Yesha
Senior Member
- Jan 28, 2026
- 199
- 101
A global Microsoft outage has disrupted businesses, schools and government operations across several countries, leaving millions of users struggling to access Outlook emails, Microsoft Teams and other workplace applications.
The disruption began on Thursday, November 12, 2026, affecting several Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, SharePoint, Teams and the company's artificial intelligence assistant, Copilot.
The outage affected organisations that rely on Microsoft's platforms for daily operations. In Australia, schools experienced difficulties conducting online classes, while some courts reported disruptions to their live streaming services.
In Hong Kong, employees at major financial institutions also experienced difficulties accessing workplace systems, while Japan's government operations were affected, forcing some officials to resort to printing physical copies of documents.
Microsoft attributed the disruption to infrastructure problems, reporting that several servers had unexpectedly become unavailable, placing additional pressure on the remaining systems and affecting services connected to Exchange Online and email.
The company said it was working to restore services by repairing affected servers, restarting infrastructure and redirecting traffic through alternative routes.
Microsoft also ruled out a cyberattack as the cause, saying there was no indication that the disruption resulted from malicious activity.
However, recovery efforts proved more difficult than initially expected, with some servers becoming unstable again after restoration attempts.
By Friday, November 13, Microsoft reported positive signs of improved server stability following further interventions, although some Microsoft 365 services were still experiencing disruptions.
The outage highlights the dependence of businesses and public institutions on cloud-based technology and the widespread operational consequences when major digital service providers experience infrastructure failures.
Microsoft had not provided a confirmed timeline for the complete restoration of all affected services.
The disruption began on Thursday, November 12, 2026, affecting several Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, SharePoint, Teams and the company's artificial intelligence assistant, Copilot.
The outage affected organisations that rely on Microsoft's platforms for daily operations. In Australia, schools experienced difficulties conducting online classes, while some courts reported disruptions to their live streaming services.
In Hong Kong, employees at major financial institutions also experienced difficulties accessing workplace systems, while Japan's government operations were affected, forcing some officials to resort to printing physical copies of documents.
Microsoft attributed the disruption to infrastructure problems, reporting that several servers had unexpectedly become unavailable, placing additional pressure on the remaining systems and affecting services connected to Exchange Online and email.
The company said it was working to restore services by repairing affected servers, restarting infrastructure and redirecting traffic through alternative routes.
Microsoft also ruled out a cyberattack as the cause, saying there was no indication that the disruption resulted from malicious activity.
However, recovery efforts proved more difficult than initially expected, with some servers becoming unstable again after restoration attempts.
By Friday, November 13, Microsoft reported positive signs of improved server stability following further interventions, although some Microsoft 365 services were still experiencing disruptions.
The outage highlights the dependence of businesses and public institutions on cloud-based technology and the widespread operational consequences when major digital service providers experience infrastructure failures.
Microsoft had not provided a confirmed timeline for the complete restoration of all affected services.