This is a developing story. We’ll update this article as more information becomes available.
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In this article
- What’s affected by the Microsoft 365 outage
- What Microsoft has said about the cause and recovery efforts
- Where to check for updates and what to keep in mind about security
A widespread Microsoft outage is disrupting Outlook email and other Microsoft 365 services, including SharePoint, Teams, and Copilot. Reportedly, the problems began on Thursday, November 12, and continued into Friday, affecting people trying to access email, communicate with colleagues, and use workplace applications.
Microsoft initially reported problems accessing Exchange Online mailboxes in the Americas, but disruption subsequently extended beyond that region. CNN reports impacts on businesses, schools, and government services, including in Australia.
There are a lot of questions we’ll try to answer as the day evolves.
What’s affected?
Outlook users have reported being unable to send or receive emails or even load their inboxes. Other affected services include SharePoint, Teams, and Copilot, although availability has varied: some people have been able to use certain applications while others remain inaccessible.
Outage tracker Downdetector received reports from 74 countries within about an hour.
What’s the cause?
Microsoft executive Charles Lamanna said there was no indication that malicious activity or a cyberattack caused the outage. The underlying cause remains under investigation.
Microsoft said some servers became unexpectedly unavailable after failing automated health checks. That left the remaining infrastructure handling extra traffic, contributing to connection problems. The underlying reason for the failures was not immediately clear.
Recovery has not been straightforward. Microsoft restored some servers, but subsequently said they could become unresponsive again when traffic returned. Other attempted changes also failed to deliver the expected improvement.
How long will it take to restore services?
At the time of writing, Microsoft has not provided a timeframe for full restoration. The company reported partial recovery in some regions, after earlier attempts produced mixed results.
For updates, check Microsoft’s service status page and its Microsoft 365 Status account on X. Both are channels Microsoft is using to communicate about the incident.
Update, November 13, 09:57 UTC (10:57 CET): Microsoft says its latest traffic optimization measures are producing “positive results for service stability and increased capacity.” The company is continuing to restore affected servers and monitor recovery, but full restoration has not yet been confirmed in the updates reviewed. Earlier improvements proved temporary, with Microsoft reporting partial recovery that was not sustained.
What about security?
ABC reports that Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 are both on Microsoft’s list of services that may be affected.
Being unable to log in doesn’t mean attackers are also locked out, or that every security feature has stopped working. If you rely on these services, check which security features are working as access is restored. Follow your IT team’s guidance and check Microsoft’s updates for details.
Be alert for unexpected messages offering to restore access or asking you to sign in through a link. Go directly to Microsoft’s official status pages instead.
Malwarebytes and ThreatDown products are not affected by this outage.
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Source: Malwarebytes Labs · 2026-11-13