Microsoft restores Microsoft 365 services after global outage
Microsoft has fully restored Microsoft 365 services after a global disruption that lasted from November 12 to November 14, 2026, affecting users in over 70 countries.
For approximately two days, Microsoft's essential productivity tools became the center of attention in offices across more than 70 countries. The disruption began on November 12 at 17:54 UTC when Microsoft first acknowledged problems in the Americas, which then spread globally. At its peak, Downdetector recorded up to 138,000 outage reports for Outlook alone, though Microsoft 365 boasts over 430 million subscribers worldwide.
Network upgrade failure
Microsoft traced the root cause to a technical fault stemming from a previous network capacity upgrade. Subsequent network changes exacerbated the initial problem. The company explicitly confirmed the outage was not caused by a cyberattack nor related to artificial intelligence agents.
Gradual recovery process
Full restoration came on the morning of November 14. Microsoft reported that all products were working and that email backlogs had been cleared.
The disruption significantly impacted critical sectors including government agencies, airlines, banks and healthcare providers. The UK's National Health Service was among the affected organizations, along with operations in Japan, Singapore and Australia. Microsoft employed a cautious approach to restoration, bringing services back gradually while checking stability at each phase rather than flipping everything on simultaneously.
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