Microsoft is working to resolve a major global service outage that has reportedly affected tens of thousands of users around the world. The disruption has impacted essential workplace platforms, including Teams, Outlook, and the artificial intelligence software Copilot.
Impact on Microsoft 365 and Global Users
The disruption affects programs included in Microsoft 365, a widely used online suite that allows businesses to access workplace tools such as Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive. For international organizations, the platform is vital for connecting and collaborating with colleagues globally. Users have reported issues including an inability to view certain files or calendar details, while messaging and online meetings remained largely functional.
According to the monitoring website Downdetector, reports of problems with Outlook peaked globally at nearly 140,000 at approximately 18:00 GMT on Thursday. Users across multiple countries, including the US, Japan, and Singapore, reported facing disruptions. BBC News understands there is no indication that the outage was a result of a cyber-attack.
Cause and Industry-Wide Ripple Effects
Microsoft stated on X that the outage was triggered by a number of servers becoming “unexpectedly unavailable,” which placed a strain on the remaining systems. A Microsoft spokesperson expressed appreciation for customers’ patience as teams work to restore services as quickly as possible. The company later cautioned that some services that had already been brought back online “can become unresponsive again,” affecting customers in any region.
The technical failure also impacted other businesses that rely on Microsoft’s infrastructure, including artificial intelligence giants Anthropic and OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker announced it was investigating an issue affecting its connections to Microsoft services, which caused certain tools to malfunction. Additionally, electric truck manufacturer Workhorse Group rescheduled its third-quarter financial results announcement from November 12 to November 16, pointing to business disruptions caused by the global Microsoft outage. This follows a previous outage reported by Microsoft last month affecting its Azure cloud platform and productivity tools worldwide.
Microsoft reported in subsequent updates on X that it was observing “positive results” from its mitigation efforts and was rushing to fully resolve the issue.
