E-Paper
Microsoft Copilot down update: Why Copilot is so slow today. How to solve issues?
Many users have reported problems with Microsoft Copilot on Friday as the AI assistant experienced outages and slow responses from the app.
Microsoft's AI tool, Copilot, is experiencing some problems on Friday morning, with over 500 reports of problems, according to Downdetector. After 10 am EST, the faults began to appear, and by 1:07 pm, there were roughly 700 problems.
The Downdetector status page shows recent user-reported problems with Microsoft Copilot, mostly affecting the app at 67% and, to a lesser extent, the website, with only 1% users facing login issues.
According to Statusgator, over 200 in the last 24 hours users reported issues like slow performance, server not responding, and blank/no responses.
Recent incidents where users were unable to use Microsoft 365 Copilot or received intermittent blank responses have been flagged as warnings rather than full outages.
Read more: Tech Tonic | Musk v. Altman, and a reality of bickering adults holding AI’s keys
Why is Microsoft Copilot running slowly?
Microsoft has not immediately issued a detailed technical explanation about the partial outage or the slow responses from the AI tool.
However, according to Microsoft Learn, slow performance and session interruptions with Copilot can happen due to several reasons, such as browser settings, network issues, or system resource limitations.
Moreover, Microsoft Copilot relies heavily on cloud computing infrastructure and large language models to generate responses in real time. If server demand spikes or backend systems experience instability, users can encounter lag, delayed responses, or service interruptions.
USA Today has reported that there is no update on when the problems will be fixed. However, it hasn't been long, so it could be a speedy fix.
Read more: Windows updates are no longer mandatory but there’s catch
How can users try fixing Copilot issues?
Even while Microsoft typically needs to address partial outages, users experiencing Copilot issues can still try a few troubleshooting techniques that might temporarily boost performance or restore access.
Microsoft Support lists out several steps that include:
1. Refresh or restart the app. Users can try refreshing the Copilot webpage, restarting the application, or reopening their browser to clear temporary glitches.
2. Clear browser cache and cookies. Navigate to Edge's settings, look for the "Clear browsing data" tab, and choose "Cached images and files."
Corrupted browser data can sometimes interfere with cloud-based AI tools. Clearing cache and cookies may help restore functionality.
3. Switch browsers or devices. This could help users who reported partial success accessing Copilot through alternative browsers, mobile devices, or different Microsoft accounts.
4. Close unused tabs or apps. Copilot functions better if the system resources are freed up.
5. Wait for server stabilization. If the slowdown is tied to Microsoft’s infrastructure or cloud traffic, users may simply need to wait until systems stabilize and services return to normal.
