Microsoft 365 outage: what's happening and what you can do

Last updated: 13 Nov 2026, 09:10

We'll keep this page up to date as things change.

The short version:
Microsoft is having a major problem that is stopping some people from using Outlook, Teams and other Microsoft 365 services. It isn't a cyberattack, and it isn't something wrong with your computer or our service. Microsoft is working on a fix, but hasn't yet said when everything will be back to normal.

What's happening?

On Thursday 12 November, Microsoft's own systems started to struggle. Some of the computers (servers) that run Microsoft 365 stopped responding properly, which put extra strain on the others. Think of a supermarket where half the checkouts suddenly close: the queue grows, and everything slows down.

Microsoft says there is no sign of hacking or malicious activity. It has been applying fixes and has reported some improvement, but the recovery has been patchy. At the time of writing, the problem is not fully fixed.

Who is affected?

• Mostly work accounts. People using Microsoft 365 through their job or business are the ones hit hardest.

• Worldwide. Reports have come in from the Americas, the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia. Banks, schools, councils and airlines have all reported problems.

• Home users are mostly fine. Microsoft's status page shows personal services like Outlook.com, OneDrive and personal Teams as working normally, although it does say some consumer features may be affected.

Am I affected?

You probably are if:

• You use Outlook for work email and it won't open, won't load, or is very slow

• Emails you send or receive arrive late, or not at all

• Teams calendar or meeting invites aren't working

• You can't sign in to Microsoft 365 apps, or you get a "can't connect" message

• You click a link in an email or Teams message and the page won't open

If none of that sounds familiar, you're most likely fine. There's nothing wrong with your device, so restarting your computer or changing your password won't help.

What's working and what isn't

Things are changing all the time, so treat this as a guide rather than a guarantee.

What can I do in the meantime?

If email isn't working

• Pick up the phone for anything urgent. It sounds old-fashioned, but it works.

• Try Teams chat. Many people say it's still working.

• Don't keep re-sending the same email. Most emails are being delayed rather than lost, so sending it again can mean the other person gets five copies when things recover. If you get a "couldn't be delivered" message, wait and try again later.

• Avoid personal email for anything private or sensitive. A personal Gmail or Outlook.com address is fine for "I'm running late", but not for customer details, contracts or anything confidential.

Test whether Teams is working for you

• Try a chat. Send a message to a colleague and see if it arrives.

• Try a call. Give a colleague a quick Teams call.

• Try a meeting. Start a quick Teams meeting with a colleague and see if you can both join, hear each other and see each other.

• Teams works the same way inside and outside your company. If calls and meetings work with a colleague, they're likely to work with customers and other people outside your company too.

   

If Teams meetings aren't working

• Use a phone call instead.

• For something that can't wait, use another meeting tool your team already uses, such as Zoom or Google Meet. Only use one you're already set up with, and don't share anything confidential.

• Put anything non-urgent back a day.

If you can't get to a file or share one

• Look for a copy saved on your computer. Files you've already saved usually still open in Word or Excel even when the online services are struggling.

• For files you need to send to someone outside your company, wait. External sharing is one of the things that's broken.

• If you really must send something, use a USB stick or hand it over in person, and keep it secure.

If a link in an email or Teams message won't open

• Microsoft says its link-checking feature (Safe Links) may fail during this outage.

• Ask the sender to give you the website address in plain text, or go to the website directly yourself.

• Only do this if you trust the sender.

If you can't see your diary

• Your phone or computer may still show appointments it saved earlier. Check there first.

• If not, check with colleagues about anything you've got booked today.

A quick word on scams

Outages like this are exactly when scammers get busy. Be wary of:

• Phone calls from someone claiming to be "Microsoft support" and offering to fix the problem

• Emails or texts asking you to sign in again or "verify your account" because of the outage

• Anyone asking to take control of your computer

Microsoft will never phone you out of the blue about this. If in doubt, hang up and tell us.

What's One2Call doing?

Our team is monitoring Microsoft's updates and is on hand to help. If you're a One2Call customer and need us, visit one2call.net/get-support.

When will it be fixed?

Microsoft hasn't given a time yet. It says it is rolling its fixes out more widely and has promised a full report on what went wrong once everything is back to normal. Even once the fix is in, it can take a few hours for everything to catch up, so you may still see delays after the main problem is solved.

Where can I check for updates?

This page, which we'll keep updated

Microsoft's status page: status.cloud.microsoft