COPILOT NO LONGER WORKING WITH MY OUTLOOK

Use Outlook on the web or new Outlook as the immediate workaround, because Microsoft has not published a known issue that exactly matches Copilot Draft remaining indefinitely on a gray box after an Alt+I prompt in classic Outlook.

Check for an Outlook-specific service incident

Because Copilot works in Word, Teams, and Microsoft 365 Chat, start with Outlook-specific checks rather than changing the Copilot license.

If this is an organizational Microsoft 365 account, ask an administrator to:

1. Open Microsoft 365 admin center → Health → Service health.
2. Review Active issues Microsoft is working on for Outlook or Microsoft 365 Copilot.
3. If nothing relevant appears, select Report an issue and include the time the failure occurred. Service health requires an appropriate admin role, such as Service Support admin or Helpdesk admin.^1^

Update classic Outlook

Microsoft has fixed several different Classic Outlook Copilot problems through service changes and Office builds, although none describes this exact gray-box symptom.

1. In Outlook, select File → Office Account.
2. Record the version, build, and update channel shown under About Outlook.
3. Select Update Options → Update Now.
4. Close every Office application, reopen Outlook, and test Alt+I in a new message.

If updates are controlled by your organization, provide the recorded build and channel to IT and ask them to install the applicable update.

For comparison, Microsoft’s adjacent Copilot Chat shows three dots issue—not the same as this Draft failure—was fixed in:

• Current Channel version 2607, build 20228.20190
• Monthly Enterprise Channel version 2607, build 20228.20188^2^

If Outlook is already on or newer than the applicable build, proceed to profile isolation rather than changing update channels or reverting Office.

Test with a new Outlook profile

A new profile is a safe isolation test for Outlook-specific account settings or profile corruption. Keep the existing profile; do not remove it or its data files.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Hold Shift while starting Outlook.
   • Alternatively, press Windows+R, enter Outlook.exe /profiles, and select OK.
3. In the profile picker, select Options → New.
4. Name the profile and add the same email account.
5. Start Outlook with the new profile and test Copilot Draft again.^3^

If Copilot works there, continue using the new profile and add any other required accounts. The old profile can remain available until all locally stored data has been accounted for.

If it still hangs

Run Microsoft’s Classic Outlook Advanced Diagnostics troubleshooter from Windows Get Help on the same Windows 10-or-later computer. It produces a configuration report and proposes fixes for detected Outlook issues.^4^

If it finds nothing, have the Microsoft 365 administrator open a support request and provide:

• Outlook version, build, and update channel
• The exact time and time zone of a failed attempt
• That Alt+I opens Copilot but submission leaves an indefinite gray box
• Whether the new profile behaves the same way
• Confirmation that Copilot works in other Microsoft 365 applications
• Any relevant Service health incident ID

Do not use the published Wef cache-renaming workaround unless Copilot Chat specifically displays three dots; Microsoft documents that workaround for the narrower Chat-rendering issue, not for an Alt+I Draft prompt that hangs.^2^

References

1. How to check Microsoft 365 service health
2. Copilot Chat shows three dots in classic Outlook for Windows | Microsoft Support
3. Create a profile in classic Outlook for Windows
4. Outlook crashes or stops responding when used with Office 365 | Microsoft Support