Microsoft 365 Copilot Sorry Something Went Wrong Error: Fix

When you try to use Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, or Teams, you may see the error message Sorry, something went wrong. This error stops Copilot from generating text, analyzing data, or answering questions. The root cause is usually a temporary authentication failure, a corrupted cache file, or a missing license assignment for your account. This article explains why this error occurs and provides step-by-step fixes to restore Copilot functionality.

Why Copilot Shows the Sorry Something Went Wrong Error

The Sorry, something went wrong message appears when Copilot cannot complete its authentication handshake with Microsoft 365 services. This handshake relies on a valid access token issued by Microsoft Entra ID. If the token is expired, revoked, or missing, Copilot cannot read your Microsoft Graph data and fails with a generic error.

Common triggers for this token failure include:

Corrupted Local Cache

Your browser or desktop app stores cached credentials to speed up sign-in. If these cached files become corrupted after an update or a partial sign-out, Copilot cannot retrieve a fresh token. The service then returns the Sorry, something went wrong error.

Missing or Expired License

Copilot requires an active Copilot for Microsoft 365 license assigned to your user account. If the license was removed, expired, or not assigned correctly, Copilot refuses to start. The error message does not specify a license problem, so many users overlook this cause.

Network or Proxy Interference

Corporate networks, VPNs, or web proxies may block the domains that Copilot uses for authentication. When the connection to login.microsoftonline.com or graph.microsoft.com is interrupted, the token request fails and the generic error appears.

Steps to Fix the Copilot Something Went Wrong Error

Follow these steps in order. After each step, test Copilot again before moving to the next step. This approach isolates the exact cause.

Step 1: Verify Your Copilot License

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center
   Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with your administrator account.
2. Go to Billing > Licenses
   Select Licenses from the left navigation menu. You will see a list of all license products for your tenant.
3. Select Copilot for Microsoft 365
   Click the product name to see which users are assigned a license. If your account shows Unassigned, select your account and click Assign. Save the change.
4. Wait 15 minutes
   License changes can take up to 15 minutes to propagate across Microsoft 365 services. After the wait, close and reopen the app where Copilot was failing.

Step 2: Clear the App or Browser Cache

1. Close all Microsoft 365 apps
   Close Word, Excel, Teams, and your browser to ensure no cached tokens are held in memory.
2. Clear browser cache if using web apps
   In Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete. Select Cached images and files and Cookies and other site data. Click Clear now.
3. Clear desktop app cache
   For the Microsoft 365 desktop apps, press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Licensing and press Enter. Delete all files inside this folder. Restart the app.
4. Restart your device
   A full restart clears any remaining temporary files and resets the network stack.

Step 3: Sign Out and Sign Back In

1. Sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps
   In the app, go to File > Account > Sign out (Windows) or app name > Sign out (macOS). Do this for every app where Copilot is used.
2. Sign out of the browser
   If you use web apps, go to office.com, click your profile picture, and select Sign out. Then close all browser tabs.
3. Sign back in
   Open the app again. Enter your full Microsoft 365 email address and password. If prompted, complete multi-factor authentication. This generates a new authentication token.
4. Test Copilot
   Open a new document in Word or a chat in Teams. Click the Copilot icon and type a simple prompt such as Summarize the last email from my manager. If the error persists, continue to the next step.

Step 4: Check Network and Proxy Settings

1. Disable VPN temporarily
   If you use a corporate VPN, disconnect from it. Open a browser and go to office.com. Sign in and try Copilot in the web version. If it works, the VPN is blocking authentication endpoints.
2. Add allowed domains to your proxy
   If your organization uses a web proxy, ensure these domains are allowed: login.microsoftonline.com, graph.microsoft.com, and copilot.microsoft.com and all subdomains. Contact your IT team for this change.
3. Reset network settings
   Open Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset in Windows 11. Click Reset now. This reinstalls network drivers and clears DNS cache. Restart your device.

If Copilot Still Has Issues After the Main Fix

If you completed all steps and the error still appears, the issue may be on the Microsoft service side or related to a specific app version. The following subsections cover additional failure patterns.

Copilot Works in Web Apps but Not in Desktop Apps

This pattern indicates that the desktop app has a corrupted local state file. Close all Office apps. Press Windows key + R and type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams. Delete the desktopstore folder. Restart Teams and test Copilot. For Word or Excel, delete the folder %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Licensing again and restart the app.

Copilot Returns Sorry Something Went Wrong Only for Certain Files

A specific document may have corrupted metadata that triggers the error. Copy the content to a new blank document. Use Ctrl + A to select all text, then Ctrl + C to copy. Open a new document and press Ctrl + V. Save the new file and try Copilot again.

Error Appears After a Microsoft 365 Update

A recent update may have changed the licensing token format. Run the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool. Download SaRA from aka.ms/SaRA. Select Office > I have an issue with Office installation. Follow the prompts to repair the installation. A quick repair takes about five minutes and does not remove your files.

Copilot Error in Web vs Desktop: Key Differences

Item	Web App (browser)	Desktop App (Windows/macOS)
Cache location	Browser cache and cookies	Local Licensing folder and app data
Primary fix	Clear browser cache and sign out	Delete Licensing folder and restart
Proxy interference	Affected by browser proxy settings	Affected by system proxy settings
Update frequency	Updated via browser refresh	Updated via Microsoft 365 update channel

The table above shows that the root cause is often the same but the fix location differs. For web apps, start with the browser cache. For desktop apps, start with the Licensing folder.

You can now resolve the Sorry, something went wrong error by checking your license, clearing the cache, and signing out of all sessions. If the problem continues, use the SaRA tool to repair your Office installation. As a proactive step, bookmark the Microsoft 365 service health dashboard at admin.microsoft.com/ServiceHealth to monitor Copilot availability across your tenant.