If your Outlook email stopped working Thursday, you weren’t imagining it, and your computer wasn’t the problem. On Thursday, November 12, Microsoft had a major outage. Starting around midday Eastern time, people couldn’t open their mailboxes, and problems spread to Teams, SharePoint, and other Microsoft services. Reports on Downdetector, a site where users report outages, passed 129,000 for Outlook at the peak.
What we know so far
- Microsoft hasn’t said exactly what caused it. It has pointed to servers failing automated checks and, later, to a recent network change that it began reversing.
- There’s no sign of a hack. Microsoft hasn’t reported any malicious activity, and security news outlets found no evidence of a cyberattack.
- It took many hours to fix. Microsoft restored services in stages and was still working on full recovery late Thursday and into Friday.
Status as of Friday, November 13
As of Friday morning: Microsoft had restored most Outlook, Teams, and related services, though some people may still see delays or mail arriving late as backlogs clear. We’ll update this post when Microsoft publishes its full explanation.
What to do when your email goes down
- Check if it’s Microsoft, not you. Go to status.cloud.microsoft. If it shows a problem, wait it out.
- Don’t try to fix your computer. Microsoft’s guidance during this outage was not to reinstall Office, delete your Outlook profile, or reset your passwords. None of it helps, and some of it can cause new problems.
- Use another way to reach people. Call or text anything urgent.
- Check for missing email afterward. Some messages may arrive late. If you were expecting something important, like a bill, a confirmation, or a message from a doctor or school, double-check that it came through.
Get ready for next time
Every big online service goes down eventually. A few minutes of preparation makes it much less stressful:
- Keep a second email address, such as a free Gmail or iCloud account, for important things
- Save key phone numbers in your phone, not just in your email contacts
- Know who to call for computer help
If you own a business
An email outage can cost you customers, not just convenience. Decide ahead of time how you’d reach customers, vendors, and staff without email: a phone list that doesn’t depend on Microsoft 365, a group text for your team, and a short message ready to post on your website or voicemail.
HALO MSP, Tech 2U’s managed services division, handles Microsoft 365 administration, backups, and monitoring. If you’d rather not depend entirely on the cloud for email, we can also set up an on-premises Exchange server, so a cloud outage like Thursday’s doesn’t take your email down with it. Request a free IT assessment and we’ll help you decide what fits.
Home users: not sure your setup is ready, or want help adding a backup email? Tech 2U can help you put a simple plan in place.