Key takeaways
- Outage began around 11:30 pm IST on 12 November 2026
- Outlook and Exchange Online were hit hardest, Teams partly
- Users in 74 countries and territories reported problems
- Microsoft blames a network change issue, not a cyberattack
- Broad recovery reported on 13 November; a full report is promised
Microsoft says its Outlook, Teams and Microsoft 365 outage was caused by a technical fault linked to a network change, not a cyberattack. The disruption began on the night of 12 November (Indian time), hit users in more than 70 countries and took close to a full day to settle. Microsoft now reports broad recovery and has promised a full post-incident report.
What happened
Problems first showed up around 1 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, 12 November, which is roughly 11:30 pm in India. Outlook was hit hardest. Users could not load mailboxes on the web, desktop or mobile apps, and many saw emails stuck or delayed.
Microsoft initially said the issue affected the Americas. Within hours it widened that to say users in any region could be affected. Downdetector reports for Outlook in the US alone crossed 1.3 lakh at the peak, according to TechRadar’s live coverage. Al Jazeera counted reports from 74 countries and territories.
Also readVivo X500 Series India Launch Date Confirmed for November 26
Government bodies in Singapore, Japan, the Philippines and Australia were among those reporting disruption. Indian users also reported Outlook access problems overnight, with the peak around midnight IST, as Digit reported.
Which services were affected
Microsoft’s service health page listed a long set of affected products. The main ones:
- Outlook and Exchange Online (mail access and delivery)
- Microsoft Teams
- SharePoint Online and OneDrive
- Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Microsoft Defender XDR, Purview, Planner and To Do
Teams calls and chats largely kept working for many users, but mail was patchy for hours. Some third-party AI tools that rely on Microsoft-linked services also saw errors.
What Microsoft says caused it
Early updates blamed unusually high load after a large number of servers became unexpectedly unavailable. Microsoft also said a process on those servers that handles secure connections was getting overwhelmed.
Its later statement was clearer. Microsoft said it was “a technical issue not related to cyber or AI / agents”, introduced during an earlier network capacity upgrade and exposed after a recent network change. Microsoft executive Charles Lamanna also said there was no sign of malicious activity.
The company has apologised and said it will publish a full post-incident report once its review is done. Admins can track the incident in the Microsoft 365 admin centre under IDs EX1550543 and MO1550821.
Is Outlook working now?
Mostly, yes. By the evening of 13 November (Indian time), Microsoft said it was seeing broad recovery and stability, and email queues were approaching normal levels. It also warned that some users may still see intermittent access issues or delayed mail while it restores the remaining customers and regions.
If your mail still looks wrong
- Check the official status page at status.cloud.microsoft before changing any settings.
- Delayed emails should arrive on their own as queues clear. Do not resend large batches unless the sender confirms a bounce.
- Restart the Outlook app or sign out and back in on the web if the inbox does not refresh.
- Work and school users should follow their IT team’s updates, since admins see more detail in the admin centre.
Watch out for outage scams
Big outages tend to bring fake “Microsoft support” calls and phishing emails asking you to re-verify your account. Ignore any link or caller asking for your login or OTP. Our guide on how to report online scams in India explains where to complain, and if you run a business site, keep our website security checklist handy.
Key facts
- Start: around 11:30 pm IST on 12 November 2026
- Reach: reports from 74 countries and territories
- Worst hit: Outlook and Exchange Online
- Cause: network change issue, not a cyberattack (Microsoft)
- Status: broad recovery reported on 13 November, some intermittent issues possible
Microsoft’s post-incident report, once published, should explain exactly which network change set off the failure and what the company is changing to prevent a repeat.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Outlook down on 12 and 13 November 2026?
Microsoft said a technical issue introduced during an earlier network capacity upgrade surfaced after a recent network change, leaving many servers unavailable. It said the outage was not related to a cyberattack.
Was the Microsoft outage a cyberattack?
No. Microsoft said there was no evidence of malicious activity and described it as a technical issue not related to cyber or AI agents.
Which Microsoft services were affected?
Outlook and Exchange Online were hit hardest. Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Defender XDR, Planner, To Do and Purview were also listed as affected.
Is Outlook working now?
Microsoft reported broad recovery on 13 November and said email queues were approaching normal levels, though some users may still see intermittent issues or delayed mail.
See more TechInformer stories on Google
Add us as a preferred source and our stories will show up more often in your Top Stories.
Add TechInformer as a preferred source on Google
