Copilot Chat Retention vs Memory: What Happens to Chat History Inferences?
How do Chat History inferences behave after tenant retention deletes the underlying Copilot interactions? Microsoft's documentation explains that: Saved Memories persist until explicitly deleted. Chat History personalization creates inferred details. Purview retention policies do not apply to Copilot Memory. What is unclear is the lifecycle of Chat History inferences when the Copilot interactions that originally contributed to those inferences are permanently removed by a tenant retention policy. Example: A tenant has a 60-day retention policy for Microsoft 365 Copilot interactions. Copilot infers user preferences from conversations. The source conversations are later removed due to retention. Does Copilot: Retain those inferred details? Recompute them from remaining conversations? Remove them because the source interactions no longer exist? Understanding this is important because users may experience changes in Copilot personalization without understanding why.
Copilot in OneNote cannot access content in sidebar (Microsoft 365 Premium)
a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } Hello everyone, I'm hoping someone from the OneNote or Copilot team can help with an issue that has prevented me from using Copilot in OneNote for approximately two months despite having an active Microsoft 365 Premium subscription. Issue Copilot can detect that a OneNote page is open, but it cannot access or read the contents of the page. For example, if I open a page named 1Cor4:1-16.onepart or create a brand-new test page, Copilot acknowledges that the page exists but responds with something similar to: "I can see that the file is open, but I cannot access the note contents." As a result, Copilot cannot summarize, analyze, answer questions about, or otherwise interact with the contents of the current page. Environment Microsoft 365 Premium (Personal Subscription) OneNote for Microsoft 365 Version 2608 Build 16.0.20326.20100 (64-bit) Windows Desktop Notebooks stored in and synced through OneDrive Troubleshooting Completed I have already performed extensive troubleshooting, including: Verifying my Microsoft 365 Premium subscription is active Verifying I am signed into the correct Microsoft account Signing out and back into Office and OneNote Confirming notebooks are syncing properly Updating Office and OneNote to the latest version Restarting OneNote and Windows multiple times Creating brand-new notebooks and test pages Testing across multiple days and sessions The issue is fully reproducible on both existing notebooks and newly created notebooks. Microsoft Support Findings I have already worked directly with Microsoft Support. A support technician remotely connected to my computer and reviewed my configuration. They confirmed that Copilot in OneNote should be functioning in my environment. During the support session they performed multiple troubleshooting and repair actions, including uninstalling and reinstalling components, repairing Office, and verifying account and licensing status. Despite all of this, the problem remained unchanged. The technician indicated that the issue appears to be on the Copilot/OneNote side rather than being caused by my local setup. Since they were unable to resolve it, they recommended that I post here in the Microsoft Tech Community to seek further escalation and visibility. Questions Has anyone else experienced an issue where Copilot can see the currently open OneNote page but cannot access the page contents? Is there a known service-side, provisioning, or feature-rollout issue that could cause this behavior? Is there a way to escalate this directly to the OneNote or Copilot engineering teams? At this point, I've been paying for the feature for roughly two months and have not been able to use the core OneNote Copilot functionality at all. Any assistance or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Problem that copilot is unable to see all my emails in outlook
Copilot returns incomplete http://outlook.com/ email search results while Outlook Desktop and Outlook Web return complete results Product Microsoft Copilot (Windows App) Microsoft Copilot (Web) http://outlook.com/ Outlook Desktop Outlook on the Web Issue Summary Copilot is returning incomplete email search results from my http://outlook.com/ mailbox. The same mailbox searched directly in Outlook Desktop and Outlook on the Web returns complete and accurate results, but Copilot only returns a subset of the matching emails. The issue occurs in both the Copilot Windows application and Copilot on the web, suggesting the problem is not device-specific. Environment Microsoft Account Personal Microsoft account http://outlook.com/ mailbox Microsoft 365 Personal trial currently active Devices Windows laptop Completely rebuilt from scratch to troubleshoot this issue Internal storage wiped Fresh Windows installation performed All current Windows updates installed All current Microsoft 365 / Office updates installed Applications Tested Outlook Desktop (latest version) Outlook on the Web Microsoft Copilot for Windows Microsoft Copilot on the Web Account Status Same Microsoft account used for Outlook and Copilot Mailbox accessible and functioning normally Mail synchronization appears healthy Outlook search functioning correctly Problem Description On Monday 3 August 2026, my Inbox contained 12 messages. Examples included: Tesco http://amazon.co.uk/ eBay Yahoo Microsoft Account Team Microsoft 365 When I asked Copilot to list emails received on 3 August 2026, Copilot returned only a subset of those emails. Copilot was able to locate: Tesco order confirmation Tesco order amendment Microsoft 365 trial activation Microsoft account password change However, Copilot did not return several emails that were visibly present in the Inbox, including Amazon, eBay, Yahoo and other Microsoft account notifications. Expected Result Copilot should return all emails matching the requested date range, consistent with Outlook Desktop Search and Outlook Web Search. Actual Result Copilot returns only a partial subset of the matching emails despite the emails being clearly present in the mailbox. Diagnostic Testing Performed Outlook Desktop Search Result: ✅ Returns all expected emails. Outlook Web Search Result: ✅ Returns all expected emails. Copilot for Windows Result: ❌ Returns only a subset of emails. Copilot Web Result: ❌ Returns the same subset of emails. Operating System Result: ✅ Fresh Windows installation completed. Office Installation Result: ✅ Fully updated. Mailbox Access Result: ✅ Mailbox functioning normally. Why I Believe This Is a Copilot Search Service Issue The issue reproduces: Across multiple Copilot clients On a freshly rebuilt device While Outlook Desktop Search works correctly While Outlook Web Search works correctly Since both Outlook clients return complete results and both Copilot clients return incomplete results, the evidence suggests a discrepancy in the mailbox search/indexing layer used by Copilot rather than a problem with Windows, Office, Outlook indexing, or the local device. Request Please investigate: Whether Copilot is using a different mailbox index from Outlook Search. Whether my mailbox has been only partially ingested into the Copilot search service. Whether there are known issues affecting http://outlook.com/ personal accounts and Copilot email retrieval. Whether Microsoft can trigger a reindex, resynchronization, or repair of the mailbox content used by Copilot. Whether there are any diagnostic tools available to compare Outlook Search results versus Copilot Search results. Evidence Available I can provide: Screenshots showing 12 emails present in Outlook Inbox on 3 August 2026. Screenshots of Outlook Desktop search results. Screenshots of Outlook Web search results. Screenshots showing Copilot returning only a subset of those emails.Copilot pain points....
Guys… seriously… we need some improvements here. I’m not asking Copilot to solve quantum physics or decode alien transmissions. I’m asking a Microsoft program for help with a Microsoft program. You’d think that would be the one scenario where Copilot would shine, right? Like, “Ah yes, my home turf, allow me to demonstrate competence.” But no. I can’t even get Copilot to correctly explain how to do basic SharePoint tasks. BASIC. As in, “click the thing, then click the other thing.” Instead I get a TED Talk about SharePoint philosophy and a guided meditation on patience. And then there’s the folder comparison fiasco. I want Copilot to do something so simple it should practically be a reflex: Compare two folders on my hard drive and tell me if they’re identical. Copilot’s response? “Absolutely, I can do that!” Followed immediately by an ever‑expanding scavenger hunt of things I apparently need to do first. It’s like asking someone to hand you a screwdriver and they say, “Sure, but first you’ll need to assemble this IKEA shelving unit, install three dependencies, sacrifice a goat, and agree to a quest.” I’m glad to hear you’re merging all the copilots into one “super Copilot.” Great idea. Fantastic. But let’s be honest — I’m praying the one that survives is the personal Copilot, because Copilot 365… whew. That thing feels like it was built by a committee that communicates exclusively through interpretive dance. And don’t even get me started on the wrapper versions. Those are like Copilot wearing a Halloween costume of itself, but the costume is made of cardboard and disappointment. And by the way — I’m STILL waiting for Copilot to create an app or program that automatically files my Outlook emails into folders. This is not a moon landing. This is not a Mars rover. This is not a Nobel Prize category. This is a simple, everyday, normal-person task. Yet somehow Copilot treats it like I’ve asked it to build the next Windows release from scratch using only a spoon and positive thinking. Come on, guys. We love the vision. We love the potential. But the basics need to work before the magic tricks do.
Company-Wide Copilot Prompt Library (Enterprise)
Question Regarding Organizational Prompt Import Fields I'm working on importing prompts into the Microsoft 365 Copilot Organizational Prompts library using the CSV import process. According to the documentation, each prompt can include the following fields: Title Display Prompt Prompt Language Task Type Department Supported Apps Description My question is: Which of these fields accept administrator-defined free-form text, and which fields must use predefined Microsoft-supported values when importing prompts via CSV? For example, the documentation appears to indicate that: Language uses supported locale values (such as en-US, es-ES, etc.). Task Type uses supported task type values (such as Analyze, Create, Edit, etc.). However, it isn't clear whether fields such as Department and Supported Apps also require predefined values, or if administrators can enter their own custom values. Specifically, I'm trying to determine: Which fields accept free-form text? Which fields require values from a Microsoft-defined list? For any fields that require predefined values, where can the complete list of valid values be found? Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/organizational-prompts#prompt-fields-reference Any input would be very much appreciated! Thank you!
Primary Proposal: Copilot as an AI Gateway
Problem Statement Advanced users increasingly encounter limitations in Copilot’s ability to: generate or modify complex VBA safely maintain architectural integrity in multi‑module systems perform multi‑step workflows inside Office apps handle file generation or structured content creation operate without overly restrictive guardrails provide specialized domain expertise (e.g., coding, data science, creative tasks) Competitors — even free tiers — often outperform Copilot in these specialized tasks, despite lacking Microsoft’s integration advantages. This creates a mismatch between user expectations and Copilot’s current capabilities. Opportunity Microsoft does not need to build every specialized AI capability internally. Instead, Copilot can become the trusted orchestrator that: Authenticates the user Understands the task Selects the best AI engine for the job Executes the task securely Delivers the result inside Microsoft applications This approach: reduces Microsoft’s infrastructure burden increases Copilot’s capability ceiling preserves enterprise security and compliance provides users with best‑in‑class results positions Copilot as the central nervous system of the Microsoft ecosystem Proposed Architecture: Copilot as an AI Gateway Identity & Security Layer (Microsoft) Copilot remains the authentication and authorization layer, ensuring: user identity data boundaries compliance logging enterprise governance Task Classification Layer (Copilot) Copilot determines: the user’s intent the domain (VBA, Excel, OneDrive, coding, creative, etc.) the required capability level the risk profile AI Routing Layer (Copilot) Copilot selects the appropriate engine: Microsoft models for general tasks Specialized third‑party models for advanced tasks Local models for privacy‑sensitive operations Domain‑specific engines (e.g., coding assistants, creative generators) Integration Layer (Microsoft Apps) Results are delivered directly into: Excel Word PowerPoint OneDrive Windows Teams Outlook This is where Copilot’s integration advantage becomes unbeatable. Benefits to Microsoft Reduced infrastructure burden Increased user satisfaction Competitive differentiation Enterprise trust Developer ecosystem growth Secondary Proposal: OneDrive User‑Choice Restoration Overview OneDrive’s increasing emphasis on automatic cloud storage, forced sync behaviors, and reduced local‑storage autonomy has created friction for advanced users and power workflows. While these defaults benefit casual users, they can unintentionally disrupt professional, technical, and offline‑critical workflows. Restoring user choice — even through advanced or hidden settings — would allow OneDrive to serve both mainstream and power users without compromising Microsoft’s cloud‑first strategy. Issues Addressed Forced Cloud Migration Can Break Application Dependencies Automatic OneDrive migration can cause: broken links missing references VBA failures sync conflicts unexpected file locks Especially in Excel/VBA environments and engineering workflows. Sync Conflicts Create Data Integrity Risks Automatic sync can introduce: partial uploads version conflicts corrupted files duplicate “ghost” versions These issues disproportionately affect advanced users. Offline‑Critical Workflows Are Undermined Forced cloud storage can result in: files unavailable offline delayed syncs “file not found” errors This disrupts field work, travel, and low‑connectivity environments. User Intent Is Overridden Automatic folder redirection and forced sync violate a core professional principle: Users should control where their files live. Enterprise and Power Users Need Granular Control Organizations and advanced users often need: selective sync local‑only folders per‑directory rules opt‑out flags Providing these options would dramatically reduce friction. Proposed Solution Introduce a User Choice & Advanced Control Panel for OneDrive, allowing: per‑folder sync control local‑only folder designation optional migration prompts clear visibility into file location enterprise policy overrides Outcome This complements the Copilot gateway proposal by ensuring the underlying file system behaves predictably — a prerequisite for reliable AI‑assisted workflows.Copilot Feedback - Power User Experience Improvements
As a frequent Copilot user for technical discussions, architecture, governance, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and problem-solving activities, I would like more control over the user experience. Copilot has become a daily productivity tool, but several UI and usability improvements would significantly benefit advanced users. 1. Allow Disabling Suggested Follow-Up Prompts The suggested replies shown below every response may be useful for new users, but for experienced users they often add little value and consume screen space. Please provide an option to: Disable suggested prompts entirely Adjust their frequency or aggressiveness Enable them only for new conversations or learning scenarios 2. Make '/' and '@' Shortcuts Configurable The automatic triggering of slash commands and @ mentions while typing can be disruptive and may interrupt or replace text unexpectedly. Please allow users to: Disable these shortcuts Configure alternative trigger characters Require a keyboard shortcut before activating them 3. Add a Power User Mode Consider introducing a dedicated Power User Mode featuring: No suggested prompts Reduced UI clutter Compact layouts Fewer interruptions while typing Advanced customization options A productivity-focused experience 4. Compact Conversation View Long technical conversations can become difficult to navigate due to excessive spacing and scrolling. Please provide: A compact view option Reduced vertical whitespace More conversation content visible on screen 5. Conversation Search Many conversations contain valuable information that users want to revisit later. Please add the ability to: Search within a conversation Search code snippets and formulas Search by date or topic Quickly jump to matching results 6. Pin Important Messages Allow users to pin key answers, code snippets, formulas, decisions, or reference messages within a conversation so they can be easily found later. 7. Enhanced Copy Experience For technical users working with Power Apps, Power Automate, SQL, PowerShell, and other technologies: One-click copy for all code and formulas Preserve formatting during copy operations Support copying multiple related blocks together 8. User-Defined Response Profiles Allow users to create and switch between response styles such as: Technical Troubleshooting Power User Learning Mode Executive Summary Architecture Review This would reduce the need to repeatedly explain personal preferences. 9. Memory Transparency and Management Allow users to: View all stored memories and preferences Edit or delete individual memory items Temporarily disable specific memories Understand which memories are influencing responses This would improve transparency and trust. Summary Copilot is evolving from a simple chat tool into a professional productivity platform. Providing greater control over the interface, shortcuts, suggestions, memory, and conversation management would allow experienced users to tailor the experience to their workflow while preserving the current experience for those who prefer more guidance. Thank you for considering these improvements.
