Microsoft retains your personal data for as long as necessary to provide services, comply with legal obligations, or resolve disputes, and you have the right to request deletion of your data subject to certain exceptions.
Understanding how long Microsoft keeps your data — and the limitations on deletion rights — is critical for assessing your ongoing privacy exposure, particularly for sensitive data collected over many years of product use.
Data retention obligations under GDPR Article 5(1)(e) require storage limitation to the minimum necessary period, with documented retention schedules. Compliance teams should request Microsoft's data retention schedule and assess whether retention periods for each data category are proportionate and legally justified, particularly for sensitive data and AI-generated records.
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Microsoft collects extensive personal data across its products including search history, voice recordings, location data, browsing behaviour, and inferred interests, and uses this data for targeted advertising and product improvement. Users' data may be shared with affiliates, advertising partners, and other third parties, and sensitive data such as health and biometric information may also be collected in certain contexts. You can review, download, or delete your personal data by visiting Microsoft's Privacy Dashboard at account.microsoft.com/privacy.