Official documentation checked October 14, 2026.
A request to erase one person’s Copilot data needs a scoped privacy review, not a mailbox-wide purge. Removing a conversation from the user interface, deleting retained interaction content, and managing audit records are separate operations. This guide concerns organizational Copilot used with a work or school account; it is not a procedure for deleting someone else’s personal Microsoft account history.
1. Approve the scope and resolve preservation obligations
Have the organization’s privacy owner validate the requester’s identity, the data concerned, the requested dates, and the legal decision. An erasure request does not automatically override every obligation to preserve data. The European Commission’s guidance identifies exceptions including legal obligations and legal claims. Obtain a case-specific decision rather than treating this article as legal advice.
List applicable retention policies, litigation and eDiscovery holds, and any delay holds before planning a destructive action. Microsoft’s data-subject-request guidance explains that hard-deleting an item under a hold does not permanently remove it. -Force is not a legal or technical hold bypass.
Do not temporarily exclude the user from preservation just to make a test pass. Any authorized release needs documented scope, responsible owners, effects on unrelated records, and a restoration plan where appropriate. If preservation must remain, record that limitation in the request outcome and escalate through the privacy process.
2. Find the user’s actual interaction records
Use a case in Microsoft Purview eDiscovery, restrict the search to the approved mailbox, and add the relevant dates and content criteria. In Microsoft’s AI-data search workflow, the condition builder offers Item class → Copilot activity. That selection can include other AI application records, so inspect the source classes and results before narrowing to the requested experience.
Do not use folderid:copilotconversations or folderid:deleteditems as if a display name were a folder identifier. A guessed subject prefix is not a reliable way to identify all Copilot records either. Review location statistics and representative matching content, resolve unexpected sources, and preserve only the minimum approved case evidence.
Also inventory separate data in scope: saved documents, copied or shared output, and Copilot memory. Deleting conversation records does not automatically delete associated memory. Do not run a blanket contacts deletion merely because some memory records use a contact item class.
3. Use a supported deletion route for the approved target
For the user’s visible activity history, Microsoft’s My Account deletion request is available. It covers the selected Copilot activity history across supported apps, not a hand-picked subset of Word or PowerPoint history. It does not replace the organization’s backend retention review.
For authorized targeted administrative removal, follow the AI-data eDiscovery workflow and its separate Search And Purge authorization. Search permission alone is not sufficient. Verify the case ID, search ID, current query, and matched mailbox immediately before submitting an operation. Do not use a generic “Delete results” button or a copied email-purge command as an assumed equivalent.
The Microsoft Graph purgeData reference documents the request, permissions, purge area and deletion type. These choices are destructive and must match the approved scenario. The workflow has per-location limits; a single call is not a guarantee that every matching item is removed. Microsoft’s AI-specific guide and general API reference describe different limits, so confirm the supported scenario before planning a large request. Do not bypass limits with an unreviewed mailbox loop.
4. Verify processing and report what was actually removed
A Graph 202 Accepted response means the operation was accepted, not that permanent deletion has finished. Track the operation using the returned status location, inspect failures, and re-run the approved search after backend processing. Copilot deletion can pass through hidden storage and background jobs; holds can still prevent final removal. See the retention lifecycle.
Zero search results are meaningful only for a validated scope and query. An empty chat list does not verify compliance copies, memory, saved files, audit records, or copies in other users’ data. Do not delete audit evidence merely to make it agree with the chat display.
Document the request decision, reviewed search, operation IDs, verification time, policy handling, and any remaining data or legal exception. Reapply any preservation settings that were validly released for the approved workflow when required by the case plan. If the service result is uncertain, report it as pending and involve Microsoft support rather than certifying complete erasure.