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How do I get Windows Copilot Tasks feature out of a loop? (unavailable for a week)

Mike Harbison 0 Reputation points
2026-05-20T20:38:58.6+00:00

This is a chat excerpt with Microsoft support.
This looks like a service-side quota/state sync issue in Copilot Tasks rather than a normal usage cap. Based on what you described, three symptoms point to the same underlying problem:

  • Weekly quota didn’t reset when expected
  • “Start” button missing/disabled
  • No new tasks could be created

5/20/2026, 04:03 PM

 

Shivansh

Likely root causes

  1. Stale quota state in backend cache.
  2. Account flagged as “limit reached” incorrectly.

3.Subscription/license sync issue.

  1. Feature flag or rollout inconsistency.
  2. Task service stuck session.

5/20/2026, 04:04 PM

 

Customer

Well, and the last task I ran appears to still be running after nearly a week.

 

5/20/2026, 04:04 PM

 

Customer

It's still rotation these messages "Thinking this through",  "Working on an approach",  "Putting together a Plan", etc.

 5/20/2026, 04:06 PM

 

Shivansh

Ah — that additional detail is the key signal. What you’re seeing is almost certainly a stuck (or “zombie”) task in the backend, and it explains all of your symptoms:

 5/20/2026, 04:08 PM

 

Shivansh

Let me explain you what actually happening:

Your last task is:

  • Still marked as “running” in the backend
  • Never completed or timed out properly
  • Continuously cycling status messages like:

“Thinking this through” → “Working on an approach” → “Putting together a plan”

This means the system is stuck in an execution loop without a terminal state.

5/20/2026, 04:08 PM

Microsoft Copilot | Windows Copilot | Feature
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  1. Lucus-V 7,490 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-25T18:27:32.3566667+00:00

    Hi Mike Harbison,

    How is Windows Copilot Tasks feature at this moment?

    I hope everything is going well on your end.

    If you have anything to share or discuss, please feel free to let me know.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-20T20:39:11.95+00:00

    For Windows Copilot Tasks/Actions getting stuck in a loop and blocking new tasks, the behavior matches a known issue with experimental agentic features on recent Windows builds.

    On build 26220.7262 and later, active Copilot Actions conversations (agent workspaces) can remain “live” in the background and prevent normal behavior, including:

    • Windows not sleeping while Copilot has active conversations.
    • Shutdown/restart warnings like “Someone else is still using this PC…” because of active Copilot Actions conversations.

    In this state, the Copilot agent session can effectively be “stuck,” similar to the zombie task described in the support chat.

    To break the loop and clear the stuck task/session:

    1. Close all Copilot Actions/Tasks conversations
      • In the Copilot UI, close every active Copilot Actions / Tasks chat or pane.
      • Make sure no Copilot task windows or sidebars are left open.
    2. Fully exit Copilot from the system tray
      • In the Windows taskbar notification area (system tray), locate the Copilot icon.
      • Right-click the Copilot icon.
      • Select Quit to completely shut down Copilot and its agent workspace.
      • This forces the agent session to end and clears the active conversation state that can keep tasks “running.”
    3. Restart Windows
      • After quitting Copilot, restart the PC to ensure any lingering agent processes or cached state are cleared.
      • When Windows comes back up, start Copilot again and try creating a new task.

    If the issue persists after these steps on an enterprise-managed device with Endpoint Privilege Management and Intune:

    • Be aware that Intune-managed profiles can be created for Agent User accounts and may not be cleaned up automatically yet. Microsoft is working on a fix to clean up leftover Intune profiles, which are typically named with a trailing $ under C:\Users. This is related to agent sessions but does not require manual deletion at this time.

    If, after fully quitting Copilot and restarting Windows, Copilot Tasks still cannot start new tasks or remains stuck, the next step is to open a support case with Microsoft so they can clear the backend task/session state for the affected account.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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