Microsoft Privacy Statement

Last Updated: September 2026

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Cookies

Most Microsoft sites use cookies, small text files placed on your device which web servers utilize in the domain that placed the cookie can retrieve later. We use cookies to store your preferences and settings, help with sign-in, provide personalized ads, and analyze site operations. For more information, see the Cookies and similar technologies section of this privacy statement.

EU-U.S., UK Extension, and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks

Microsoft complies with the EU-U.S., UK Extension to the EU-U.S., and Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks. To learn more, see the Storage and processing of personal data section, and visit the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Data Privacy Framework website.

Contact us

If you have a privacy concern, complaint, or question for the Microsoft privacy team or Data Protection Officer, please visit our privacy support and requests page and click on “Contact the Microsoft privacy team or the Microsoft Data Protection Officer” menu. For more information about contacting Microsoft, including Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, see the How to contact us section of this privacy statement.

Your privacy is important to Microsoft. This privacy statement explains the personal data we process, how we process it, and for what purposes.

Microsoft offers a wide range of products, including server products used to help operate enterprises worldwide, devices customers use in their homes, software that students use at school, and services developers use to create and host new products. References to Microsoft products in this statement include Microsoft services, websites, apps, software, servers, and devices.

Please read the product-specific details in this privacy statement, which provide additional relevant information. This statement applies to the interactions Microsoft has with you and the Microsoft products listed below, as well as other Microsoft products that display this statement.

You can find details about personal data collected from children in the Collection of data from children section. Young people may find it helpful to start with the Privacy for young people page.

For individuals in the United States, please refer to our U.S. State Data Privacy Notice (including notice at collection details) and the Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy for additional information about your rights and the processing of your personal data.

Please see the Enterprise and developer products section of this privacy statement for more information about how we process data from organizations that use our products and services, like businesses and schools. If you use a Microsoft product or a Microsoft account provided by your organization, please see the Products provided by your organization and the Microsoft account sections for more information.

Personal data we collect

Microsoft collects data from users, through your interactions with us and your use of our products. You provide some of this data directly, and we get other data by collecting information about your interactions, use, and experiences with our products. The data we collect depends on the context of your interactions with Microsoft and the choices you make, including your privacy settings and the products and features you use. We also obtain data about users from Microsoft affiliates, subsidiaries, and third parties.

You have choices when it comes to the data you share. When we ask you to provide personal data, you can decline. You can also use in-product controls, including those in your web browser or operating system to limit or prevent certain types of data collection. Many of our products require some personal data to provide you with a service. If you choose not to provide or allow us to collect required data, you cannot use the related product or feature. Likewise, where we need to collect personal data by law or to enter into or carry out a contract with you, and you do not provide the data, we will not be able to enter into or carry out the contract. Where providing the data is optional, and you choose not to share it, features like personalization that use such data will not work for you.

Microsoft collects data from users, through your interactions with us and through your use of our products. We collect data in order to operate, improve, and provide you with the best possible experiences. Some data is provided directly by you, while we collect other data based on how you use our products and communicate with us. The types and amount of data we collect depend on how you interact with Microsoft, your choices, privacy settings, and the features you use, as well as applicable law.

The data we collect can include the following:

Name and contact details. Your first and last name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and other similar contact details.

Account credentials. Information used to access your account, such as username, password, and password hints.

Demographic data. Details about you like your age, gender, country, and language preference.

Payment data. Details needed to process payments, including credit card numbers and security codes.

Subscription and licensing data. Details about your product subscriptions, licenses, and other entitlements.

Interactions. Information about your use of Microsoft products, including features you use, searches, commands given, error reports, and support requests.

Device and usage data. Data about your device and product features you use, hardware and software details, product performance, your interactions with our websites and apps, and your settings. For example:
- Payment and account history.
- Browsing history.
- Device, connectivity, and configuration data. For example, IP addresses, device identifiers, nearby networks, and other information about the operating systems and other software installed on your device.
- Error reports (“crash dumps”) and performance data. This usually includes software, hardware, and file content details related to an error, and other software on your device.
- Troubleshooting and help data. Data you provide when you contact Microsoft for help. For example, contact or authentication data, the content of your communications with Microsoft, the condition of your device, the products at issue, and other details that help us provide support. Phone conversations or chat sessions with our representatives may be monitored and recorded.
- Bot usage data. Interactions with bots and skills available through Microsoft products, including bots and skills provided by third parties.
Interests and favorites. Preferences and interests you share (like favorite sports teams, preferred programming languages, or cities for weather or traffic) or that we infer from your activity, such as your activity on sites that use our technology for ads purposes.
Content consumption. Information about the media content you access through our products like TV, video, music/audio, apps, and games.
Searches and commands. Search queries and commands you provide in Microsoft products, such as interactions with a chat bot.
Voice data. Also referred to as “voice clips,” this includes spoken queries commands, or dictation, and may include background sounds. Learn more about how Microsoft uses and protects voice data in its speech recognition technologies.
Text, inking, and typing data. Data and related information you provide by typing, inking, or using touch input in Microsoft products.
Images. Images and related data, like picture metadata. For example, we collect the image you provide when you use a Bing image-enabled service or upload an image to Microsoft Copilot.
Contacts and relationships. Data about your contacts and relationships if you use a product to manage contacts, share information or communicate with others, or improve your productivity.
Traffic data. Data about your use of Microsoft’s communication services, including whom you’ve contacted and when.