Microsoft is working to restore its services after a widespread global outage disrupted email communications, workplace collaboration tools and other digital services used by businesses and government agencies across several countries.
The disruption, which began on Thursday, November 12, 2026, affected major Microsoft platforms, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams and its artificial intelligence assistant, Copilot. The problems continued into Friday, leaving users across Asia, Europe and North America struggling to access essential services.
According to reports, more than 130,000 users reported problems accessing Outlook through outage-tracking platform Downdetector at the height of the disruption. Many users were unable to send or receive emails, while others experienced difficulties loading their inboxes and accessing Microsoft 365 applications.
Businesses and government agencies affected
The outage extended beyond individual users, affecting organizations that depend on Microsoft’s cloud-based services for daily operations.
Government agencies in Australia, Japan and the United States reported disruptions. Singapore’s Government Technology Agency also confirmed that government email services were affected, while the Philippines’ Supreme Court said the incident had disrupted some of its operations, including email responses.
Several businesses also experienced difficulties. European stock exchange operator Euronext reported email communication problems, while British insurer Aviva began preparing backup arrangements for its earnings calls. Danish shipping company Maersk warned customers about delays to emails and service updates.
In the aviation industry, Indian airlines IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India reported disruptions to their email support services. Air India and IndiGo said their flight operations remained unaffected, although customer communication channels experienced difficulties.
Financial institutions in Taiwan were also affected. Reports indicated that some securities firms and investment companies experienced difficulties with fund-management activities. One company reportedly cancelled a bond repurchase transaction, while another resorted to using fax to confirm trades.
The disruption also affected technology companies, with artificial intelligence firms OpenAI and Anthropic reporting problems connecting to Microsoft 365 tools.
Microsoft investigates server problems
Microsoft attributed the disruption to problems within its infrastructure, particularly servers supporting its Exchange Online and email services.
The company said some servers had failed automated health checks and that its initial recovery measures were not working as expected. Engineers subsequently began applying broader fixes while investigating ways to restore affected infrastructure.
In updates posted during the incident, Microsoft said it had identified elevated system loads contributing to connectivity problems. The company also acknowledged that some changes introduced to improve service reliability were not producing the expected results.
By Friday, Microsoft reported signs of stabilization following the wider deployment of corrective measures, although some services remained affected.
The company also said it had found no indication that the disruption was caused by malicious activity or a cyberattack.
Concerns over dependence on technology services
The outage has renewed concerns about the dependence of businesses and government institutions on a small number of major technology providers.
For organizations that rely heavily on Microsoft 365, disruptions to email and workplace communication can affect customer support, internal operations, financial reporting and business transactions.
The incident is also raising questions about Microsoft’s service reliability, particularly because it follows other disruptions affecting its Microsoft 365 and Azure platforms.
Although many organizations continued operating through alternative communication channels, the latest outage demonstrated how problems affecting a major technology provider can spread across industries and international borders.
Microsoft said it would continue working to restore affected services and resolve the disruption as quickly as possible.
Swifteradio.com
