Users would randomly run into this error "Sorry, something unexpected happened. We're looking into it. Error code: SystemError"

Edward 86 Reputation points
2026-09-08T15:02:34.1366667+00:00

User's image

This error message would appear randomly and we are trying to investigate or find a way to troubleshoot this.

Is anyone familiar with this by any chance? We even had a Agent creator/owner himself running into this randomly when trying to use the Agent. It looks like after few time and restarting a computer (sometime just browsers), it would make it work but we honestly are not sure if the latter is related.

Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Development
0 comments

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest

  1. AI answer

    2026-09-08T15:02:47.0366667+00:00

    SystemError is a catch-all error for an unexpected failure. In Copilot Studio, it usually means a transient infrastructure problem, an unexpected internal failure, or a condition that needs further investigation.

    For this specific pattern where it appears randomly and then sometimes works again later, the supported troubleshooting path is:

    1. Retry the request.
      • SYSTEM_ERROR can be transient, so a later retry may succeed.
    2. Capture the conversation details when it fails.
      • Record the Conversation ID shown in the error.
      • Record the time of failure (UTC).
    3. Use the activity trace if available.
      • The activity trace is the recommended place to get the conversation ID and debug details for agent failures.
    4. If the problem persists, contact support.
      • Provide the captured conversation ID and failure time.
    5. If multiple users are affected at the same time, have an administrator check the Microsoft 365 service health dashboard.

    Also, in Copilot Studio guidance, SYSTEM_ERROR is classified as an error where retrying sometimes helps, and the next step after retry is support.

    The browser or PC restart is not identified as the documented fix for SYSTEM_ERROR. The documented actions are retry, collect trace details, and escalate with the conversation ID and timestamp.

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

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.