Microsoft is finally 'fixing' the massive outage, but can we really trust our email and Teams again?

Microsoft outage latest update: Microsoft is in the process of recovering services following a significant global outage. In its latest update on Friday, November 13, the company said North America was seeing broader improvements, while Europe and Asia-Pacific were also showing signs of recovery. Some users, however, continue to face intermittent access problems and delayed emails.

Microsoft latest outage update as recovery spreads across North America: Microsoft is beginning to restore services after one of its biggest global outages in years, but getting back to work may take longer than getting Outlook to open. The company is reporting broader recovery across North America and Europe, with improvements also appearing in Asia-Pacific. Some users can access their inboxes again, but delayed emails, connection failures and Microsoft 365 disruptions remain.

The outage started on Thursday, November 12, and continued into Friday.

The disruption goes beyond Outlook. Microsoft's incident advisory lists several services and features that depend on Exchange Online.

Outlook and Exchange Online users have faced problems opening mailboxes through desktop and web versions. Sending and receiving emails has also been unreliable.

Microsoft Teams has experienced problems with calendars, meeting invitations and scheduling. Its core messaging, group chats and online meetings have remained largely functional, according to Microsoft's service update.

Microsoft 365 Copilot has faced problems loading chats and accessing work emails, calendars and files. SharePoint users may experience issues with external file sharing, although direct access to files stored on SharePoint remains functional.

Other affected services and features include Microsoft Planner, To Do, Intune, Defender XDR, Microsoft Purview, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Universal Print and some Windows 365 configurations. Microsoft 365 Education has also reported problems with features such as Assignments and Reading Progress.

The disruption has also affected Microsoft 365 connectors used by OpenAI and Anthropic. Some users have reported problems accessing AI tools that rely on Microsoft's email and calendar services.

The impact has reached public services outside the United States. NHS organisations in the UK reported email and system problems, while some hospitals, schools, police forces and government departments activated alternative communication arrangements.

For employees, the bigger problem is knowing which services are safe to use and which tasks still need an alternative.

Microsoft outage update: Which services are recovering now?Microsoft's latest update offers some relief. The company said it was seeing broader improvements in North America and sustained recovery across much of Europe. Asia-Pacific was also showing encouraging signs.

That does not mean every user can return to normal work. Some Outlook customers may still experience intermittent access problems or delayed email delivery. Microsoft is working to stabilise restored servers and clear the backlog of messages waiting to be delivered.

The company has also extended its email timeout window to 48 hours to help protect delayed messages during recovery.

Microsoft says core messaging and online meetings remain largely functional. Calendar access, meeting scheduling and some organisation-specific chat functions can still fail because they depend on Exchange Online.

What caused one of Microsoft's biggest outages?Microsoft traced the disruption to servers that unexpectedly became unavailable. The remaining infrastructure had to handle more requests, putting additional pressure on the systems.

The company also found that a process responsible for establishing secure connections was becoming overwhelmed. Some servers stopped processing requests. Others became unresponsive again after Microsoft returned them to service and traffic increased.

Earlier recovery attempts did not work as expected. Microsoft then tested a configuration change, restarted affected infrastructure and began reverting a recent network configuration change that coincided with the start of the disruption.

Microsoft executive vice president Charles Lamanna said there was no indication of malicious or cyber activity behind the incident. The company has not yet published a final root-cause report.

What should you do if Outlook and Teams are still not working?There is little point in repeatedly restarting a computer or changing an Outlook password if Microsoft's servers are the problem. Users can take a few practical steps while the company completes its recovery work.

Use Teams for urgent communication: Core Teams messaging and online meetings remain largely functional. Try sending a direct message or joining an existing meeting if Outlook is unavailable. Calendar and scheduling features may still fail.

Check emails before sending them again: Some messages may be delayed rather than lost. Look in Sent Items before sending the same email again. This can prevent duplicate messages reaching clients and colleagues.

Keep a separate copy of important work: Save documents locally when possible. Files stored directly in SharePoint have remained accessible, according to Microsoft's incident information, although some connected features may be affected.

Use phone calls for urgent work: Do not depend on email for a deadline, customer request or important approval while delivery remains unreliable. Contact the person directly through an alternative channel.

Check Microsoft's service status: Visit the Microsoft 365 service health page for the latest incident information. Business users can also ask their IT teams to check the Microsoft 365 admin centre.

Is it safe to log back into Outlook and Microsoft 365?Users can try accessing their accounts as services return. There is no need to wait for every Microsoft 365 application to recover before testing Outlook.

However, successful login is not proof that the problem is over. An inbox may open while sending and receiving emails remain delayed. Teams may allow calls while calendar invitations continue to fail.

Microsoft is restoring services in stages. It needs to make sure the recovered servers can handle normal traffic without becoming unresponsive again.

Users should also be careful about unexpected messages claiming to offer an urgent Microsoft outage fix. Never share passwords, verification codes or banking information with someone claiming to be Microsoft support.

When will Outlook and Teams return to normal?Microsoft has not announced a firm deadline for complete restoration. Its latest update points to progress across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, but the company is still working through affected infrastructure and delayed email queues.