Microsoft 365 Outage: Outlook, Teams and Copilot Disrupted - What Businesses Need to Know
Latest Microsoft 365 Outage Update
Last updated: 13 November 2026 | 15:29 GMT
Current status: Sustained recovery – some intermittent disruption remains
Microsoft has reported sustained improvements in service availability across affected Microsoft 365 services, with functionality continuing to recover following today's widespread outage.
Recovery efforts are now increasingly focused on resolving the remaining issues and ensuring consistent service for all affected users. However, some businesses may still experience intermittent connectivity problems or delayed email delivery.
Key updates:
Outlook and email: Mailbox access and email delivery continue to recover, although some users may still experience intermittent connection issues or delayed messages.
Microsoft Teams: Core messaging, calls and meetings remain largely operational, although calendar, scheduling and other Exchange-dependent features may still be affected.
Microsoft 365 Copilot: Some users may continue experiencing access issues or problems retrieving work-related information, including emails, calendars and files.
Other Microsoft 365 services: Features that depend on Exchange Online may still experience disruption, while functionality that does not rely on Exchange Online remains largely unaffected.
Security: Microsoft continues to report no evidence of malicious activity associated with the incident.
Resolution: Full restoration has not yet been confirmed. Microsoft is validating recovery across different connection methods and monitoring service stability to ensure improvements are sustained.
IT Desk will continue monitoring the situation and updating this article as further information becomes available.
If your Outlook emails aren't sending, Microsoft Teams is playing up, or Copilot has suddenly gone quiet, you're not alone.
A widespread Microsoft 365 outage is causing disruption for businesses, affecting several of the tools millions of people rely on every day.
The biggest concerns for many organisations are email delivery delays, Outlook connectivity issues and disruption to certain Teams and Copilot features.
The good news? Microsoft is reporting improvements as recovery efforts continue, and there is currently no evidence of malicious activity associated with the incident.
Here's what we know, what's being affected and what your business can do while Microsoft works to restore normal service.
What's Happening with Microsoft 365?
Microsoft is experiencing a widespread service disruption affecting multiple applications across its Microsoft 365 platform.
The incident is primarily impacting services that rely on Exchange Online, Microsoft's cloud-based email infrastructure.
While Outlook and email delivery are among the most noticeably affected services, the disruption has also impacted features within Teams, Copilot and other Microsoft applications.
Microsoft has confirmed that recovery work is progressing in phases across its affected infrastructure.
Engineers are implementing network and traffic-management measures to improve stability, restore capacity and process outstanding email queues.
Although Microsoft is reporting positive results, service performance remains variable, meaning some users may experience improvements while others continue to encounter problems.
What's Being Affected?
1. Outlook and Email Deliverability
Email remains one of the most significantly affected services.
Businesses may experience:
Delays sending or receiving emails.
Difficulty accessing Outlook on desktop, mobile or through a web browser.
Emails remaining in the Outbox or failing to send.
Problems connecting to Exchange Online mailboxes.
Delayed responses to customers, suppliers and colleagues.
This is particularly important for organisations that rely on email for customer enquiries, sales opportunities, support requests and time-sensitive communications.
One important update from Microsoft: The email timeout window has been extended to 48 hours to help preserve delayed messages while recovery continues.
This means emails caught in the backlog may still be delivered as services recover, although it doesn't guarantee delivery in every case.
Our advice: If an important email hasn't arrived, don't automatically assume it hasn't been sent. Delivery may simply be delayed. For urgent matters, consider contacting the recipient by phone or another reliable communication channel.
2. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is also experiencing disruption, although there's some reassuring news for businesses.
Microsoft has confirmed that most core Teams functionality remains operational, including:
Joining calls and online meetings.
Sending group chat messages.
Communicating through standard Teams channels.
However, certain features that depend on Exchange Online may still be affected.
These include:
Viewing and managing calendars.
Scheduling or editing meetings.
Sending and receiving meeting invitations.
Creating live or virtual events.
Certain Copilot integrations.
Creating or deleting private and shared channels.
Some users may also experience problems managing contacts or accessing specific chat features.
The key takeaway is that Teams itself isn't completely unavailable. Many businesses can continue using its core communication features while Microsoft works to restore the affected integrations.
3. Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft's AI-powered assistant hasn't escaped the disruption either.
Some users may experience:
Difficulty loading Copilot Chat.
Delayed or failed AI-generated responses.
Problems accessing work-related information through Copilot.
Reduced functionality when Copilot needs to retrieve emails, calendars or files.
For businesses increasingly incorporating AI into their everyday workflows, this highlights how closely connected modern workplace technologies have become.
When the underlying Microsoft 365 services experience problems, the impact can extend well beyond email.
Are Any Other Microsoft Services Affected?
Yes.
Microsoft's latest update confirms that the disruption extends across several additional services.
These include:
SharePoint Online: Some users may experience problems sharing files externally, although direct access to files stored in SharePoint remains functional.
Microsoft Planner and To Do: Users may encounter difficulties loading applications or managing tasks.
Microsoft Power Apps: Some mobile app users may experience intermittent sign-in issues.
Power BI and Microsoft Fabric: Certain reporting and export features involving sensitivity labels may fail.
Microsoft Defender and Purview: Some security, compliance and administrative functions may experience delays or reduced availability.
Microsoft Intune: Certain device management and compliance operations may be intermittently affected.
Microsoft 365 admin centre: Administrators may have difficulty accessing some management pages.
It's important to remember that not every feature within these services is affected.
Many applications continue operating normally, while specific functions that depend on Exchange Online or other affected infrastructure may experience disruption.
Is the Microsoft Outage a Cyberattack?
Microsoft has explicitly stated that there is currently no evidence of malicious activity associated with this incident.
This is an important distinction.
When a major technology provider experiences widespread disruption, it's natural for businesses to wonder whether a cyberattack or security breach is responsible.
However, Microsoft's recovery efforts are focused on restoring service stability, managing network traffic and recovering affected infrastructure.
The full root cause has not yet been formally confirmed.
Microsoft has committed to publishing a comprehensive Post-Incident Report once the disruption has been resolved, outlining the root cause and additional measures intended to prevent similar incidents in the future.
It's also worth remembering that a service outage does not automatically mean your business has suffered a data breach.
That said, businesses should remain vigilant.
Cybercriminals sometimes exploit major technology incidents by circulating convincing phishing emails, fake service notifications or fraudulent support messages.
Only follow guidance from trusted Microsoft channels or your IT support provider.
What Should Your Business Do Right Now?
While Microsoft works towards full restoration, there are several sensible steps businesses can take to minimise disruption.
1. Use alternative communication methods
If email isn't reliable, consider telephone calls or other approved communication channels for urgent conversations.
2. Avoid repeatedly sending the same email
Repeatedly resending messages could result in duplicate emails once services recover. Check your Outbox and delivery status before trying again.
3. Keep your team informed
Let colleagues know about the outage so they understand why emails, meeting invitations or certain Microsoft applications may not be behaving normally.
4. Continue using working Teams features
Core Teams calls, meetings and messaging remain largely operational, so there's no need to abandon the platform entirely if these features are working for your organisation.
5. Don't make unnecessary changes to your IT systems
If the problem originates within Microsoft's infrastructure, repeatedly changing account settings, reinstalling Outlook or resetting passwords is unlikely to resolve it.
6. Be alert to suspicious messages
Avoid unexpected links claiming to offer a Microsoft 365 outage fix. Check any instructions against trusted sources.
7. Check Microsoft's official service health updates
Microsoft 365 administrators can view service health information through the Microsoft 365 admin centre. This is the best place to see how the incident may be affecting your organisation.
When Will Microsoft 365 Be Working Again?
Microsoft is actively implementing recovery measures, but there is currently no confirmed time for full restoration.
According to its latest update, global monitoring and customer reports are showing gradual improvements across several Microsoft 365 services.
However, service capacity has not yet returned to normal, and performance may continue to fluctuate as recovery progresses.
Some users may see improvements before others, and individual services may recover at different times.
For now, patience, clear communication and sensible contingency plans remain the best approach.
What Does This Mean for Businesses Relying on Microsoft 365?
This outage is a reminder of just how much businesses depend on cloud technology.
Microsoft 365 brings together email, communication, collaboration, document management and AI-powered productivity. That's incredibly useful when everything is running smoothly.
But when one part of that connected ecosystem experiences difficulties, the effects can spread.
That's why having the right IT support and business continuity arrangements matters.
At IT Desk, we believe technology should make business easier, not leave you wondering what's gone wrong.
While an external Microsoft outage isn't something your IT provider can directly fix, having a proactive IT partner can make a real difference in understanding the issue, communicating with employees and keeping essential operations moving.
How IT Desk Can Help
If your business is experiencing problems with Microsoft 365, our team can help you understand whether you're affected by the wider outage or experiencing a separate technical issue.
We can also support your organisation with Microsoft 365 management, proactive IT monitoring, cybersecurity guidance and business continuity planning.
Because when technology throws a wobble, the last thing you need is more confusion.
Need support with Microsoft 365?
Get in touch with IT Desk and speak to our friendly team.
People Also Ask
Why is Microsoft Outlook not working today?
A widespread Microsoft 365 outage is affecting Exchange Online, causing some users to experience problems accessing Outlook, sending emails and receiving messages. Microsoft is working to restore affected infrastructure.
Is Microsoft Teams down as well?
Some Microsoft Teams features are affected, particularly calendars, meeting scheduling and services that rely on Exchange Online. Core messaging and meetings remain largely available for many users.
Is Microsoft Copilot affected by the outage?
Yes. Some users may have difficulty accessing Copilot Chat, generating responses or retrieving information from Microsoft 365 applications.
Has Microsoft been hacked?
Microsoft has stated that it has no indication of a cyberattack causing this incident. Current findings suggest a technical infrastructure problem, although the full root cause remains under investigation.
Will emails sent during the Microsoft outage be delivered?
Some emails may experience delays, while others may fail to send. Delivery depends on the nature of the disruption. Businesses should check message status and avoid assuming an email has been successfully delivered.
When will the Microsoft 365 outage be fixed?
Microsoft has not confirmed a full restoration time. Recovery work is ongoing, and services may return gradually.
Further Reading
For official updates and further information:
Microsoft 365 Service Health — Service health information for Microsoft 365 administrators.
Microsoft 365 Status — Microsoft's public service status information.
Microsoft 365 Service Health Documentation — How to monitor Microsoft 365 incidents.
IT Desk — Microsoft 365 support, managed IT services and cybersecurity guidance.
