The Windows Copilot message “Unable to create a trusted connection” means the app could not establish a trusted, authenticated connection to Copilot services. Your web browser may still open ordinary sites because the app can use a different sign-in session, proxy path, certificate chain, or network policy. Start with Windows’ Copilot Connectivity Troubleshooter, then test another network and reset the app before changing certificates or proxy settings. There is no single confirmed cause for every occurrence.
What “unable to create a trusted connection” means
Copilot is failing before it can maintain a trusted service connection. In practical terms, the app cannot complete one or more of the checks required to reach Copilot and authenticate your session. The failure may be caused by local cached data, a stale account session, a VPN or proxy, firewall filtering, TLS inspection, an untrusted certificate, account entitlement, an organizational privacy policy, or a temporary service incident.
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Microsoft-hosted support discussions describe intermittent cases in which the Copilot app fails while other Windows apps or websites continue to work. A Microsoft External Staff moderator wrote on January 13, 2026 that the browser message “Sorry, I didn’t catch that” and the app message “Something went wrong. Unable to create a trusted connection” are usually associated with cached-data conflicts, network restrictions, or account-session issues. “Usually” is important: that statement identifies recurring categories, not a universal diagnosis.
Why Copilot can fail when your browser works
A successful browser page proves only that one browser process reached one website. It does not prove that the Copilot app can use the same route or credentials.
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- Different session data: Copilot may have stale cookies, tokens, or app state even though your browser has a current session.
- Different proxy handling: A browser can use its own proxy or PAC behavior while a Windows app follows WinHTTP or an organization-managed configuration.
- Certificate inspection: Corporate security tools may inspect encrypted traffic and substitute a company certificate. The app must trust the organization’s approved root certificate for that chain to work.
- Firewall or filtering rules: A security product can allow ordinary web traffic while restricting a particular app or Microsoft service endpoint.
- Account or license state: A browser session may be signed in with a different account, while the app has an expired, unavailable, or policy-limited entitlement.
- Temporary service trouble: A Copilot-side incident can affect the app independently of the websites you can otherwise open.
Use the highest-value checks first
The following order gives the most information with the least risk. “Diagnostic value” means how clearly the action separates likely causes; “reversibility” describes how easily you can undo it; “administrative scope” identifies who should perform it.
| Action | Diagnostic value | Reversibility | Administrative scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copilot Connectivity Troubleshooter | High: checks the app’s connectivity and trust path | Safe and non-destructive | User |
| Copilot License Troubleshooter | High when entitlement or account access is uncertain | Safe and non-destructive | User; an administrator may still be needed |
| Second-network test | High: separates local-network restrictions from app or account faults | Temporary and easily reversible | User |
| Clear browser data or sign out | Medium: addresses stale sessions and cookies | Reversible only if you retain passwords and account details | User |
| Copilot app Reset | Medium: removes local app state | Reversible by signing in again; local app data is removed | User |
| Certificate or proxy changes | High on managed networks, but only after evidence points there | Potentially disruptive | IT or security team |
Step-by-step troubleshooting
1. Run the built-in Copilot connectivity check
- Open the Windows Get Help app.
- Run Copilot Connectivity Troubleshooter.
- Follow its prompts and save or copy the resulting findings.
- If the error appears only sometimes, reproduce it first and immediately run the connectivity check. Capturing the failing state is more useful than testing only after Copilot starts working again.
This check is the best first step because it examines the connection that Copilot needs instead of assuming that a general web page is an equivalent test.
2. Check entitlement separately
If the connectivity check does not identify a network or trust problem, run Copilot License Troubleshooter from Get Help. This separates an account or license issue from a transport failure. On a work or school account, an administrator may control access, privacy settings, or the Copilot entitlement, so a user-side reset cannot correct a policy decision.
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3. Clear stale browser and app session data
Clear the cache and cookies for the browser you use with Copilot, then close and reopen the browser. You may need to sign in again. Do not erase every saved credential or all browser data unless you understand what will be removed; target Copilot-related site data when your browser allows that choice.
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Next reset the Windows app:
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Find Microsoft Copilot, select the three-dot menu, and choose Advanced options.
- Select Reset and confirm.
- Launch Copilot, sign in, and test a simple prompt.
Reset removes local app state. It does not repair a blocked network or an unavailable account. Reinstall the app only if Reset does not help; reinstalling first usually destroys useful local evidence without changing a managed proxy, certificate, or license.
4. Test without the current VPN or proxy
For a controlled test, disconnect a personal VPN and retry Copilot. If your organization requires a VPN, do not bypass it on a managed computer; ask IT for an approved test instead.
You can also connect the computer to a mobile-phone hotspot or another trusted network. Keep the same Windows account and app settings while changing only the network:
- Works on the second network: the original firewall, proxy, VPN, DNS filtering, or TLS-inspection path is the leading suspect.
- Fails on both networks: cached state, account entitlement, a device policy, certificate configuration, or a Copilot service problem remains more likely.
This comparison is more useful than repeatedly refreshing the same connection because it changes the network path while preserving the rest of the test.
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5. Have IT check TLS inspection and the certificate chain
On an organization-managed device, ask the IT or security team to inspect the certificate chain presented for copilot.microsoft.com. If a corporate gateway or security product is performing TLS inspection, the chain may contain an organization-issued certificate. The approved corporate root certificate must be installed and trusted by Windows and by the relevant security configuration.
Do not install an unfamiliar root certificate yourself. A root certificate gives its holder broad ability to intercept encrypted traffic. IT should verify that the certificate belongs to the organization’s approved inspection system, is not expired or revoked, and is deployed through the company’s normal management process. If the chain is already trusted and the same error occurs on a second network, certificate inspection is less likely to be the primary cause.
6. Compare the WinHTTP proxy configuration
Windows components can use WinHTTP settings that differ from a browser’s settings. In an elevated Command Prompt (run Command Prompt as administrator), enter:
netsh winhttp show proxy
Record whether the result says there is no proxy, names a fixed proxy, or shows an automatic configuration script. Compare it with the proxy or PAC configuration your organization intends to use. A mismatch can explain why browser traffic succeeds while the app fails.
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Do not run commands that reset or replace the proxy on a managed device unless IT instructs you. Changing WinHTTP settings can break other Windows services and may violate company policy. Give IT the command output, the time of the failure, and the result of the second-network test.
7. Sign out, restart, and sign in again
- Sign out of Copilot.
- Close the app completely.
- Restart Windows.
- Open Copilot and sign in with the account that should have access.
A restart clears processes that may be holding an expired session or network state. Avoid deleting unrelated Microsoft, Office, Outlook, or corporate credentials. Remove a specific credential only when Microsoft Support or your IT team identifies the exact entry; broad credential deletion can create new sign-in problems without fixing the trust error.
8. Check service status and escalate with evidence
If the troubleshooters, reset, and network comparison do not resolve the error, check Microsoft 365 Service Health if it is available to you. A temporary service issue can produce intermittent failures that no local setting will fix.
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Contact Microsoft Support for a personal account, or your Microsoft 365 administrator for a work or school account. Include:
- The exact error text and whether it occurs every time or intermittently.
- The date and time, including your time zone, of a failed attempt.
- Copilot Connectivity Troubleshooter and, if used, License Troubleshooter results.
- Whether the browser version also fails or displays “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
- Whether Copilot works on a mobile hotspot or another trusted network.
- Whether a VPN, proxy, firewall, or TLS-inspection product is present.
- The output of
netsh winhttp show proxywhen the device is managed. - Whether Windows Get Help or another Microsoft app shows a similar connection failure.
How to read the results
| Observed pattern | Most useful next action |
|---|---|
| Connectivity Troubleshooter reports a trust or network failure | Follow its specific remediation, then retest before changing account data. |
| License Troubleshooter reports missing or invalid access | Confirm the signed-in account and ask the work or school administrator to verify entitlement. |
| Copilot works on a hotspot but not on Wi-Fi or the office network | Give IT the comparison; investigate proxy, firewall, filtering, or TLS inspection on the original network. |
| Reset fixes the app immediately | The local cache or session state was likely stale; keep the troubleshooting results in case it returns. |
| Every network fails and service status is normal | Escalate with logs and account details; a device policy, certificate store, or account-session fault may remain. |
| Several Microsoft apps fail at the same time | Report the shared timing and network to IT or Microsoft Support rather than treating Copilot as an isolated app defect. |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming browser access rules out networking: the app may use a separate proxy, certificate, or authentication path.
- Changing several settings at once: you lose the ability to identify which action mattered and may create a second problem.
- Installing a random certificate: only an approved organizational root should be trusted, and IT should deploy it.
- Resetting managed proxy settings: this can break Windows services and conflict with policy.
- Deleting all Microsoft credentials: broad removal can sign you out of unrelated services and is rarely required for this message.
- Reinstalling before testing: a reinstall cannot repair an account restriction, service outage, or blocked network path.
What can and cannot be concluded
“Unable to create a trusted connection” is a diagnostic category, not a definitive root-cause report. Cached session data, VPN or proxy filtering, TLS inspection, organizational policy, account state, and temporary service conditions can produce similar wording. The built-in connectivity and license checks, followed by a second-network comparison, provide the clearest separation between those branches. Certificate and proxy changes belong to the responsible IT or security team, while cache clearing, app reset, sign-out, and controlled network testing are appropriate user-level actions.
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