Copilot vs Gemini privacy: training, ads, reviewers, and how long each keeps your chats

The Morse teamPublished November 8, 2026Facts checked November 8, 20269 min read

As of November 2026, Copilot vs Gemini privacy is a trade between training and ads, because Microsoft's new Copilot app says it doesn't train its foundation models on your chats but may use them to choose the ads you see, while Google's Gemini trains on your chats while Keep Activity is on and says it doesn't use them for ads. Both store your chats with your account, and both let people read some of them. Gemini publishes exact retention periods; the new Copilot publishes none.

We read Microsoft's Copilot privacy pages for individuals, its older Copilot privacy FAQ and controls page, its privacy dashboard help, the Copilot Transparency Note, and the Microsoft Privacy Statement (last updated September 2026), plus Google's Gemini Apps Privacy Hub (last updated October 26, 2026) and the Gemini Apps Privacy Notice in it (October 13, 2026), all on November 8, 2026. Each company earns credit somewhere. Microsoft took its new consumer app off foundation-model training without asking you to find a switch, and Google puts numbers on what it keeps: 72 hours, 18 months, and three years.

Copilot vs Gemini privacy in one table

As of November 8, 2026. The Copilot column describes the app Microsoft released on August 18, 2026, signed in with a personal Microsoft account.

Which Copilot privacy rules apply to you?

The new ones, unless you still use an older Copilot app, and that app's rules expire this year. Most guides to Copilot privacy still quote an 18-month retention period and separate training switches for text and voice. Those come from Microsoft's older Copilot privacy FAQ, which now opens with: "The information in this article applies only to the older version of the Microsoft Copilot app" (Microsoft).

The same note sets a deadline: "Action required: If you used an older version of Microsoft Copilot, sign in to the updated app by December 31, 2026," and "Content that hasn't been migrated will be permanently deleted after this date." The new app's privacy controls page has no training switch and gives no number of months (Microsoft), so a guide that quotes 18 months describes the older app. The old app's switches, and the rest of the new app's settings, are in our Copilot privacy guide.

Does Copilot or Gemini train on your chats?

Gemini does by default while Keep Activity is on, and the new Copilot says it doesn't train its foundation models on them. Google's Privacy Hub says it "uses your activity to provide, develop, and improve its services (including training generative AI models)," and that with Keep Activity off, "Your future chats won't appear in your Activity, and won't be used to train our AI models" (Google). It adds that "Your audio and Gemini Live videos and screenshares aren't used to improve Google services by default."

Microsoft's line for the new app is narrower than "no training." Prompts, responses, and file contents "aren't used to train foundation models," and optional feedback may be used "to improve Microsoft Copilot," though "We don't use this feedback to train the foundation models used by Copilot" (Microsoft). The Microsoft Privacy Statement, which covers every Microsoft product, still says Microsoft "may use your data to develop, train, and fine-tune our AI models" (Microsoft).

How long do Copilot and Gemini keep a chat?

Gemini tells you to the hour, and the new Copilot doesn't say. This timeline follows one chat in each, from what each company's pages said on November 8, 2026.

Deleting is in your hands in both. In Copilot, open the chat's More menu and choose Delete, or wipe everything from Microsoft's privacy dashboard under Privacy, Copilot, Your Copilot app activity history, where you can also export it as a CSV file (Microsoft). That help page doesn't say how long deletion takes. Gemini's steps, including what a deletion leaves behind, are in how to delete Gemini history.

Do people at Microsoft or Google read your chats?

Both say people may. Microsoft's page for young people puts it plainly: "Humans may review your conversations in Copilot for safety, legal, product improvement, or troubleshooting" (Microsoft). Its older FAQ added that "an opt-out of human review is not available" (Microsoft). The new app's pages give no period for reviewed chats.

Google is more specific. A subset of Gemini chats goes to human reviewers, including outside service providers, disconnected from your account and "retained for up to three years," and review continues with Keep Activity off (Google). Google's own advice is "Please don't enter confidential information that you wouldn't want a reviewer to see." Gemini's other settings are in is Gemini private, and what contract reviewers have reported is in who reviews AI chats.

Does Copilot or Gemini use your chats for ads?

Copilot does, and Gemini says it doesn't. Microsoft's privacy controls page says "If you use Microsoft Copilot and don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you might see advertising in Copilot." Generic ads "are selected based on the most recent content of your current conversation," and with Allow ads personalization on, under Settings and Personalization, "Personalized ads might use your chat history, saved memories, and other Microsoft data you've chosen to share" (Microsoft).

The Microsoft Privacy Statement draws the line in one paragraph. Microsoft "does not use what you say in email, human-to-human chat, video calls or voice mail" to target ads, but ads "may be shown that relate to the current interaction you are having with us, such as your Copilot conversations (including files you share)" (Microsoft).

Google's Privacy Hub says "Your Gemini Apps chats are not being used to show you ads," and adds, "If this changes, we will clearly communicate it to you" (Google).

Is Copilot or Gemini safe for sensitive information?

Neither is built for it. Both keep your chats with the account that also holds your email, files, and, for Microsoft, your ad profile, and both let people read some chats. Google says outright that Gemini messages are "not end-to-end-encrypted by Google," and none of Microsoft's Copilot pages we read describe end-to-end encryption. Gemini's Temporary Chat comes closest to a private mode. Google says temporary chats aren't used to train its models or to improve Google AI "with help from human reviewers," and they're still kept with your account for 72 hours. Our Claude vs Gemini privacy comparison covers how a third lab handles the same questions. This isn't legal or medical advice.

How Morse lets you use GPT and Gemini without your Microsoft or Google account

Every rule above starts with your chat being saved under the account that runs your email, your files, and, at Microsoft, the ads you see. Copilot picks ads from the chat, Gemini keeps reviewed chats for up to three years, and both companies hold the history until you or a timer deletes it. Morse is built so your chats aren't stored on any company's server under your name, ours included.

• Anonymous, for asking GPT or Gemini without OpenAI or Google knowing it's you. Copilot answers with models from "Microsoft, OpenAI, and other model developers" (Microsoft). In Morse, you pick GPT or Gemini yourself, and Morse's proxy removes your account, email, and IP address before the provider sees the message. The provider still reads the words, and may keep them for a limited time to check for abuse under its own policy, so leave names and identifying details out.
• E2EE, for anything you'd follow Google's advice and keep from a reviewer. Your browser checks the enclave's hardware attestation before anything leaves your device, then encrypts the message so only that enclave can read it. Morse's servers relay ciphertext they can't read. E2EE runs open-weight models such as GLM, Kimi, and DeepSeek, without web search or image generation, and the enclaves are run by third-party providers, not by Morse. The guarantee depends on the enclave hardware and attestation working as designed. It comes with Pro, at $19 a month.
• Private, the default, for everyday chats with no copy left at the model's host. Morse has zero data retention agreements with its inference, search, and other providers, so they keep nothing, and where a provider confirms zero retention on each reply, Morse checks it and refuses a reply that doesn't.

There's no ad setting to manage and no auto-delete timer to pick. Morse doesn't show ads, sell your data, or train AI on your chats, and your history is stored in your browser, encrypted, locked when you sign out, and opened with two keys: one that never leaves your device and one our server gives you at sign-in. Because we don't store chats, we usually have very little to give authorities. Clearing your browser deletes the history for good and we can't recover it, so keep a copy of anything you need.

Choose Copilot, Gemini, or Morse

• Choose Copilot if you live in Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365, have a Microsoft 365 subscription, since Microsoft's ad note is for people without one, and want a consumer app that doesn't train its foundation models on what you type.
• Choose Gemini if you live in Gmail, Docs, and Android, want ad-free chats today, and will turn off Keep Activity or use Temporary Chat for anything you'd rather not have reviewed.
• Choose Morse if you want GPT and Gemini in one place without either account behind them, no ads or training on any plan, history that stays encrypted on your device, and E2EE chats for $19 a month.

Try a chat from the Morse home page without signing up, or start free with no card.

Morse publishes this comparison. We've tried to keep it fair; if something's wrong or out of date, email hello@trymorse.ai.

Copilot is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Morse is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft Corporation.

Gemini is a trademark of Google LLC. Morse is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google LLC.