Copilot Data & Privacy Issues

How to Check Microsoft 365 Copilot Transcript Retention Periods

Algirdas Jasaitis Oct 8, 2026 874 views

Question details

Users need to know how long Microsoft 365 Copilot interactions and Teams transcripts are stored and how to manage these retention periods.

Understanding Microsoft 365 Copilot Transcript Retention Periods

Product: Microsoft 365 Copilot
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Determining data compliance and storage behavior for Copilot chat interactions and Microsoft Teams meeting transcripts.
Observed behavior: Copilot interactions, Teams meeting transcripts, and meeting recordings do not have a single universal retention period; they are governed independently by organizational compliance policies.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary administrator permissions in Microsoft 365, as retention policies can only be managed by IT administrators through the Microsoft Purview portal.

Solution 1Recommended

Review Organization Retention Policies via Microsoft Purview

The primary method to determine or change the retention period for Copilot interactions is by checking your organization's Microsoft Purview policies.

Microsoft 365 does not enforce one universal retention period for Copilot data. Instead, it relies on customized compliance policies set by your organization's IT or information management team.

Contact your IT Administrator

Reach out to your organization's Microsoft 365 administrator or information management team to request a review of current data policies.

Access Microsoft Purview

Administrators should log into the Microsoft Purview compliance portal using their admin credentials.

Navigate to Data Lifecycle Management

Go to 'Data lifecycle management' or 'Records management' to locate the retention policies currently active in your tenant.

Compare Copilot and Teams Policies

Review and compare the specific retention policies applied to 'Microsoft Copilot interactions' against those applied to 'Teams meeting transcripts and recordings' to understand their respective expiration rules.

Review Organization Retention Policies via Microsoft Purview

Administrator Control: Only users with the appropriate compliance administrator roles in Microsoft 365 can view, create, or modify these retention and deletion policies.

Solution 2

Adjust Teams Meeting Transcript Expiration Settings

Because Teams meeting transcripts have different storage behaviors than Copilot chats, you may need to verify their specific expiration rules in the Teams admin center.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are Microsoft 365 Copilot interactions stored forever by default?

No. The storage duration follows the retention policies set by your organization's IT administrator in Microsoft Purview. If no specific policy is applied, the interactions follow your organization's standard Microsoft 365 data retention rules.

Can I use Copilot in a Teams meeting without recording the audio and video?

Yes, administrators can configure policies that allow users to utilize Copilot during Teams meetings based purely on the live meeting transcript, without requiring the meeting to be recorded.

Do Teams meeting transcripts and Copilot chats share the same retention period?

Not necessarily. Teams meeting recordings and transcripts often have their own specific expiration rules and storage behaviors that are separate from the retention policies governing Copilot interactions.

Microsoft Copilot Issues