Copilot is not rewriting sentences or paragraphs when asked

Question

I am not able to use Microsoft copilot ...it gives me a message that it can't reach this document try later..... It worked before however in that last week it has been very frustrating! MY issue is that the copilot is not making other suggestions when asked to rewrite

Answer 1

Based on similar reported issues, this behavior is typically caused by a service or client-side problem rather than anything in the document itself.

Try these steps in order:

1. Confirm channel and update Office
   If using Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows, switch to the Current Channel (Preview) or Current Channel and install the latest updates. Several Copilot and “rewrite” issues have been fixed in recent builds. After updating, restart Word/Outlook and try Copilot again.
2. Check for known issues in your channel
   There are active support cases where Copilot rewrite features fail or show errors in certain channels (for example, Monthly Enterprise Channel). If using MEC and the problem persists after updating, consider temporarily switching to Current Channel if allowed in the environment.
3. Repair or reinstall Office if Copilot stays broken
   If Copilot used to work and now consistently fails with “can’t reach this document, try later,” even after updates, perform an Online Repair of Microsoft 365 Apps. In some cases, support has resolved persistent Copilot issues only by reinstalling or reimaging the Office environment.
4. Open a support ticket if the issue continues
   If in a managed tenant, ask the Microsoft 365 admin to open a support case with Microsoft, referencing that Copilot rewrite features are failing in the current channel/build. Existing cases help Microsoft prioritize fixes.

If Copilot is available in other apps (for example, Teams or PowerPoint), test rewrite there to see whether the issue is specific to one app or tenant-wide. That information will be useful when opening a support ticket.

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References:

• Copilot Rewrite Feature not working in Classic Outlook - Microsoft Q&A
• Whye is Copilot greyed out in Word after all the tricks have been tried? MS 365 Family - Microsoft Q&A