Retention after deletion

You’re asking how long a Copilot chat remains after manual deletion, before a six-month policy exists. Microsoft does not document a guaranteed interval for that situation. Deleting the chat removes it from the user-facing Copilot experience, but a compliance copy can remain in a hidden Exchange mailbox location until backend deletion completes; retention policies, retention holds, eDiscovery holds, or other policies can extend that time. Therefore, visible deletion is not proof of compliant disposal. In Microsoft Purview, create a retention policy scoped specifically to Microsoft 365 Copilot, choose the required retain-or-delete behavior, and pilot it with test users. After deletion, verify the result through eDiscovery and allow for asynchronous processing, which Microsoft says commonly takes one to seven days. Keep Copilot retention separate from Teams-chat retention and document any holds that override the six-month target. If a precise no-policy period is a compliance requirement, obtain written confirmation through Microsoft support.