Copilot Memory not working

Copilot Memory depends on the Microsoft 365 Copilot personalization features and the tenant-level Enhanced personalization control. When Memory appears but does not show a toggle or any saved items, and nothing is created when asking Copilot to “remember” something, the most likely cause is that Enhanced personalization or the specific Memory controls are disabled for the account.

Key points from the product behavior:

1. Enhanced personalization admin control
   • Enhanced personalization is the tenant-level control that allows Copilot Memory (Custom instructions, Saved memories, and Chat history–based memories) to be used.
   • By default, Enhanced personalization is turned on, but a tenant admin can turn it off via Microsoft Graph using the enhancedPersonalizationSetting resource.
   • If Enhanced personalization is turned off for the tenant or for a specific user, then at the user level the controls for Custom instructions, Saved memories, and Chat history in Settings > Personalization appear turned off and cannot be turned on.
2. What happens when Memory is off
   • End users with Enhanced personalization disabled see the personalization controls as off and cannot enable them.
   • Saved memories are only created and applied when the Saved memories control is on. If it is off (or blocked by Enhanced personalization), Copilot will not store or surface saved items, so the Memory panel will not show a list of memories.
3. How to confirm and enable Memory (admin action required)
   • A Microsoft 365 tenant administrator must:
     1. Verify that Enhanced personalization is enabled for the tenant using Microsoft Graph and the enhancedPersonalizationSetting resource. For details, see Microsoft 365 Copilot enhanced personalization control.
     2. Ensure that no policy is disabling Saved memories, Custom instructions, or Chat history for the user.
   • No extra license is required specifically for Memory; Copilot Memory is available to Copilot Chat users with and without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, as long as Enhanced personalization is enabled.
4. End‑user behavior once enabled
   • When Enhanced personalization and Saved memories are enabled:
     • The Saved memories tile and toggle appear under Settings > Personalization in Copilot Chat.
     • Asking Copilot to remember something creates saved memories that are visible in the Saved memories list.
   • Saved memories are retained until explicitly deleted by the user in Settings > Personalization. Turning off the Saved memories toggle stops Copilot from applying memories but does not delete existing ones.

Given the symptoms, the next step is for the organization’s Microsoft 365 admin to:

1. Check the Enhanced personalization setting for the tenant and for the specific user via Microsoft Graph (enhancedPersonalizationSetting).
2. Turn Enhanced personalization on (or remove any policy that disables it) so that Saved memories and other personalization features become available.
3. Have the user sign out of Copilot, close the app/browser, sign back in, and then open Settings > Personalization to confirm that the Saved memories toggle and list are now available.

If Enhanced personalization is already on and the issue persists, the admin should open a support case with Microsoft, referencing the Copilot personalization and memory feature, since Memory provisioning and behavior are controlled at the service and tenant level.

References:

• Copilot personalization and memory
• Manage Copilot Memory in Microsoft 365 Copilot