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A widespread Microsoft outage has impacted operations in at least 74 countries following connectivity failures detected after midday US Eastern Time (17:00 GMT) on Thursday. Microsoft confirmed that several 365 services, including Teams, Outlook, and its artificial intelligence assistant Copilot, suffered significant connectivity issues.
By 12:00 GMT on Friday, the technology firm stated it was observing encouraging recovery progress across Europe, while operations in North America were improving and Japan remained comparatively stable. The technical breakdown has disrupted daily activities for international organizations, judicial systems, public services, and private enterprises across the globe.
Disruptions Across North America
In the United States, congressional staff inside the House of Representatives experienced severe work stoppages. One House staff member described the reliance on the affected software, stating, “We all use Outlook, that’s our life, everything is there, our calendar is there, our boss’s calendar, so it has been a challenge … with no access to our Bible,” while adding, “There goes a day of legislative work.”
Artificial intelligence leaders OpenAI and Anthropic both acknowledged technical problems linked to the event. OpenAI stated it was actively investigating issues connecting to Microsoft services, which prevented certain features from functioning as intended. Court systems ranging from Texas to Los Angeles cautioned the public about potential communication delays. Furthermore, electric vehicle manufacturer Workhorse Group postponed its third-quarter financial earnings report from November 12 to November 16, citing operational interruptions caused by the system failure.
Municipal administrations across North America advised citizens to use telephone lines instead of electronic mail. Officials in Austin, Texas, confirmed via X that city employees were unable to process incoming or outgoing emails, though emergency 911 channels and main phone services remained fully active. In Canada, hospital networks in Toronto, including SickKids and Unity Health Toronto, reported severe email and phone access issues, leading Unity Health to issue an internal infrastructure alert known as a “code grey,” though direct patient care continued without disruption. Canada’s national rail operator, Via Rail, alongside city councils in Ottawa and Vancouver, similarly warned the public of administrative service delays.
Reactions Across Asia and Australia
In Japan, the government’s centralized IT infrastructure experienced system instability. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki explained that officials were closely monitoring Microsoft’s restoration efforts. Several Japanese businesses turned to legacy hardware to maintain operations, with one user on X noted by the Japan Times stating, “Can’t send emails because of a Microsoft outage, so we’re switching to fax for the regular updates we usually send as PDFs. Analog is strong,”.
Government authorities in Singapore and judicial bodies in the Philippines warned of communication backlogs, though emergency response networks in Singapore remained functional. In India, corporate workers faced disrupted video conferences and missing emails. A senior executive at a major Indian brokerage firm told BBC News, “Outlook wasn’t working. We fortunately have an alternative so it was not a problem. But we conduct most of our calls, especially with big clients, on Teams – that has been a challenge,”. In mainland China, where Western digital platforms are heavily filtered by the Great Firewall, international businesses reliant on Outlook to connect with global partners experienced severe operational friction.
Australian federal police and security agencies were also affected. Mike Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, informed reporters that the disruption was largely confined to official email systems. BBC News understood that essential public services throughout New South Wales, including emergency care, public transport, health, and schooling, avoided major operational failures.
Widespread Impact in Europe, the UK, and Africa
European financial and transport infrastructure felt the strain of the technical failures on Friday morning. Stock exchange operator Euronext recommended that listed entities communicate market updates by phone. National railway provider Deutsche Bahn struggled to broadcast updated schedules for altered train routes. Claudia Plattner, head of Germany’s BSI cybersecurity agency, noted that public authorities in Germany avoided direct impact because they do not rely on Microsoft 365, though she emphasized that the global disruption spanned data hubs stretching from Asia through Europe to North America.
Attendants at the UN Climate Change Conference (Cop31) held in Antalya, Turkey, reported communication obstacles. James Young, a climate change adviser representing the Inuit Circumpolar Council, highlighted the vulnerability of modern communication, stating, “It’s just been really frustrating and challenging to maintain contact with our colleagues and to be able to effectively participate here,” before adding, “I think our dependence on technology leaves us vulnerable to situations like this.”
In the United Kingdom, healthcare facilities, police departments, and members of Parliament at Westminster were impacted by the loss of access to Microsoft products. A parliamentary spokesperson confirmed that alternative communication protocols were established to ensure legislative duties continued while technical teams worked alongside Microsoft to resolve the outage.
Certain regions, including Russia, recorded minimal disruption due to prior regulatory shifts toward domestic software alternatives, alongside censorship restrictions that block tracking sites like Downdetector. However, commercial operations in other regions faced total disruptions. Peter Pentz, a South African winemaker operating along the Cape West Coast, explained that the technical collapse froze essential export communication, stating, “It’s incredibly frustrating,” and noting that “We export a lot, so communication with exporters in Europe has come to a standstill.”
