Microsoft Restores Outlook and Teams Services After Global Outage
Microsoft has begun restoring its Outlook and Teams services following a widespread outage affecting users worldwide.
NEW DELHI, Nov 13: Microsoft is gradually restoring its services after a global outage disrupted Outlook, Teams, and other applications on November 12, 2026. The outage caused significant accessibility issues, with many users unable to send or receive emails or engage with Microsoft’s suite of products, impacting businesses, public services, and educational institutions.
Outage tracker Downdetector reported over 130,000 complaints about Outlook just after 1 PM local time, with users from various sectors experiencing difficulties, including the National Health Service in the UK and government agencies in the US and Canada. Microsoft confirmed it was investigating connectivity problems affecting its email and Teams applications but ruled out any malicious activity.
Microsoft acknowledged its infrastructure was experiencing elevated loads, contributing to the issues. A company spokesperson stated that while connectivity is improving, some users may still face intermittent access issues as the company works to restore the affected services fully.
The outage had a significant impact on essential services. The UK’s NHS experienced a backlog in emergency call handling due to disruptions in accessing patient details, while Euronext, a European stock market operator, advised listed companies to use phones for urgent communications.
Educational institutions also faced challenges, with Microsoft 365 Education features affected, including tools for assignments and reading progress. Users in Japan, Australia, and other regions similarly reported issues with services like Teams and the AI assistant, Copilot.
In an updated statement, Microsoft indicated that recovery actions were underway, with improvements noted in North America and parts of Europe. However, the company emphasized that some users might continue experiencing delays in email delivery and accessibility.
Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik, confirmed that traffic to Microsoft services was returning after about 18 hours of downtime. Microsoft continues to investigate the root cause of the outage while focusing on restoring normal service levels for all users.