How long do Bing Visual Search uploaded images (and blob URLs) remain accessible before expiration?

Question

Hello,

When using the “Visual Search” feature of Bing, an image is uploaded to Bing and a blob URL is generated. I would like to know:

1. How long does such an uploaded image (and blob link) remain accessible on Bing servers?
2. Is there an automatic expiration or deletion timeframe (e.g., a few days, weeks, or months)?
3. Is there any official documentation about the TTL or cache policy for these blob image URLs?

Answer 1

Hi,

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any official documentation regarding cache policy when using Visual Search. However, in Microsoft's Privacy Statement under Other important privacy information, it mentions the following:

“Microsoft retains personal data for as long as necessary to provide the products and fulfill the transactions you have requested, or for other legitimate purposes such as complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements.”

I believe this retention policy is what Microsoft applies across all services, including Bing Visual Search uploads. Other than that, there's no specific or detailed information available about how long image data or cached content from Visual Search is stored before being deleted. I’d recommend checking the Microsoft Privacy Statement as well, since you may discover further information there that addresses your concern.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any information specifying how long they remain accessible. However, I can confirm that the service is governed by Microsoft’s Privacy Statement when you click the (i) icon. This implies that the links are likely temporary based on the general retention policy, but Microsoft hasn’t provided a service-specific policy or defined a fixed TTL for these URLs.

Answer 3

As far as I know, they aren't accessible to other users and are not indexed to public search. The links are temporary and should be private only to your session.