Microsoft 365 Copilot We Are Having Trouble Connecting Error: Fix

When you open Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, or Teams, you may see the error message: “We are having trouble connecting. Please check your connection and try again.” This error prevents Copilot from responding to any prompt, even when your internet appears to work for other websites. The root cause is almost always a blocked or misconfigured network connection to Microsoft’s Copilot service endpoints, rather than a local app fault. This article explains why the error occurs and provides the exact steps to restore connectivity.

Why Copilot Displays the Connection Error

The “We are having trouble connecting” error occurs when the Copilot client in Microsoft 365 apps cannot reach the Copilot backend servers. This is not a problem with your local internet connection for general browsing, because Copilot requires access to specific Microsoft service endpoints that may be blocked by corporate firewalls, VPNs, proxy servers, or local security software. The technical root cause is a DNS or TCP/IP connection failure to the domain copilot.microsoft.com or its subdomains. When the client cannot resolve the domain name or establish a secure TLS handshake, it times out and shows the connection error. Another common cause is an expired or misconfigured Microsoft 365 authentication token; if the token cannot be refreshed, Copilot refuses to connect.

Steps to Fix the Copilot Connection Error

Follow these steps in order until the error is resolved. Each step addresses a specific layer of the connection chain.

1. Check Copilot Service Health in Microsoft 365 Admin Center
   Open a browser and go to admin.microsoft.com. Navigate to Health > Service health. Look for any advisory or incident under “Microsoft 365 Copilot” or “Microsoft Copilot.” If a service degradation is reported, wait for Microsoft to resolve it. No local fix will work during an outage.
2. Verify Copilot License Assignment
   In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Active users. Select the affected user account. Under the Licenses and apps tab, confirm that “Microsoft 365 Copilot” is checked. If it is not, assign the license and wait 15 minutes for propagation. Without an active Copilot license, the client will not authenticate with the backend.
3. Sign Out and Sign Back Into Microsoft 365
   In any Microsoft 365 app where Copilot shows the error, click your profile picture in the top-right corner and select Sign out. Close the app entirely. Reopen the app and sign in again with the same credentials. This refreshes the authentication token and often clears temporary connection failures.
4. Clear Microsoft 365 App Cache
   Close all Microsoft 365 apps. Press Windows + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache, and press Enter. Delete all files in that folder. Then press Windows + R again, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0, and delete the Licensing folder. Restart the app and try Copilot again.
5. Allowlist Copilot Endpoints in Your Firewall or Proxy
   If you are on a corporate network, ask your IT team to add the following URLs to the firewall allowlist: copilot.microsoft.com, api.copilot.microsoft.com, events.data.microsoft.com, and wns.windows.com. For home users, temporarily disable Windows Defender Firewall or third-party antivirus to test if they are blocking Copilot. If the error disappears after disabling, add exceptions for the Microsoft 365 app executable files: WINWORD.EXE, EXCEL.EXE, OUTLOOK.EXE, and TEAMS.EXE.
6. Reset Microsoft 365 Activation
   Open a Command Prompt as administrator. Type cd %programfiles%\Microsoft Office\Office16 and press Enter. Then type cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus and press Enter. Note the last five characters of the product key shown. Then run cscript ospp.vbs /unpkey: followed by those five characters. Finally, sign in to Microsoft 365 again to reactivate. This clears any corrupted activation state that blocks Copilot authentication.

If Copilot Still Has Issues After the Main Fix

Copilot Connects but Returns “Something went wrong”

This error means the client reached the server but the request failed mid-processing. The most common cause is an outdated Microsoft 365 app version. Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now in any Office app. Install all available updates and restart. If the problem persists, disable any experimental plugins in the Copilot pane: open Copilot, click the three-dot menu, select Plugins, and toggle off all third-party plugins. Then try a new prompt.

Copilot Shows “We are having trouble connecting” Only in Microsoft Teams

Teams uses a different network stack than other Office apps. Open Teams, click your profile picture, and select Settings > General. Scroll down to Application and uncheck “Enable automatic proxies.” Then restart Teams. If the error continues, clear the Teams cache: close Teams completely, press Windows + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams, and delete the contents of the Cache, Code Cache, and tmp folders. Restart Teams.

Copilot Works on One Device but Not Another

This indicates a device-specific configuration problem. On the failing device, check the system date and time. Right-click the clock and select Adjust date/time. Ensure “Set time automatically” and “Set time zone automatically” are both on. Incorrect time causes TLS certificate validation failures, which Copilot interprets as a connection error. After fixing the time, restart the app.

Copilot Connection Error vs General Network Errors: Key Differences

Item	Copilot Connection Error	General Network Error
Error message	“We are having trouble connecting. Please check your connection and try again”	“Cannot connect to server” or “No internet access”
Affected apps	Only Microsoft 365 apps with Copilot pane	All apps including browsers and email
Root cause	Blocked Copilot endpoints, expired token, or service outage	DNS failure, physical disconnection, or router issue
Fix priority	Check service health, license, and firewall allowlist	Restart router, run network troubleshooter, check cables

The Copilot connection error is a targeted failure that requires specific endpoint access, while general network errors affect all internet traffic. If other websites load normally, focus on Copilot-specific fixes such as allowlisting copilot.microsoft.com and refreshing the authentication token.

You can now resolve the Copilot connection error by checking service health, verifying licenses, and adding the required endpoints to your firewall allowlist. If the error persists, clear the Office cache and reset the Microsoft 365 activation to remove corrupted tokens. For recurring issues on corporate networks, work with your IT team to ensure copilot.microsoft.com is permanently unblocked. The fastest test is to temporarily disable your firewall and attempt a Copilot prompt; if it succeeds, the allowlist is the definitive fix.