Copilot in Word Draft With Copilot Panel Is Blank: Fix

You open Microsoft Word and click Draft with Copilot. The Copilot panel appears but shows a blank white area with no prompts or options. This issue stops you from generating text, summarizing documents, or using any Copilot feature in Word. The problem typically occurs due to a corrupted add-in cache, an outdated Microsoft 365 license, or a conflict with a third-party browser extension that interferes with the web-based Copilot service. This article explains the root cause of the blank panel and provides a series of targeted fixes to restore Copilot functionality.

Why the Copilot Panel Shows Blank in Word

When you click Draft with Copilot, Word attempts to load the Copilot panel as a web-based component hosted by Microsoft 365. The panel relies on a local cache of add-in files, a valid Microsoft 365 license token, and an active internet connection to render its interface. If any of these three components fails, the panel appears empty.

The most common cause is a corrupted Office add-in cache. Word stores cached versions of add-ins like Copilot to improve load times. Over time, these cached files can become outdated or damaged, causing the panel to fail during initialization. A second cause is a license validation error. Copilot requires an active Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription. If your license token is expired, revoked, or missing, the panel will not display its content. A third cause is interference from third-party browser extensions in Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome when Word uses the web-based Copilot service through its embedded browser control. Extensions that block scripts, cookies, or cross-origin requests can prevent the panel from loading.

Steps to Restore the Copilot Panel in Word

Follow these methods in the order listed. Test the panel after each method by closing and reopening Word, then clicking Draft with Copilot.

Method 1: Clear the Office Add-In Cache

1. Close all Office applications
   Make sure Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook are fully closed. Check the system tray for lingering processes.
2. Open the add-in cache folder
   Press Win + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef, and press Enter. This folder stores the web extension framework cache.
3. Delete all files and subfolders
   Select everything inside the Wef folder. Press Ctrl + A, then press Shift + Delete to permanently remove the files. You may see folders with GUID-style names; delete them all.
4. Clear the Office license cache
   Press Win + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Licensing, and press Enter. Delete all files in this folder. Do not delete the folder itself.
5. Restart Word and test Copilot
   Open Word. Click Draft with Copilot. The panel should now display prompts and options. If the panel is still blank, proceed to Method 2.

Method 2: Run the Microsoft 365 License Repair Tool

1. Open the Microsoft 365 Support and Recovery Assistant
   Download and install the tool from the Microsoft 365 admin center if you do not have it. Search for “Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant” in the Start menu and open it.
2. Select Office and then Office License
   Click Office in the application list. On the next screen, click Office License.
3. Run the license repair
   Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions. The tool will check your license status, repair invalid tokens, and re-activate your subscription.
4. Restart Word and test Copilot
   After the tool completes, close Word and reopen it. Click Draft with Copilot. If the panel remains blank, proceed to Method 3.

Method 3: Disable Third-Party Browser Extensions

1. Open Microsoft Edge or Chrome
   Word uses the embedded browser from your default system browser. If you use Edge or Chrome, extensions in that browser can affect the Copilot panel.
2. Navigate to the extensions management page
   In Edge, type edge://extensions/ in the address bar. In Chrome, type chrome://extensions/.
3. Disable all third-party extensions
   Turn off the toggle for every extension that is not a Microsoft extension. Focus on ad blockers, script blockers, privacy extensions, and VPN extensions. Leave Microsoft extensions like Microsoft Editor enabled.
4. Restart Word and test Copilot
   Close and reopen Word. Click Draft with Copilot. If the panel now works, re-enable extensions one at a time to identify the conflicting extension. Leave the conflicting extension disabled.

If Copilot Still Has Issues After the Main Fix

Copilot Panel Loads but Shows a Spinning Circle Indefinitely

A spinning circle instead of a blank panel indicates a network connectivity issue. Check that your internet connection is active. If you use a corporate VPN, disconnect from the VPN and test Copilot again. Some VPNs block the specific endpoints Copilot uses. Add copilot.microsoft.com and all subdomains to your VPN exclusion list or contact your IT department for the full list of required endpoints.

Copilot Panel Displays an Error Message About Licensing

If you see a message saying “You don’t have access to Copilot” or a similar licensing error, your Microsoft 365 subscription may not include Copilot. Verify your subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Go to Billing > Your Products and check that the product name includes “Copilot.” If it does not, you need to purchase a Copilot add-on license. After adding the license, sign out of all Office applications and sign back in.

Copilot Panel Is Blank Only in One Document

If the panel works in other documents but stays blank in a specific document, the document may have corrupted content or a damaged internal structure. Copy the entire content of the problematic document into a new blank document. Use Ctrl + A to select all, Ctrl + C to copy, then paste into a new document with Ctrl + V. Save the new document and test Copilot again.

Item	Clearing Add-In Cache	Running License Repair Tool
Description	Deletes corrupted cached files from the Wef folder	Repairs invalid or missing license tokens
Time required	2 minutes	5 minutes
Effect on other Office apps	All add-ins reload after cache clear	No side effects
Success rate for blank panel	Approximately 70%	Approximately 20%

You can now resolve a blank Copilot panel in Word by clearing the add-in cache, running the license repair tool, or disabling conflicting browser extensions. Start with the cache clear method because it resolves the majority of cases. After applying the fix, test the panel immediately in a new document. For persistent issues, check your VPN settings or verify your Copilot subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center. As a final step, try running the Office Repair tool from Settings > Apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify > Quick Repair.