CO PILOT DELETED CHAT AND REMAINED STUCK

Sign in to the updated Copilot app with the same personal Microsoft account used before the upgrade, then allow its content migration to finish; missing chats and a stuck interface can occur while content is still moving.^1^

Recover the missing work

1. Check the account in the desktop app
   • Open the account/profile menu.
   • Confirm it shows the exact personal Microsoft account previously used.
   • Personal and work/school histories are separate, so switch accounts if necessary.
2. Check the web version
   • Sign in at copilot.com using that same account.
   • Open the left sidebar and inspect Chats. Signed-in users normally find previous conversations there.^2^
   • If the web history is present but the desktop history is not, the desktop app has not completed synchronization.
3. Look under Notebooks
   • If the missing work was stored as a Project, open Notebooks in the left navigation. The updated app renamed Projects to Notebooks and moved existing Projects there.^1^
4. Complete the migration
   • Fully quit Copilot, including any remaining app window, and reopen it.
   • Follow any in-app message or link offering access to existing chats.
   • If the app says chats are “coming soon” or still moving, leave the account signed in and check again later. Migration time varies with the amount and type of content.
5. Preserve eligible content before December 31, 2026
   • Microsoft requires signing in to the updated app by that date. Eligible content that has not migrated by then may be permanently deleted.^1^

Do not select Delete, Delete all activity history, or clear Copilot history while attempting recovery. Those controls intentionally remove conversations.^2^

If the app remains stuck or the chat never returns

Report it from the affected Copilot app:

1. Select … in the upper-right corner.
2. Select Send feedback.
3. Select Report a problem.
4. Include:
   • The approximate upgrade and failure time.
   • Windows or macOS version.
   • Copilot app version, if displayed.
   • The personal account type—do not post the actual address publicly.
   • Whether the chat appears at copilot.com.
   • The exact stuck or synchronization message.
   • Screenshots with personal or project information removed.

This sends the incident details through the app’s documented reporting channel.^1^ For subscription or account-level review, contact Microsoft Support and provide the same information; community contributors cannot restore or reset an individual account’s server-side records.^3^

Avoid losing time-sensitive work

Copilot chat history should not be treated as the only project copy:

• Move important conversations into Notebooks, but also copy final drafts, requirements, and key prompts into a document or notes app.
• Download generated files and confirm they appear in OneDrive; files shared or generated in the updated Copilot app are stored there.^1^
• Before upgrading or switching devices, confirm critical chats are visible at copilot.com.
• A shared conversation link can preserve a snapshot from the moment it was generated, but anyone with the link can access it, and later additions are not included. Do not use shared links for confidential material.^2^
• For deadline-critical work, save checkpoints outside Copilot after each substantial result rather than relying on one long-running conversation.

A paid subscription does not replace the need for an independent project copy. If the chat was explicitly deleted rather than merely hidden during migration, the published consumer recovery guidance does not provide a restore command; escalation through Report a problem and Microsoft Support is the remaining path.

References

1. Troubleshoot Your Content in the Updated Copilot App | Microsoft Support
2. Conversation history in Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft Support
3. Copilot sidebar still shows deleted chat title even though history is empty and Shared Chats is blank - Microsoft Q&A