Microsoft Faces Global Outage Disrupting Outlook, Teams and More

What changed

Microsoft 365 is suffering a global outage affecting Outlook, Teams, calendars, files, Copilot and other services. Microsoft says unexpected server unavailability created elevated load on the remaining infrastructure, and its attempted fixes have not worked as expected.

The disruption has reached users and organisations across multiple countries, including government agencies, GP surgeries, pharmacies, police forces and schools. OpenAI and Anthropic have also reported problems linked to Microsoft’s services.

Why it matters

This is more than an inconvenient inbox failure. When email, calendars and account tools falter together, ordinary tasks can stall: appointments may be harder to communicate, files may be inaccessible and services that require verification may stop working.

Microsoft says the outage was not caused by a cyber-security incident. It reported early signs of stabilisation on Friday, but service capacity remained below normal. That leaves the immediate outlook uncertain: recovery may continue, but the duration and full number of people affected are still unknown.

Microsoft says more than 430 million people use its 365 applications. Downdetector recorded 140,000 Outlook problem reports from 74 countries, though that figure captures only people who reported issues. The real reach is therefore larger than the visible tally, especially because Microsoft 365 is embedded in workplaces and public services.