. [10]

Open Microsoft’s personal plan comparison ↗. Choose For individuals, not For business.
Find Microsoft 365 Premium, choose monthly or yearly billing, and select Buy now.
At sign-in, use the exact account confirmed in Step 1. Do not choose Create account. Confirm the signed-in email again.
Review the plan, amount due, renewal, and treatment of your current subscription. Eligible prepaid time converts at Microsoft’s published ratios—not necessarily day for day.
Complete the purchase only if you want the extra features. Then check Subscriptions to confirm the new plan. Third-party billing? Make the change through that provider instead. [4]

What about Microsoft 365 Pro, Copilot Pro, or a shared family plan?

Microsoft 365 Pro is a higher-usage consumer plan, currently $99.99/month in the US. It does not buy enterprise data protection for a personal account. We do not recommend it for privacy alone. [11]

If your current subscription says Copilot Pro, use its Manage page or Microsoft billing support to confirm the correct transition before paying. Do not assume it is the same product as Microsoft 365 Pro.

AI benefits in Family, Premium, and Pro are for the subscription owner. If someone else shares a plan with you, confirm ownership before buying or changing anything. [10]

Next: Verify everything

06Step 6 of 6 · Verify before finishing

Make one final check

Same sign-in: the profile shows the original personal account.
History present: open several old conversations you recognize.
Backup checked: the exported files contain important conversations and are stored privately.
Privacy confirmed: reopen Settings and check your choices.
Account secured: two-step verification and recovery methods are ready.
Purchase checked, if made: the intended plan appears under Subscriptions; investigate any unexpected duplicate charge.

Before uploading confidential company material

Stop and obtain the company’s approval for this specific personal-account setup. No-training commitments are not enterprise contracts, company retention controls, or approval to upload board papers or patient information. No consumer upgrade changes that boundary. [2] [3]

Questions or missing chats? Get help

When something looks different

Quick answers

My old chats are missing. What should I do?

Do not delete anything, buy another subscription, or create a new account. Recheck the exact email and original sign-in method. Check your previous Copilot app and exported history. If the account is correct and the chats still do not appear, contact Microsoft Support before proceeding.

Microsoft’s app update is separate from a subscription upgrade. Most history is intended to carry forward, but some retired features are excluded. A higher-priced plan does not restore missing chats. [5]

Contact Microsoft Support ↗

Does using personal Copilot make my conversations public?

Not automatically. A personal service is not the same thing as publishing a conversation on the web. But consumer terms, sharing choices, connected services, and account security still matter. Never share a conversation link or grant an app access to confidential material without approval. [3]

Do the same no-training rules apply inside Word and Excel?

Microsoft separately states that prompts, responses, and file content used by Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps for home are not used to train foundation models. That is useful protection, but not a grant of enterprise data protection to your personal account. [12]

Can I have enterprise protection and keep the same personal chat environment?

Not by upgrading a consumer subscription. Microsoft keeps personal and organizational identities and data separate. A company-approved work experience can coexist with a personal account, but it does not convert the personal chat history into an enterprise workspace. This guide does not move you to another account. [5]

Is keeping history the same as keeping Copilot memory?

No. History is your list of conversations. Saved memories are selected details used for personalization. You can reduce memory use without deliberately deleting your chat list. We leave deletion out of this guide because preserving history is the priority. [7]

Verify the details

Official Microsoft sources

Reviewed October 30, 2026. Menus and offers can change; follow the current Microsoft page if it differs. These instructions are documentation-verified, not a claim that your account has been inspected or upgraded.