Global Microsoft outage causes widespread disruption to businesses and services

Friday 13 November 2026

Microsoft is continuing to deal with a significant global service disruption affecting Microsoft 365 and a number of its cloud-based services. The outage, which began on Thursday 12 November, has caused problems for businesses, public sector organisations and individual users across several countries.

The disruption has affected some of Microsoft’s most widely used services, including Outlook, Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Copilot, leaving some users unable to access essential business tools and communications.

Which Microsoft services are affected?

Reports indicate that the disruption is primarily linked to Microsoft’s Exchange Online infrastructure, with knock-on effects across other connected Microsoft 365 applications.

Among the services experiencing problems are:

• Outlook and Exchange Online: Users have reported difficulties accessing mailboxes, sending and receiving emails, and delays in message delivery.
• Microsoft Teams: Some users have experienced problems with collaboration features, calendar integration and meeting scheduling.
• SharePoint Online: Certain users have reported difficulties accessing content and features connected to Microsoft 365 services.
• Microsoft Copilot: Access to Copilot and some Microsoft 365-connected functionality has also been affected.
• Other Microsoft 365 services: Organisations relying on Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure have experienced varying levels of disruption.

The impact has not been consistent for all users, with some services remaining accessible while others have experienced intermittent problems.

What is causing the outage?

Microsoft’s investigation has focused on problems affecting its Exchange Online infrastructure. Reports have pointed to increased server loads, infrastructure capacity issues and difficulties managing traffic across affected systems.

The company has been working to restore services, rebalance traffic and introduce additional capacity where required.

At this stage, the full technical cause has not been conclusively established. There is also no confirmed indication that the incident was caused by a cyberattack.

Impact on UK organisations

The disruption has highlighted the extent to which businesses and public services depend on Microsoft’s cloud platform.

In the UK, reports have included disruption to police services, with forces including Dorset Police, South Wales Police and Dyfed-Powys Police reporting problems with online crime-reporting facilities.

Businesses have also faced difficulties maintaining normal communications, accessing cloud-based applications and carrying out routine administrative tasks.

For organisations using Microsoft 365 as their primary communications and productivity platform, even a relatively short interruption can have a significant operational impact.

Microsoft working to restore services

Microsoft has been undertaking recovery work, with efforts focused on restoring affected infrastructure and reducing pressure on its systems.

Although some services have reportedly begun recovering, users may continue to experience intermittent access problems while the work progresses.

Organisations are being advised to monitor Microsoft’s official service health updates rather than assume that access to one application means the wider platform has fully recovered.

No definitive timeframe for complete restoration has been established in the information currently available.

What should businesses do?

While the disruption continues, IT teams should monitor Microsoft’s service health dashboard and keep employees informed of any known issues.

Businesses should also consider using approved alternative communication methods, checking for delayed or failed email delivery once services return, and reviewing any integrations or business-critical systems that depend on Microsoft 365.

The incident is also a reminder of the importance of having effective business continuity arrangements in place. Even major cloud providers can experience service interruptions, and organisations should understand how essential operations would continue if their primary technology platform became unavailable.

Where to find the latest updates

The following websites provide useful information and ongoing coverage of the incident:

• Microsoft Service Health: https://sdf.status.cloud.microsoft/
• Sky News: https://news.sky.com/
• The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/
• Associated Press: https://apnews.com/
• Downdetector – Microsoft 365: https://downdetector.co.uk/status/microsoft-365/

The bigger picture

The latest Microsoft disruption is another reminder of how dependent modern organisations have become on centralised cloud platforms.

Microsoft 365 is deeply embedded in everyday business operations, from email and meetings to document storage and collaboration. When services of this scale experience problems, the effects can quickly spread well beyond the technology department.

For businesses, the priority is not simply waiting for services to return, but ensuring they have appropriate contingency arrangements to maintain operations when a major cloud provider experiences an outage.

This article reflects information available on Friday 13 November 2026. Details may change as Microsoft publishes further updates and completes its investigation.