Microsoft 365 Faces Worldwide Outage; Tech Giant Provides Update

Microsoft 365 Outage Disrupts Services Globally; Company Provides Update

Microsoft 365 experienced a global service disruption on Thursday, leaving thousands of users unable to access key platforms, including Outlook, Microsoft Store, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Purview.

The company confirmed it was investigating the issue, sharing updates via its admin center. According to Downdetector, over 11,000 reports were related to Outlook alone, with total Microsoft 365 complaints exceeding 14,000. Many users reported receiving a “451 4.3.2 Temporary server error”, preventing emails from being sent or received.

In a follow-up, Microsoft identified the problem as a section of its North American service infrastructure not handling traffic properly, which caused the widespread disruption. The company said teams are working to restore the infrastructure and rebalance traffic to stabilize services.

While Microsoft did not provide an exact timeline for full recovery, users on social media and Downdetector reported gradual improvements, with some noting slow access restoration through the admin center. Microsoft continues to monitor the situation and implement corrective measures.