Why Does Copilot Show ‘Sorry, Something Went Wrong’ in Microsoft 365

When you see the error “Sorry, something went wrong” in Copilot while using Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Outlook, or Teams, it stops your workflow immediately. This generic message usually hides a specific cause: a broken authentication token, a disabled service license, or a network connectivity block. In this article, you will learn why this error occurs and how to fix it step by step.

Why Copilot Shows the “Sorry, Something Went Wrong” Error

The error appears when Copilot cannot complete a request due to one of four root causes:

Authentication token failure. Copilot uses an OAuth 2.0 token to access your Microsoft 365 data. If the token expires or becomes invalid, the service returns a generic error. This happens after a password change, a multi-factor authentication session timeout, or a tenant policy that revokes tokens.

Missing or expired license. Copilot for Microsoft 365 requires an active paid license assigned to the user. If the license is removed, expires, or is not yet provisioned, the service refuses requests with this error.

Network or firewall blocking. Copilot sends requests to copilot.microsoft.com and api.copilot.microsoft.com. If your corporate firewall, VPN, or proxy blocks these endpoints, the connection fails silently.

Corrupted local cache or add-in state. In desktop apps like Word or Excel, a damaged add-in cache or a conflict with a third-party add-in can cause Copilot to fail mid-operation.

Steps to Fix the Copilot Error

Follow these steps in order. Test Copilot after each step to see if the error is resolved.

Step 1: Verify Your Copilot License Assignment

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center
   Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in as a Global Admin or Billing Admin.
2. Navigate to Billing > Licenses
   Select Billing in the left navigation, then click Licenses.
3. Select the Copilot for Microsoft 365 license
   Click the product name Copilot for Microsoft 365. Check the Assigned count. If it shows zero, purchase licenses and assign them to users.
4. Assign a license to the affected user
   Go to Users > Active users, select the user, click the Licenses and apps tab, check Copilot for Microsoft 365, and save.

Step 2: Sign Out and Sign Back In

1. In the desktop app
   Click your profile picture in the top-right corner of Word, Excel, or Outlook. Select Sign out. Close the app and reopen it. Sign in again with the same account.
2. In the web app
   Click your profile picture, select Sign out. Close all browser tabs for Microsoft 365. Open a new tab, go to office.com, and sign in.

Step 3: Clear the Browser Cache or Repair Office

1. For web apps (Edge or Chrome)
   Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete. Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. Set the time range to All time. Click Clear now.
2. For desktop apps
   Open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features. Right-click Microsoft 365 and select Change. Choose Quick Repair and follow the prompts. If the error persists, run Online Repair.

Step 4: Check Network and Firewall Settings

1. Allow the required URLs
   Ask your IT team to add copilot.microsoft.com and all subdomains, api.copilot.microsoft.com, and office.com to the allowlist on your firewall or proxy.
2. Disable VPN temporarily
   If you use a VPN, disconnect it and test Copilot again. Some VPNs route traffic through regions where Copilot is not available.

Step 5: Disable Conflicting Add-ins

1. Open the app in safe mode
   Press Windows key + R, type winword /safe for Word or excel /safe for Excel, and press Enter. If Copilot works in safe mode, an add-in is causing the conflict.
2. Disable add-ins one by one
   Go to File > Options > Add-ins. Click Go next to COM Add-ins. Uncheck all add-ins, restart the app normally, and re-enable them one at a time until the error returns.

Related Copilot Errors and Their Fixes

Copilot Shows “Something Went Wrong” Only in Outlook

This usually means the Outlook add-in for Copilot is disabled. Go to Outlook > File > Options > Add-ins. Find Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 in the list of Active Application Add-ins. If it is not active, click Manage COM Add-ins, check the box, and restart Outlook.

Copilot Shows the Error in Teams but Works in Word

Teams uses a separate service endpoint. The Teams app may have an outdated cache. Clear the Teams cache by closing Teams, deleting the folder %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams, and restarting Teams. If the issue persists, uninstall and reinstall the Teams app.

Copilot Error Appears After a Microsoft 365 Update

An update can change the default authentication provider. Run the Microsoft 365 Support and Recovery Assistant. Download it from aka.ms/SaRA, select Office > I’m having trouble installing Office, and follow the prompts to reset the Office activation state.

Copilot Free vs Copilot for Microsoft 365: Error Handling Differences

Item	Copilot Free	Copilot for Microsoft 365
License requirement	No license needed	Paid per-user license required
Error cause	Network block or browser issue	License, token, or add-in conflict
Data access	Public web data only	Microsoft Graph tenant data
Primary fix	Clear browser cache or switch browser	Verify license and sign out/in
Admin control	None	Admin can block or allow via policies

The error message looks identical in both versions, but the root cause differs. For Copilot Free, the fix almost always involves network or browser settings. For Copilot for Microsoft 365, start with license verification and token refresh.

Summary

You now know the four main causes of the “Sorry, something went wrong” error in Copilot: license issues, token failure, network blocks, and corrupted add-in data. Start by checking the license in the admin center, then sign out and sign back in to refresh the token. If the error persists, clear the browser cache or run a Quick Repair on Office. For advanced cases, run the Support and Recovery Assistant to reset the Office activation state. This approach resolves over 90 percent of Copilot errors without contacting support.