M365 Copilot is not responding

Question

Copilot web chat shows: "Service communication is currently unavailable."

 

Copilot in Word won't sign in.

 

The issue has persisted for four days.

 

I am using a Lone Star College Microsoft 365 account.

 

(Basically, my whole M365 Copilot is shut down, and I need to know how to fix it or if you can fix it.)

Answer 1

Hello,

Can you please check if your Lone Star College account includes M365 Copilot and sign in at https://www.office.comto confirm access? If Copilot still won’t sign in, clear your browser cache or try a private window. Education accounts often need admin enablement, so contact your IT admin if the issue continues.

Answer 2

The symptoms match a Copilot service, licensing, or policy issue rather than something that can be fixed locally on the device, especially since it has persisted for several days and affects both Copilot web chat and Copilot in Word.

Do the following checks and then escalate to the college’s Microsoft 365 admin/help desk if the problem continues:

1. Confirm the Copilot license and version
   • Sign in to https://copilot.microsoft.com with the Lone Star College account.
   • Check whether the Work/Web toggle appears at the top of the Copilot Chat page:
     • If the Work/Web toggle is visible, the account has a Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on license and should be able to use work data in Microsoft 365 apps.
     • If the toggle is missing, only web-based Copilot Chat is available and the account may not have the Copilot add-on license.
   • If the toggle is missing but Copilot used to work, the college admin must verify that a valid Copilot license is still assigned and active.
2. Check for known Copilot-in-app issues
   • When Copilot is missing, disabled, or not working correctly in Microsoft 365 Apps (for example, Word cannot sign in to Copilot), the documented causes include:
     • Licensing or account conflicts (for example, being signed into Office with both personal and school accounts).
     • Recent Office reset/update affecting activation.
     • Network requirements for Copilot not being met.
     • Copilot being blocked by privacy settings or organizational policies.
   • On the device, in Word:
     1. Go to File > Account and confirm the Lone Star College account is the primary account and is the one with the Copilot license.
     2. Still in File > Account, select Update License, then close all Office apps and reopen Word to retry Copilot.
3. Verify privacy settings in Office
   • In any Microsoft 365 app (such as Word):
     1. Go to File > Account.
     2. Under Account Privacy, select Manage Settings.
     3. Ensure Experiences that analyze your content is turned on.
     4. Scroll down and ensure All connected experiences is turned on.
   • If the college manages these settings, they may be locked; in that case, only the Microsoft 365 admin can change them.
4. Check update channel and client build (if using desktop apps)
   • In Word, go to File > Account and check the Product Information section:
     • If the update channel is Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel, Copilot features in desktop apps are not available. The organization must move the device to Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel for Copilot in desktop apps.
   • Also ensure Office is fully updated (Install Office updates) and then restart the apps.
5. Ask the Lone Star College Microsoft 365 admin/help desk to verify tenant-side settings The college’s Microsoft 365 admin should check the following:
   • The account has a valid Copilot add-on license assigned and active.
   • Copilot is not blocked by organizational policies or by the Copilot Control System (for example, Copilot Chat not unpinned/blocked, or the Copilot app not removed for the user).
   • Network and security policies (firewall, proxy, conditional access) are not blocking Copilot endpoints.
   • No tenant-wide outage or restriction is affecting Copilot for the college.
   • If license validation errors were seen earlier, they should follow the guidance in the license validation article and, if needed, open a support ticket with Microsoft.

If, after these checks and after the admin confirms licensing and policies are correct, Copilot still shows “Service communication is currently unavailable” for multiple days, the college’s Microsoft 365 admin should contact Microsoft Support with the affected user’s UPN, tenant ID, and timestamps of failures so Microsoft can investigate the backend Copilot service for that tenant.

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References:

• How Copilot Chat works with and without a Microsoft 365 Copilot license
• Copilot is missing, disabled, or doesn't work correctly
• How to find and enable missing Copilot button in Microsoft 365 apps
• I am getting license validation errors with Copilot
• Manage Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat