Global Microsoft Outage Affects Tens of Thousands of Users

A major global outage of Microsoft's service is affecting tens of thousands of users, with services including Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft's artificial intelligence software Copilot experiencing connectivity problems. The company is working to restore services as soon as possible, but the disruption has caused significant issues for users around the world. Reports of issues with Outlook peaked globally at nearly 140,000 around 18:00 GMT on Thursday, according to monitoring website Downdetector.

The outage affects programs that are part of Microsoft 365, a popular online service among businesses that allows them to use workplace tools like Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive. For international organisations, this platform is essential for connecting and collaborating with colleagues around the world. Among the issues, users may be unable to view certain files or details on their calendar apps, Microsoft said. Its AI platform, Copilot, may also be unable to work properly.

Microsoft said on X that the outage was caused by a number of servers being unexpectedly unavailable, straining its remaining systems. The company later warned that some services that had been restored could become unresponsive again, adding that customers in any region could be affected. Users around the world, including the US, Japan, and Singapore, have reported facing disruptions.

The outage has hit other companies, including AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI, which work with Microsoft's systems. ChatGPT-maker OpenAI said it was investigating an issue affecting its connections to Microsoft's services, which has caused some tools to not work as expected. Electric truck maker Workhorse Group, which was expected to report third-quarter results on November 12, rescheduled it to November 16, citing business disruptions caused by the global Microsoft outage.

Microsoft last month reported an outage of its Azure cloud platform that affected the tech giant's suite of productivity tools and companies worldwide. The company is working to prevent similar outages in the future, but the current disruption has caused significant issues for users. The BBC understands there is no indication the outage was caused by a cyber-attack.

The outage has caused significant disruptions to businesses and organisations around the world. AI companies feel the impact, with some tools not working as expected due to the outage. Microsoft said it appreciates its customers' patience while it works to restore services as soon as possible.

The global Microsoft outage serves as a reminder of the importance of having robust systems in place to prevent and respond to disruptions. The company will likely face increased scrutiny over its ability to provide reliable services, particularly given the critical role that Microsoft 365 plays in many businesses and organisations.

Key points

• Microsoft outage affects tens of thousands of users globally.
• Disruption caused by servers being unexpectedly unavailable.
• Outage affects services including Teams, Outlook, and Copilot.