Short answer: the Copilot update that started on August 18, 2026 does not treat Deep Research, Group Chat, and Podcasts in the same way. Group Chat disappears when an account receives the new experience, and its threads, messages, and images are not carried forward. Podcasts was retired, and older episodes are no longer accessible in Copilot. Deep Research was also retired from the consumer app, but previously saved research reports remain available through different paths depending on the subscription.
This distinction matters because the general migration rule is broader: Microsoft says most user data, including chats, images, and other eligible content, moves with the updated Copilot experience. Content created in features that are being retired, however, may be handled differently. In other words, the general migration does not override the specific rules for Group Chat, Podcasts, and Deep Research.
What changed after August 18
Microsoft began rolling out an updated version of Copilot on August 18, 2026. The company describes the change as a consolidation of the experience, with updated navigation and more direct integration with Microsoft 365 apps and files. At the same time, several features were retired.
There is an important timing difference. For Group Chat, account updates began on August 18 and are rolling out gradually, so the exact timing may vary by account. For Podcasts, the support page treats August 18 as the retirement date. Deep Research also began to be retired from consumer Copilot on that date.
Feature by feature: what ends and where your content goes
| Feature | What happens | Older content | What the user needs to do | Limit of the official information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Chat | After the account updates, users can no longer start, join, or continue participating in group conversations with Copilot. | Group Chat threads, messages, and content, including images generated inside those conversations, are not carried into the new experience. | Anyone who still has access and wants to preserve material should copy messages into a document or notes app and download images before the account updates. | In the documentation reviewed, Microsoft does not provide a bulk export mechanism or a recovery procedure after the account has already updated. |
| Podcasts | The feature has been retired from Copilot, so users can no longer create or access podcasts. | Previously created podcasts are no longer accessible in Copilot; shared links to those podcasts also stop working. | Before retirement, individual podcasts could be downloaded from the podcast library in Copilot on the web using the Download option in the podcast menu. | The official page does not describe a post-retirement recovery path for podcasts that were not downloaded beforehand. |
| Deep Research | The Deep Research experience has been retired from the consumer Copilot app. | Existing saved research content is not deleted because of this change. Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers can access it through Researcher; Personal and Family subscribers can access earlier reports through chat history. | No action is required. As an extra precaution, important reports can also be opened in Microsoft Word and saved for future reference. | Researcher is a separate experience. Microsoft confirms continued access to reports but does not say the interface and workflow will be identical to the former Deep Research experience. |
Group Chat: the case where saving beforehand mattered
Group Chat allowed multiple people to take part in a shared Copilot conversation. During the transition, this is the most sensitive case for anyone who needed to preserve history: Microsoft states that threads, messages, and content, including images created in those chats, will not carry forward into the new experience.
Because the account update is gradual, there may still be a window for users who have not yet received the new experience. The official guidance is straightforward: copy important messages elsewhere and download any images that need to be kept. After the update, guests who used an invitation link can no longer access or participate in the Group Chat either.
Official source: Frequently asked questions about retiring Copilot features.
Podcasts: older content becomes inaccessible
Podcasts has a stricter rule for older material. Microsoft says that after the feature is retired, customers can no longer create or access Podcasts in Copilot. That includes podcasts generated before August 18, and shared links to those items also stop working.
Before retirement, the available option was to download each podcast individually from the podcast library in Copilot on the web. Therefore, for users who did not download a copy and have already lost access, the documentation reviewed does not provide a restoration or later migration path.
Official source: Podcasts in Microsoft Copilot.
Deep Research: the feature ends, but saved reports remain
Deep Research is the case that differs most from the other two. Microsoft explicitly says that existing saved research content will not be deleted because of the retirement.
The access path depends on the subscription. Microsoft 365 Premium customers can continue to find their reports in Researcher, a separate experience for detailed research and analysis. Microsoft 365 Personal and Family customers can access earlier Deep Research reports through their chat history.
Existing reports can also be opened in Microsoft Word and saved. Microsoft says no action is required before the change; saving to Word is an additional option for anyone who wants a copy independent of Copilot chat history.
Official source: Deep Research in Microsoft Copilot.
What normally migrates to the updated Copilot
The general transition page says that, for personal accounts, chat history and most content move with the user. It also lists chats, images, and other content created with Copilot among the migrated data. Files shared and generated with the standalone Copilot app are moved to OneDrive.
That rule must be read together with the exceptions. Microsoft itself notes that content created with retiring features may be handled differently. It is therefore incorrect to assume that a general migration of chats and files automatically preserves Group Chats or Podcasts.
Official source: Updates to Copilot and the Microsoft Copilot app.
Who should pay attention to the scope of the change
The feature-specific pages for Deep Research and Podcasts address the consumer Copilot experience. The general transition page also distinguishes personal accounts from work or school accounts and says those environments remain separate, with their own organizational controls.
For that reason, people using a work or school account should not assume every content rule described here applies in exactly the same way to an organization-managed Microsoft 365 Copilot environment. In that situation, the relevant organizational documentation and policies should be checked.
If you did not save content before August 18, what can you still do?
- Group Chat: if your account has not yet received the update, save anything you need to keep immediately. If the account has already updated and the content is gone, the official documentation reviewed does not describe a recovery procedure.
- Podcasts: if the feature is no longer visible, Microsoft says older podcasts are not accessible after retirement. The support page does not offer post-retirement recovery for files that were not downloaded.
- Deep Research: look for reports in Researcher if you are a Microsoft 365 Premium subscriber, or in chat history if you use Microsoft 365 Personal or Family. For an independent copy, open the report in Word and save the document.
- Regular chats and files: do not confuse these exceptions with the general migration. Most eligible chats and content move to the new experience, and files from the standalone app are directed to OneDrive.
The key point: three retirements, three different treatments
After August 18, 2026, “the feature was retired” does not mean the same thing for every kind of Copilot content. Group Chat loses its shared history during the transition and required copying or downloading beforehand. Podcasts stops providing access to older material and required individual downloads for preservation. Deep Research stops existing as a consumer app feature, but saved reports remain accessible in Researcher or chat history depending on the subscription.
To decide what still needs to be saved, the most useful question is not only “did the feature end?” but “what rule did Microsoft define for the content created inside it?” That distinction helps prevent the loss of important material while also avoiding unnecessary downloads of content that remains available elsewhere.
