Hajra Naz
Microsoft says Outlook is working again. The email service had a major outage from late Wednesday into Thursday. Thousands of users couldn’t access their accounts.
The issue affected both personal and business Outlook users. It also impacted people with old Hotmail accounts. The problem started late Wednesday night.
Microsoft 365 posted about the issue on its status page. They said they were working to find the cause.
By Thursday morning, Microsoft began rolling out a fix. But the first fix didn’t work as planned, causing more delays.
“We encountered an issue with our original fix,” the company noted in an early Thursday update. “We are working to implement an alternative solution.”
Disruption Peaks Midday Thursday
According to outage tracking site Downdetector, user reports of issues spiked just before noon ET on Thursday, with more than 2,700 complaints submitted globally. Users described being unable to log in, load inboxes, or send and receive emails.
The impact appeared to vary across regions and platforms, with some users experiencing longer delays than others.
Service Restored by Afternoon
By Thursday afternoon, the number of reported issues had dropped significantly. Around 3:30 p.m. ET, Microsoft shared a final update on social media, stating that the problem had been resolved:
“A configuration change has fully saturated throughout the affected environments and resolved impact for all users,” the company posted.
An update on the Microsoft 365 Status Page confirmed, “Everything is up and running.”
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No Official Cause Shared Yet
Microsoft said the service is back online. But the company did not share technical details about the outage. A spokesperson gave no extra information. They declined to comment when asked by The Associated Press on Thursday.
A Growing Pattern of Cloud Service Outages
This is one of many recent cloud service outages. Several big tech platforms have had similar issues. More people now rely on tools like Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive. These tools are used daily for work and communication. Even short outages can cause big problems. They can disrupt workflows and slow down productivity worldwide.
What You Can Do If Outlook Goes Down Again
If you’re affected by a future Outlook outage, consider these steps:
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Check the Microsoft 365 Status Page or social channels for updates.
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Use Outlook’s mobile app, as it may function independently of desktop issues.
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Access your email through Outlook Web Access (OWA) if available.
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Temporarily forward messages to a backup account if you anticipate delays.
The Takeaway
Microsoft fixed the issue within a few hours. But the outage showed how fragile cloud services can be. It also showed why clear communication during problems is important. Many people and businesses now rely on tools like Outlook every day. Keeping these services running smoothly is a top priority. So is keeping users informed and building their trust.
