How to Resolve ‘Copilot is Currently Unavailable’ Notification

Official documentation checked October 14, 2026.

When Copilot says it is currently unavailable, first identify the app, account, and affected feature. The same short message does not prove a missing license, a corrupt token, or a local cache fault. Preserve work and use one harmless comparison task to narrow the scope.

This guide starts with Microsoft 365 app and organisational Chat experiences. A personal account, a particular Outlook mailbox feature, or a custom agent may have different requirements.

Why Copilot Shows “Currently Unavailable”

Check whether the message appears in one application, on one device, or for several people. Also distinguish a missing entry point from a feature that opens but fails. Microsoft’s current availability guide covers entry-point changes, account/license state, builds, update channels, and privacy settings.

Entitlement depends on the experience. Microsoft’s requirements guide distinguishes licensed Copilot capabilities from Chat available to eligible users. A work file also needs the intended authorised account. Do not assume a universal paid-license assignment is the remedy for every account or app.

Steps to Clear the Unavailable Notification and Restore Copilot

1. Save your work and record the error. Note the time/time zone, full wording, app/platform/build, account type, requested action, and any request/correlation ID shown. Protect unsaved documents and pending uploads before restarting apps.
2. Confirm the account inside the application. Use the account authorised for the feature and source file. Microsoft’s license validation guidance separates account mismatch and some storage/browser issues. Signing into Windows or a browser profile is not sufficient evidence of the account Word or Outlook is using.
3. Refresh supported license state when relevant. On Windows desktop Microsoft 365 apps, the availability guide documents File > Account > Update License, then closing and reopening the apps. Use the supported route for your platform and save work first. If a license was just assigned, follow the actual guidance and status; do not treat one fixed propagation period as a guarantee.
4. Run a small comparison. In an approved new Word document containing harmless text, test the feature. Compare the same account in the supported web app if permitted. Record both results rather than inferring that web success automatically proves the desktop installation is corrupt.
5. Ask IT to check a matching service incident. Use Microsoft 365 admin center > Health > Service health, following Microsoft’s service-health guide. Match affected services, timing, and user impact and follow any documented mitigation. Planned changes may be communicated separately; the dashboard is not proof of every possible failure.
6. Review policy and connection evidence. Have the administrators check the exact user’s eligibility, applied access conditions, app privacy policy, and required network traffic. The connected-experience documentation explains settings that affect feature availability. Use the actual sign-in event and Conditional Access troubleshooting when access is blocked. Do not remove MFA, certificate checks, or a required proxy/VPN merely to dismiss the message.

If Copilot Still Shows Unavailable After the Main Fix

A sign-in failure accompanies the message

On the affected Windows computer, open Get Help and search for sign in to Microsoft Office. Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 troubleshooters page documents this current diagnostic. Review its findings with IT on a managed device.

The standalone Support and Recovery Assistant is not the current default download: Microsoft says Get Help troubleshooters replaced it. Do not uninstall all Office apps or remove every Credential Manager entry containing “MicrosoftOffice” as a generic Copilot repair. A normal sign-in challenge can be appropriate; it does not establish that unrelated saved credentials are corrupt.

Only Outlook fails

Record the client, mailbox type, and particular action, then compare it with current Outlook Copilot support. Availability can differ across features. Do not run outlook.exe /cleanviews to clear a Copilot cache: Microsoft’s switch reference says it restores default views and loses custom views.

A desktop-only problem persists after account checks

Record the build and update channel and use approved updates. If support identifies an installation issue, use the official Office repair process. It can affect the whole suite, so plan disruption and preserve work. A service-unavailable message alone does not require complete removal and reinstallation.

The problem follows an organisational migration

Have IT confirm the target account/tenant, entitlement, mailbox/file access, and client sign-in. Test the affected app with that account before changing every device. Capture the migration timing and any actual identity error; do not assume all existing licenses or stored data transfer automatically.

Unavailable and Policy-Restricted Features: How to Distinguish Them

Keep a record of the original failure and the successful retest after the specific correction. Send only the necessary diagnostic details through private support channels, without tokens, passwords, or confidential content.