How to Refresh Copilot on Windows 11
Refreshing Copilot, the built-in AI assistant in Windows 11 for answering questions and helping manage your PC, starts a brand-new chat and clears the conversation it was holding in memory.
Copilot uses earlier messages in a chat as context for later answers. Old questions can therefore skew your current results. Refresh whenever Copilot seems confused, keeps repeating itself, or when you want to move to a completely different topic with no leftover context.
One caution: starting a new chat does not always delete the old one. Depending on your version and account settings, past conversations may still appear in a history list. If you want them gone for privacy reasons, delete them from that list as well.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager , find Microsoft Copilot or WebView2, right-click it and select End task, then reopen Copilot. This restarts the background engine and clears the chat without restarting your computer.
Why Refresh Copilot?
Copilot sometimes stops responding or keeps showing errors because it is stuck on a bad request. Clearing the current chat session usually fixes these small glitches, and you don’t need to restart the computer. Starting a fresh session resets the conversation context completely.
Try the simple refresh first. If Copilot won’t open at all, or the window is frozen so you can’t click anything, skip ahead to the Task Manager method further down.
Basic Refresh Methods
Basic Refresh Methods
The quickest fix is the refresh option inside Copilot itself. The exact layout depends on your Windows 11 version and whether Copilot is the older sidebar or the newer standalone app, so the controls may sit in slightly different places.
To perform a basic refresh:
- Open Copilot with Windows Key + C. If nothing happens, open it from the taskbar icon or the Start menu instead. Some versions assign that shortcut differently, and a work PC may have Copilot turned off.
- Wait until the Copilot window or side pane has fully loaded. You should see the chat box and any earlier messages.
- Click the Refresh icon at the top. The earlier conversation should disappear and you should see an empty chat ready for a new question.
- If the refresh icon is missing, click the three dots (More options) and select Refresh. On some versions this menu offers a new-chat option instead. It does the same job.
After refreshing, type a short test question. If Copilot answers normally and doesn't refer to anything from your earlier chat, the refresh worked. If it still errors out or the window won't respond, move on to the fixes below.
Troubleshooting Copilot Crashes
When that happens, the user interface (UI) fails to load. You'll typically see a blank side pane, or the window closes right after opening.
Check Windows Update first. Keeping the OS current often fixes the underlying bugs before you need to touch any cache files. To check, open Settings Windows Update and click Check for updates. Install anything offered, then restart if Windows asks you to, and try Copilot again.
Advanced Fixes: Task Manager and WebView2
Task Manager lets you refresh Copilot when the app is frozen. It works by restarting WebView2, the background engine that runs web-based app content. This can bring an unresponsive AI panel back in a few clicks. You don't need administrator permissions, and you don't need to restart your computer.
Follow the numbered steps below. In short, you open Task Manager, find the Copilot-related process, and end it. When you open Copilot again, Windows starts a fresh instance.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Find Microsoft Copilot or WebView2 in the list.
- Right-click the process and select End task.
- Reopen Copilot.
Ending the process closes only Copilot and its web content. Unsaved work in other apps is not affected. Other apps that use WebView2 may briefly reload, so save anything important first if you aren't sure.
Enterprise and Policy Management
Your workplace IT administrator can control Copilot through company policies. Managed devices, which are often Pro, Enterprise or Education editions joined to a work or school account, may have Copilot disabled or hidden entirely. In that case there is nothing to refresh, and the icon or the Windows Key + C shortcut will do nothing.
These restrictions come from company-wide security and compliance guidelines, and you can't override them yourself on a managed PC. If you need Copilot for your job, ask your IT department whether it can be enabled for you.
Summary
Refreshing Copilot is a reliable way to fix small glitches. Start with the built-in refresh button. If Copilot is frozen or won't load, restart its process through Task Manager. If the problem keeps coming back, install pending Windows updates and check whether your organization has restricted Copilot.
Why does Copilot keep crashing on 🪟 Windows 11?
Copilot crashes stem from outdated Microsoft Edge WebView2 components or corrupted temporary cache files. Communication breakdowns between the AI integration and the server terminate the process. Updating your Windows 11 build and clearing browser data restores stability.
Does clearing my browser cache affect Copilot?
Clearing your browser cache resolves side pane glitches. Copilot shares the underlying engine with Microsoft Edge, meaning cached data frequently conflicts with recent updates. Flushing this data forces the application to fetch fresh information, fixing unresponsive UI elements.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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