Microsoft is currently grappling with a significant service Microsoft 365 outage that has affected thousands of users across its Microsoft 365 suite, particularly impacting Outlook, Teams, and Exchange Online services. The disruption, which began in the early hours of Monday, November 25, 2024, has caused substantial inconvenience for businesses and individuals relying on these essential productivity tools.
Microsoft 365 outage timeline of events
The service disruption was first noticed around 3 AM ET, when users began experiencing difficulties accessing Exchange Online and Microsoft Teams calendar functionality. By noon Eastern Time, the situation had escalated, with over 5,000 users reporting issues on Downdetector.
We're investigating an issue impacting users attempting to access Exchange Online or functionality within Microsoft Teams calendar. For more information, please refer to MO941162 in the admin center.
— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) November 25, 2024
The outage has shown concentrated effects in several major urban areas across the United States:
- Northeast region
- Chicago metropolitan area
- Los Angeles
- Tampa
Affected Microsoft 365 services
The disruption has primarily impacted core Microsoft 365 services:
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Teams calendar functionality
- Exchange Online
- SharePoint
Technical details
Microsoft’s technical team has identified that a recent modification to their systems likely triggered these issues. The company has initiated a comprehensive and quick response:
- Deployment of solutions across affected environments
- Manual restarts of impacted machines
- Reversal of the problematic system modification
Progress update
By midday, Microsoft reported that the fix had been successfully implemented across approximately 98% of the affected environments, though user reports continued to indicate ongoing issues.
Our targeted restarts are progressing slower than anticipated for the majority of affected users. An ETA for resolution will be provided as soon as available. Additional details can be found in the admin center under MO941162.
— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) November 25, 2024
The Microsoft 365 outage has significantly affected workplace productivity across various sectors. While some U.S. users found a silver lining in the timing of the disruption ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the incident has highlighted the critical dependence of modern businesses on Microsoft’s cloud-based services.
Microsoft outage on a Monday morning of a holiday weekend has us like… pic.twitter.com/RyUYRVYiGu
— Colony Square (@ColonySquareATL) November 25, 2024
This outage follows a more severe incident earlier in 2024 involving CrowdStrike’s software, which resulted in:
- Canceled flights
- Disrupted healthcare services
- Over $5 billion in losses for Fortune 500 companies
Current Microsoft 365 outage status
Microsoft continues to monitor the situation actively and implement solutions. While the company has made significant progress in resolving the issues, some users may still experience intermittent service disruptions as the fixes propagate through the system.
We’re facing delays in our recovery efforts and are taking immediate action to address them. We understand the significant impact of this event to your businesses and are working to provide relief as soon as possible. More details can be found in the admin center under MO941162.
— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) November 25, 2024
While Microsoft works to fully restore services, users should:
- Monitor Microsoft 365 Status page for real-time updates
- Check admin center reference MO941162 for detailed information
- Be patient as system updates reach all affected areas
This ongoing situation represents one of the most significant service disruptions for Microsoft in 2024, affecting its core productivity suite used by millions of users worldwide. The company’s technical teams continue to work on fully restoring services to all affected users.
This most recent Microsoft 365 outage serves as a reminder of the increasing dependence on cloud-based services in modern business operations and the potential impact of such outages on global productivity. Microsoft’s swift response and transparent communication about the issue demonstrate their commitment to service reliability and customer support.
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