Millions of users worldwide are facing significant disruptions as Microsoft 365 services experience a major outage this morning.
The outage, which began around 7:45 AM ET, has caused widespread issues with popular Microsoft apps such as Outlook and Teams, which are integral to daily work operations for many businesses.
According to Microsoft’s Service Health Status page, the company is focusing its investigation on problems with token generation within its authentication infrastructure.
“We are investigating the issue and focusing on token generation within our authentication infrastructure,” Microsoft’s statement reads.
The company has assured users it is also reviewing recent changes to determine the root cause of the issue.
Microsoft labeled the issue as “Service Degradation” for web-based applications but did not provide an estimated time for resolution.
For now, the company has advised users to access their Microsoft 365 apps and documents through desktop applications as a temporary workaround.
“We recommend using desktop apps as an alternative while we work on resolving the issue,” Microsoft advised.
The disruption has particularly affected key services within the Microsoft 365 suite, including Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and even newer tools like Copilot and Purview.
However, it is Outlook and Teams that have drawn the most complaints from users, especially as many rely on these services to communicate and manage their workday.
With millions of users globally dependent on these tools, the outage has disrupted countless businesses and remote workers who rely heavily on Microsoft’s suite of apps for communication and collaboration.
One frustrated user, Laura Thompson, a project manager at a financial services firm, described the situation as “a nightmare.”
“I couldn’t access my emails in Outlook, and Teams wasn’t working either,” she said. “It’s making it hard to do anything. I don’t know how to get my work done without these tools.”
Many others have shared similar frustrations on social media, with thousands reporting that they were unable to send or receive emails through Outlook or attend meetings via Teams.
“We’re in the middle of a critical project, and now we can’t even get through to our teams. Microsoft needs to fix this fast,” said Mark Jacobs, a tech consultant in New York.
The issue has affected both the web and desktop versions of Outlook, which has caused even more confusion for users who tried to troubleshoot the problem themselves.
The disruption comes during a busy workday for many businesses, especially those on the East Coast of the United States, where the outage began in the early morning hours.
Microsoft has assured users that it is actively working to resolve the problem but has not provided a clear timeline for a fix.
“We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and will provide updates as soon as we have more information,” the company’s Service Health page stated.
The outage has raised questions about the reliability of cloud-based services like Microsoft 365, which many companies rely on for daily operations.
In recent years, Microsoft has made significant investments in its cloud infrastructure, aiming to offer reliable and scalable services to businesses of all sizes.
However, today’s outage serves as a reminder that even the most widely used and trusted cloud platforms can experience unexpected issues.
The timing of the disruption is especially troublesome as many companies and employees are gearing up for the end of the year, when workloads often increase.
In response to user complaints, Microsoft’s official social media channels have been flooded with inquiries from frustrated customers seeking updates.
“We understand how important these services are, and we are working hard to restore them,” Microsoft’s Twitter account stated.
In the meantime, many users have turned to other communication tools to fill the gap, with some temporarily switching to alternative email services or video conferencing platforms to continue their work.
Despite these efforts, the disruption has caused delays and confusion for many businesses, especially those that rely on Microsoft’s cloud-based services to store and share important documents.
The outage has also raised concerns about the cybersecurity implications of relying on cloud-based services for communication and data storage.
With no clear answer on what caused the outage, some users are questioning whether there were vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s systems that led to the issue.
“We don’t know if this is a technical glitch or something more serious,” said cybersecurity expert Peter Maxwell. “It’s something that Microsoft will need to address, especially considering the scale of the impact.”
As Microsoft works to resolve the issue, users are urged to be patient and use desktop applications as a temporary workaround until the full service is restored.
The company has promised to continue providing updates on the situation as it investigates the cause of the disruption.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and are doing everything we can to restore full service as soon as possible,” Microsoft’s statement concluded.
