Because the app displayed another person’s name and birth date, first review the account’s recent activity and sign out every session before trying to recover the Copilot history.
1. Secure and identify the account
You already changed the password and corrected the profile, so do not repeat those steps.
- Open Microsoft’s Recent activity page and review the last 30 days of sign-ins.
- Expand unfamiliar entries and select This wasn’t me where that option appears. Look especially for:
- Successful sign-ins you do not recognize
- Profile information changes
- Added or removed aliases/security information
- Applications granted account access
Microsoft documents these events and the available security actions here: ^1^
- In the Microsoft account security dashboard, open Advanced security options → Sign out everywhere → Sign out. This signs the account out of browsers and apps within 24 hours, except Xbox consoles.^2^
- Sign back into Copilot only after confirming that the email address and account shown in the app are yours.
The incorrect profile could mean either that the wrong account was selected or that the account information was previously changed. The recent-activity record is the appropriate way to distinguish those possibilities.
2. Use the exact sign-in identity previously used
Copilot history belongs to the sign-in identity used when the conversations were created. In the updated app, verify not only the email address but also the sign-in method:
- If the old web sessions used a personal Microsoft account, choose that Microsoft account.
- If they used Continue with Google, use that button again.
- If they used Continue with Apple, use that button again.
- Use the account switcher to ensure that a work/school account is not selected instead of the personal account.
Microsoft says eligible chats automatically move to the updated Copilot app, but the migration can take time. Using a Google or Apple address through a different sign-in route can place you in a different account context.^3^
After selecting the correct identity:
- Fully close and reopen Copilot.
- Open the app’s menu and inspect the conversation history.
- Follow any in-app link offering access to previous chats or saying that chats are still moving.
- Allow time for synchronization, then check again.
Signed-in Copilot accounts normally retain the last 18 months of interactions. In the mobile app, history is under the menu; on copilot.com, it appears in the left sidebar.^4^
3. Check the previous account separately
If more than one personal account may have been used:
- Start a new private/incognito browser session.
- Visit
copilot.microsoft.com.
- Sign in with each plausible personal account separately.
- Check whether the history appears before switching accounts.
Microsoft specifically recommends this private-session test when multiple accounts are moving to the updated experience at different times.^3^
Do not delete Copilot activity history while troubleshooting; deleting all activity removes the conversation history associated with that account.^4^
4. Escalate if the correct account remains empty
If the same identity shows no history in both the app and web after migration has had time to complete:
- In Copilot, select … → Send feedback → Report a problem.
- Include:
- When the issue began
- Phone model and operating system
- Whether the web and app are both empty
- The sign-in method used, without including a password or verification codes
- Screenshots showing the empty history and any migration message
This is account-side data, so community users cannot restore it directly.
Regarding the forced download: Microsoft documents that some devices receive the updated experience as a new app and may show Install rather than Update.^3^ The available documentation does not explicitly establish that every mobile-web redirect to the app store is intended behavior.
References
- Check the recent sign-in activity for your Microsoft account
- How to sign out of your Microsoft account everywhere | Microsoft Support
- Troubleshoot Your Content in the Updated Copilot App | Microsoft Support
- Conversation history in Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft Support