Microsoft Copilot tips

Desktop Go to copilot.com, or open the Copilot app already on Windows 11.

Phone App Store or Google Play. Check the publisher is Microsoft.

Copilot now comes as one app for personal and work accounts. Sign in with your personal account for personal use. Copilot inside Word or Teams at work is managed by your employer.

Both Use the account you use for Outlook.com, Xbox or Windows. Create one free at account.microsoft.com if needed.

Signing in saves your chats; history only works when you are signed in. You can also sign in with Apple or Google, but a Microsoft account links Copilot to your Microsoft privacy dashboard. Keep personal use on a personal account rather than a work or school one.

Both account.microsoft.com › Security › Manage how I sign in › Additional security › Two-step verification › Turn on

Copilot is only as secure as your Microsoft account. The Microsoft Authenticator app is the simplest second step.

Both Update the app first. Microsoft states that in the updated app (from 18 August 2026) your prompts, responses and file contents are not used to train its foundation models, so there is no training switch to find. Your chats are still used to run and improve the service.

Older versions of the app had training toggles under Privacy. If you still see them, your app has not updated; switch both off. Chats are still saved to your account, so the next three steps matter.

Both Settings › Personalization: One shared experience (lets your Copilot use personalise Bing, Edge and MSN) and Allow ads personalization

Check both; Microsoft does not state the default. Switch them off if you would rather your Copilot use stayed inside Copilot and did not shape the ads you see.

Both Settings › Personalization › Saved memories, then Manage

In chat Say "Remember that I run a plumbing business in Geelong and prefer short answers in Australian English." to add one.

The Saved memories switch stops Copilot saving new memories, but does not delete the ones already saved. Use Manage to delete single memories, or Delete all memories to clear the lot. Deleting memories does not delete your chats.

Both In the Chats list, open the three dots (More) next to a chat, or right-click it in the Windows or Mac app, and choose Delete. To clear everything, go to account.microsoft.com/privacy/copilot, select Delete all activity history, then Clear.

The personal Copilot app has no documented temporary chat, so delete a sensitive chat afterwards. Otherwise Copilot keeps up to 18 months of chat history.

Both See the list at the end of this sheet. Remove names and numbers before you paste, or describe the situation instead.

Treat anything you type as something that could be stored. Privacy settings reduce risk; they do not remove it.

Both Free Copilot has limits and depends on capacity. Microsoft 365 Personal or Family adds higher limits and Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for the account owner. Premium adds extensive usage, and a Microsoft 365 Pro plan with the highest limits is sold month to month. Compare at microsoft.com/en-au/copilot/pricing/individuals.

Pay only if you hit limits often or want Copilot in Word and Excel at home. Copilot Pro is no longer sold. Prices are shown in Australian dollars.

For anything important, end with this line.

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