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Neither Google Search nor Bing has one switch that controls everything the company saves or how it uses data. Google is rolling out separate Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations controls; Bing search history lives in Microsoft’s privacy dashboard, while Copilot has its own controls for conversations, web search, personalization, advertising, and model training. Which controls you see—and what they cover—depends on your account and, for Copilot, the version and whether it is a personal or work account. The comparison below reflects official help pages checked on October 4, 2026.

Google Search and Bing privacy controls at a glance

Question Google Search Bing and Microsoft Copilot
Where is search activity managed? Search Services History, where available, or Web & App Activity for users who have not received the newer controls. Account-associated Bing search history is managed in the Microsoft privacy dashboard.
Is AI activity included? Search Services History may include generative AI responses from Google Search services. Copilot conversation data has controls separate from Bing search history.
Does turning a control off delete old data? No. Turning off a history or personalization control does not itself delete saved activity. Clearing history removes it from the dashboard view; Microsoft says backup copies may remain for a limited time.
Are personalization and data retention the same setting? No. Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations are separate controls in the rollout. No. Bing search personalization and Copilot memory or personalization are separate from history controls.

The table describes account controls, not a ranking of overall privacy. The official support pages do not establish a numeric winner for privacy, search quality, or AI accuracy.

What activity can each service associate with you?

Google Search services

Google’s Search Services History may include queries, results viewed, generative AI responses, some media you upload, and information about sites visited through Search services. It can also include context such as language, device, and general location. The service family named by Google includes Search, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate, and News. See Google’s Search Services History explanation for the current scope.

Google says it may use this history to tailor experiences and to provide, develop, and improve services, including training generative AI models. Google’s 2026 support documentation says data used for AI training is disconnected from the Google Account and retained for up to four years. Google also describes filters intended to remove identifying or sensitive information and says it will seek permission before sharing media with service providers for human review for model improvement. These are Google’s descriptions of its safeguards, not an independent audit.

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Bing search

Microsoft says Bing collects the search terms along with contextual information, including IP address, location, cookie identifiers, date and time, and browser configuration. A signed-in user can see account-associated Bing history in the privacy dashboard; searches made while signed out do not appear there. Microsoft’s Bing history and retention guidance explains the data and its stated retention practices.

Copilot is a separate data surface

Do not treat a Copilot conversation as just another Bing query. Microsoft documents Copilot history, web search, memory or personalization, advertising, and training choices separately from Bing search history. Copilot can use web search, but that does not make its chat history the same record as the searches you manage in the Bing dashboard.

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How to find, pause, or delete search history

Google: check which controls your account has

  1. Open Google’s Search privacy controls while signed in and check whether Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations are available to you.
  2. If Search Services History is available, use that control to pause future saving or delete past Search services activity. Google’s guidance lists automatic deletion intervals of 3, 18, or 36 months.
  3. If the newer controls are not visible, Google says Web & App Activity may still control Search history and personalization. Review it through Google Account activity controls.

Turning off Personalized Recommendations does not itself pause history collection or erase activity. Likewise, turning off history changes future handling as Google describes it; it does not delete activity already saved. Google says future Search services activity is not saved to Search Services History or used for generative AI training when that history is off, unless you provide feedback. Google may still collect and use information not associated with your account for service operations, safety, and business purposes.

Search Services History is not a master switch for other Google products or settings. Google lists Timeline, YouTube History, Gemini Apps Activity, and Web & App Activity as separate controls. Signed-out users may still receive search or ad customization based on search-related activity unless they disable Search customization or browse privately.

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Bing: use Microsoft’s privacy dashboard

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft account whose searches you want to manage.
  2. Open Search history on the Microsoft privacy dashboard.
  3. Review or clear the Bing search history shown there. This applies to account-associated Bing history, not Copilot conversations or searches made while signed out.

Clearing the dashboard history is not a promise of immediate removal from every system. Microsoft cautions that some copies may remain in backup systems for a limited time.

AI features, personalization, and model training

Google Search: AI responses and history

Google’s Search Services History may cover generative AI responses, and Google says history can be used to improve services, including generative AI training. With Search Services History off, Google says future activity is not used for that training unless you provide feedback. That statement applies to future Search services activity under this control; it does not mean that turning the setting off deletes old history or governs every Google AI product.

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Google separates Search Services History from Personalized Recommendations. Disabling recommendations is not the same as stopping history collection, and other context may still influence results. Google states, “We do not sell your personal information to anyone”; that is the company’s statement, not an independent verification.

Microsoft Copilot: use the control that matches your account

For personal Copilot, Microsoft’s controls page distinguishes the updated Copilot app from older versions. Its guidance for the updated app applies from August 18, 2026, and lists separate choices for web search, chat history, memory or personalization, advertising, and related data use. Consult Microsoft’s current Copilot privacy controls and Copilot privacy FAQ before changing settings: training opt-outs and exclusions can vary by app version, account, age, and country.

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For Copilot Chat used with a work or school account, Microsoft says prompts and responses—and Bing queries triggered by prompts—are logged and may be accessible to an IT administrator through Microsoft search and audit tools. Microsoft says those prompts and responses are not used to train foundation models. The relevant rules are described in Microsoft’s work-or-school Copilot Chat data-protection guidance. Do not apply personal-account Copilot settings to an organization-managed account.

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Retention periods: what the stated numbers do—and do not—mean

The figures below are provider-stated policies, not independent measures of privacy risk. They describe different data and purposes, so they cannot be compared as though the longer period automatically means a less private service.

  • Google AI training data: Google’s 2026 documentation says data used to train AI models after being disconnected from a Google Account is retained for up to four years.
  • Google automatic deletion: Google’s privacy guidance describes 3-, 18-, or 36-month automatic deletion intervals for Search services history.
  • Microsoft personalized Bing search: Microsoft says that after 18 months, cookies and other identifiers linked to a specific account or device are no longer used for personalized search experiences.
  • Microsoft authenticated-user data: Microsoft describes an upcoming change under which authenticated-user data may be retained for up to five years to help improve products and services, after sensitive information is removed and privacy safeguards are applied. The page presents this as planned, not as a rule already in effect for every user.

See the linked Google history documentation, Google privacy guidance, and Microsoft Bing retention page for the providers’ current wording.

Private browsing and signed-out searches are not the same as provider privacy

A private window mainly helps limit what is stored in local browser history; it does not guarantee that a search provider, employer, school, or internet provider cannot associate activity with you. Microsoft warns that private browsing does not prevent Bing searches from being associated with an account if you sign in. Signing out also changes what appears in account history, but it is not equivalent to proving that no data is collected.

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Which controls should you change first?

  • To remove old Google Search activity: use Search Services History if it appears in your account, or review Web & App Activity if the newer control has not rolled out to you.
  • To stop future Google Search history use: turn off the relevant history control; separately manage Personalized Recommendations if you also want to change that behavior.
  • To review old Bing searches: use the Microsoft privacy dashboard while signed in to the relevant Microsoft account.
  • To manage Copilot chats or training choices: use Copilot’s own controls and verify the applicable app, region, age, and account guidance.
  • For an organization account: read the work-or-school Copilot terms and assume that logged chats may be accessible to your IT administrator.

Google and Microsoft both provide account-level ways to inspect or delete some activity, but the controls cover different services and purposes. Choose settings by the data you want to affect—saved history, personalization, AI conversations, or model improvement—rather than assuming that one privacy switch covers them all.

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