How to fix Copilot in MS Word - Copilot telling me it cant see the text in the document

Janice Abbs 0 Reputation points
2026-11-10T11:57:03.4033333+00:00

Following the recent update, not sure if related, MS Word Copilot is no longer able to see the content in the open document. Its advice has been to restart and try again. Having done this a few times without success. This is the message I receive in the chat area:

You are right, the document is open, but the connection that passes text to me is failing. I'm receiving a document access error rather than the writing itself. I cant tell from the error what caused it, and it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your document.

Any advice you can give me is much appreciated. Thank you

Microsoft Copilot | Other
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  1. Emma1-N 14,920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-11T00:25:35.2333333+00:00

    Welcome Janice Abbs,

    Thanks for posting, and sorry Copilot in Word has stopped reading your document. The message you're seeing means Copilot can't read the text in the open file. It doesn't mean your document is damaged. To help narrow this down, could you tell me:

    • Are you signed in to Word with a personal Microsoft account (Microsoft 365 Personal/Family or Copilot Pro), or with a work or school account? You can see this under "File" > "Account".
    • Are you using Word on Windows or Mac?
    • Does this happen with every document, including a new blank one where you type a few lines? Or only with certain files, such as older .doc files or files opened from email or downloads?
    • Is the document saved on your computer or in OneDrive?

    While you check, please try these steps:

    Step 1: Make sure the document is fully editable If a yellow bar at the top says Protected View, Read-Only or Compatibility Mode, select Enable Editing. For an older .doc file, go to File > Info > Convert and save it as a .docx file. Then ask Copilot about the document again.

    Step 2: Check your privacy settings Go to File > Account and, under Account Privacy, select Manage Settings. Make sure Experiences that analyze your content and All connected experiences are both turned on. Then close Word and open it again.

    Step 3: Update Word and refresh your license Go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now and let the update finish. Back on the same page, select Update License. Close all Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook), then open Word and test Copilot again.

    Step 4: Test in Word for the web Sign in at https://www.office.com with the same account, open the same document in Word for the web, and ask Copilot about it.

    Looking forward to your update.

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