On August 18, 2026, every podcast anyone ever made with Microsoft Copilot gets deleted. Not archived, not downgraded to a free tier. Deleted.
Microsoft confirmed the retirement in a support FAQ: after that date, "previously created podcasts will no longer be available," shared links stop working, and there is no way to export or save anything, because "Podcasts could only be accessed within Copilot." Windows Central called it pulling a Sony, a reference to PlayStation deleting shows people had paid for.
The fix is structural, not brand loyalty. Use a tool that hands you the file and the feed. Jellypod generates episodes you can download as audio, publish to an RSS feed you control, and keep full ownership of on every plan, so no product decision in Redmond (or anywhere else) can take your show offline.
What is happening to Copilot Podcasts?
Copilot Podcasts launched on April 4, 2025 as part of Microsoft's 50th anniversary Copilot update, alongside Memory and Actions. You gave it a topic, a study, or a set of links, and two AI hosts talked through it in a personalized episode. You could even interrupt and ask questions mid-show.
Sixteen months later, it's done. Microsoft's retirement FAQ states that "Podcasts is being retired in the Copilot app for consumers starting on August 18, 2026," and that the change hits everyone: "Podcasts will no longer be available to either free or paid customers after retirement." Paying for Copilot Pro does not preserve access.
Can you save your Copilot podcasts before August 18?
No. Microsoft's FAQ is blunt about it: "Podcasts could only be accessed within Copilot and did not include an option to export or save them outside the experience." There is no download button to hunt for. The audio only ever existed inside the app, and links you shared with other people die on the same date.
What you can still do before August 18:
- Keep your sources. The documents, studies, and links you fed Copilot are the real asset. Collect them in one folder now.
- Write down what worked. Episode topics, the framing you asked for, the length and tone you liked. That prompt history disappears with the feature.
- Record anything irreplaceable. A system-audio screen recording of playback is a lossy last resort, but it beats zero copies of an episode you actually care about.
- Regenerate where you get a file. Any AI podcast tool that produces a downloadable audio file, Jellypod included, can rebuild the episode from those same sources, this time with an editable script and an export.
Why is Microsoft retiring Copilot Podcasts?
Microsoft hasn't given a specific reason. The FAQ says only that the company appreciates "the feedback we receive about Copilot experiences."
The context makes it less mysterious. Microsoft has spent 2026 trimming AI features that didn't earn their keep: TechCrunch reported in March that Microsoft was rolling back Copilot integrations across Windows, and Windows Central reported in May that the company was re-evaluating its AI push on Windows 11 and reducing Copilot surface area.
That's a reasonable strategy for Microsoft. It's a bad deal for anyone who built a listening habit, or a small archive, inside a feature that one product review could erase. A podcast that lives inside an assistant app is a feature, and features get cut. A podcast that lives in a feed you own is a publication.
What does "pulling a Sony" mean?
In December 2023, Sony told PlayStation owners it would remove 1,318 seasons of Discovery TV shows from their video libraries, including shows people had purchased outright. After a week of backlash, Sony walked it back with an updated licensing deal that preserved access for at least 30 months.
The Copilot situation rhymes, with one difference that makes it worse: there is nothing to walk back. Sony's customers at least had files sitting in a library that a license renewal could restore. Copilot podcasts have no files, no library, and no export path, so when the servers stop answering on August 18, the content is simply gone. Windows Central's comparison lands because both cases teach the same lesson: access is not ownership.
How do you make sure this never happens to your podcast?
Ask five questions before you build anything on an AI podcast tool. They take two minutes and they would have flagged Copilot Podcasts on day one:
- Can I download the audio file?
- Is there an RSS feed I control, so the show exists on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, not just inside one app?
- Can I get the script or transcript out as text?
- Who owns the generated content, contractually?
- If this company killed the feature tomorrow, what would I still have?
Here is how that scorecard looks across the tools people actually use for AI-generated podcasts:
| Copilot Podcasts | NotebookLM (Gemini Notebook) | Jellypod | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downloadable audio file | No | Yes | Yes |
| Editable script before audio | No | No | Yes |
| RSS feed and distribution to Spotify, Apple, YouTube | No | No | Yes |
| Transcript export | No | Limited | Yes |
| You own the output | Gone August 18, 2026 | File only, no feed | Full ownership, every plan |
NotebookLM sits in the middle: you get an audio file, but no feed, no script control, and no distribution, which is why its June 2026 update left the podcast side untouched and why Jellypod built Import from NotebookLM for people who outgrew it.
Jellypod answers all five questions in your favor. Episodes download as audio files, transcripts export as text, and every show gets hosted RSS that publishes to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Ownership is contractual, not a courtesy: you retain complete ownership of all content you create, on every plan. For an educator turning lectures into episodes or a training team building an internal audio library, that's the difference between an archive and a countdown timer.
Frequently asked questions
Will my shared Copilot podcast links keep working?
No. Microsoft's retirement FAQ confirms that "podcast links and previously created podcasts will no longer be accessible" after August 18, 2026. Anyone you sent a link to loses access on the same date you do, so there is no workaround through a friend's saved link.
Does the retirement affect a Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro subscription?
The rest of the subscription is untouched. Microsoft says your plan "continues to include access to the other features and benefits." But paying does not preserve Podcasts: the retirement applies to free and paid customers alike, which is exactly why a subscription is not an ownership guarantee.
Can I transfer a Copilot podcast to another platform?
Not directly, because there is no export. The practical path is to take the same source material you gave Copilot, load it into a tool that produces downloadable audio, and regenerate the episode. In Jellypod you also get an editable script, so you can fix what the AI got wrong before it ships.
Is NotebookLM's podcast feature at risk of the same thing?
Nobody outside Google knows its roadmap, but the structure is safer in one way: Audio Overviews download as files, so a retirement couldn't erase what you already saved. What NotebookLM still lacks is a feed, distribution, and script control, the parts that make a podcast durable. See the NotebookLM alternatives comparison for the full picture.
The short version
Microsoft deletes every Copilot podcast on August 18, 2026, and its own FAQ confirms there is no way to save them. Salvage your source documents now, and rebuild the episodes somewhere that gives you the file, the feed, and the ownership. That's what Jellypod is for: turn the same sources into episodes you can download, edit, and publish to Spotify and Apple Podcasts on a feed no one can retire out from under you.