Copilot in Word Issues

Fix Microsoft Copilot Something Went Wrong in Large Word Documents

Maira Mehtab Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user encounters an error when attempting to use Microsoft Copilot to summarize an extremely large Word document.

How to Fix Copilot 'Something Went Wrong' Error in Large Word Documents

Product: Microsoft Word (Copilot)
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Trying to generate a summary for a 126-page Word document containing approximately 81,246 words stored in OneDrive.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Copilot fails to process the document and displays the message: 'Something went wrong. Please try again in a moment.'

Before you start

Ensure your Microsoft 365 subscription is active and that your internet connection is stable, as Copilot requires a continuous connection to process cloud documents.

Solution 1Recommended

Test Copilot with a Smaller Word Document

Determine if the error is caused by the document exceeding Copilot's word count or token processing limits.

AI tools like Microsoft Copilot have specific context windows and processing limits. An 80,000-word document often exceeds the maximum amount of text the AI can analyze at one time, triggering a timeout or processing failure.

Open the original document

Launch Microsoft Word and open your large 126-page document from OneDrive.

Copy a smaller text section

Highlight and copy a smaller section of the text, such as a single chapter or about 10-15 pages.

Create a test document

Open a new, blank Word document and paste the copied text into it.

Save and test Copilot

Save this new document to your OneDrive and click the Copilot icon to attempt generating a summary again.

Test Copilot with a Smaller Word Document

Document Size Limitations: If Copilot succeeds on the smaller document, your original file is too large. You will need to break your 126-page document into separate, smaller files to use Copilot features effectively.

Solution 2

Verify OneDrive Sync and Restart Office

Ensure the file is properly synced to the cloud and refresh the Office application to clear temporary glitches.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Fast and Reliable AI Document Processing

If Microsoft Word struggles to process your documents or requires expensive subscriptions for AI features, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative with its own powerful AI assistant built directly into the word processor.

1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office for free from the official website.
2. Open your Word document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing .docx file directly without losing formatting.
3. Activate WPS AI: Click the WPS AI button on the ribbon to begin generating instant summaries and extracting insights.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx, .doc) formatsLightweight architecture ensures smooth performance even with 100+ page documentsBuilt-in WPS AI to instantly summarize, analyze, and rewrite textFamiliar user interface requires no learning curve or retraining

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a word limit for Microsoft Copilot in Word?

Yes. While Microsoft has not published an exact hard limit, Copilot generally processes up to around 15,000 to 20,000 words at a time depending on token complexity. For an 81,000-word document, you will likely need to split the file into smaller sections.

Why does Copilot say 'Something went wrong' only on certain documents?

This error typically occurs if the document is excessively large, contains highly complex formatting or unsupported elements, or if it is not properly synced and saved to OneDrive or SharePoint.

Can I use Copilot on locally saved Word documents?

No, Microsoft Copilot requires the document to be saved in the Microsoft cloud (OneDrive or SharePoint) with AutoSave turned on in order to analyze the text and generate responses.

Microsoft Copilot Issues