Microsoft 365 Outage Disrupts Outlook Across Multiple Regions
What disrupted Outlook, which Microsoft 365 services were affected, and where to check for recovery updates.
Microsoft 365 users across multiple regions had trouble accessing Outlook on Thursday. Some couldn’t load their inboxes or send and receive email. Users also reported problems with Microsoft Teams and Copilot, and Microsoft listed SharePoint Online among the services that could be affected. Associated Press · Fox Business via AOL
What caused the disruption?
Microsoft said some servers failed automated checks that determine whether they’re ready to handle requests. Those servers became unavailable, leaving the remaining servers to handle more of the workload. Microsoft was still investigating why the checks failed. Fox Business via AOL
Downdetector recorded nearly 130,000 reports of Outlook problems shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern, according to the Associated Press. That figure reflects reports submitted to the outage tracker. Associated Press
Is Outlook back?
By 2 p.m. Phoenix time (4 p.m. Eastern), Microsoft said an alternative way to check server health had brought some affected servers back into service. The company began applying the fix more widely. In its 2:41 p.m. Phoenix time update, Microsoft said it was still restarting affected servers and verifying that they were working. The Guardian
For the latest information, check Microsoft’s service status page. If you use Outlook through work or school, your IT team can check the Service health dashboard for updates specific to your organization. Microsoft Learn
There’s a parallel in crypto. A wallet app or exchange can have connection problems while the underlying blockchain continues processing transactions. For a transfer you’ve already sent, a public block explorer can help you check whether it was recorded. Ethereum.org