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Microsoft outage hits tens of thousands of users

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Cite

Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, November 12). Microsoft outage hits tens of thousands of users. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/12/microsoft-outage-hits-tens-of-thousands-of-users?traffic_source=rss

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Al Jazeera · collected 2026-11-12 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

Thousands of Microsoft users experienced issues accessing Outlook, Teams, Copilot, and other Microsoft 365 services during a widespread outage on Thursday. Downdetector recorded reports of problems peaking at approximately 130,000 shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern Time before declining to about 77,000 by 3 p.m. The report focuses on Microsoft's technical response to the event, noting that the company identified servers failing health checks and attempted to resolve the issue by testing configuration changes to redistribute traffic and restarting services.
Written by AI on 2026-11-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).
See how they differ ↓

AI analysis

Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 149232 · logged 2026-11-13

How they differ

19 outlets covered “Microsoft outage”.

What each outlet says

One AI summary per outlet of its latest article on this story, written from that article alone and checked against it. Open the article for the outlet's own words.

Al JazeeraThis outlet12 Nov

Thousands of Microsoft users experienced issues accessing Outlook, Teams, Copilot, and other Microsoft 365 services during a widespread outage on Thursday. Downdetector recorded reports of problems peaking at approximately 130,000 shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern Time before declining to about 77,000 by 3 p.m. The report focuses on Microsoft's technical response to the event, noting that the company identified servers…

Microsoft outage hits tens of thousands of users (this article)
ABC News (AU)12 Nov

National Cyber Security Coordinator Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness is investigating a widespread outage affecting Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, Teams, and SharePoint. Downdetector Australia recorded over 4,400 reports of Outlook problems by 8:20 am on Friday as the outage brought businesses and government agencies to a standstill. The reporting highlights the risks of a growing reliance…

Australia's cybersecurity chief looking into Microsoft outage →3 articles from ABC News (AU) on this story
Toronto Star12 Nov

A widespread Microsoft outage affected multiple services including Outlook, Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Copilot, according to the company’s status page and Downdetector. The issue, first reported around 1 p.m., impacted users globally and led Microsoft to pause deployments and move traffic off affected infrastructure. The company stated they were restarting servers to restore service.

Outlook and Teams down as widespread Microsoft outage hits multiple services →2 articles from Toronto Star on this story
Toronto Sun12 Nov

Microsoft 365 experienced a significant outage on Thursday, November 12, impacting users across the Americas and possibly other regions. Microsoft acknowledged the issue through posts on X, informing users about difficulties accessing Exchange Online mailboxes. Meanwhile, Scotiabank Arena in Toronto has faced criticism for introducing a $2,500 annual concert pass, which grants early access to over 50 shows but has…

News of the day: Microsoft 365 hit by massive outage across the Americas, and more →2 articles from Toronto Sun on this story
NBC News13 Nov

Today, Microsoft experienced widespread outages affecting essential tools like Outlook email, impacting hundreds of millions of users globally. NBC News reporter Allie Canal provides details about the extent and impact of the outage.

Widespread outage of Microsoft apps used by hundreds of millions →2 articles from NBC News on this story
Sydney Morning Herald13 Nov

A global Microsoft outage on a Friday morning disabled email, Teams, and Copilot platforms for Queensland government departments, including health, education, and local government. While 135,000 Queensland Health staff lost email access, Health and Ambulance Services Minister Tim Nicholls reported that emergency services, patient care, and Triple Zero remained unaffected. The report highlights the practical…

Microsoft outage cuts Queensland Health from emails, Teams →2 articles from Sydney Morning Herald on this story
Show 13 more outlets
Global News12 Nov

Microsoft 365 users worldwide are experiencing connectivity issues, with over 100,000 reports of outages on Downdetector. The problems began around noon Eastern and affect access to Exchange Online mailboxes and other Microsoft 365 services. Microsoft stated they are investigating and have identified elevated infrastructure load as a contributing factor.

A Microsoft 365 outage is hitting users in regions around the world →
ABC News (US)12 Nov

Microsoft reported issues with users accessing their Exchange Online mailboxes and experiencing problems with Microsoft Teams on Thursday. The company initially posted about the disruptions on social media, identifying a possible cause and working towards a fix. Updates indicated that Teams functionality was restored, but issues with Exchange Online mailboxes continued to affect users globally. Microsoft emphasized…

Outlook outage: Microsoft reports 'issues' with Teams and email →
Just the News12 Nov

On Thursday, Microsoft 365 users faced connectivity errors, preventing them from accessing their mailboxes and sending or receiving emails through Outlook. The disruption primarily affected Exchange Online, Microsoft’s cloud-based email service used by businesses and organizations. Microsoft stated that the issue was widespread across multiple regions, likely due to elevated load on its infrastructure.

Microsoft 365 disruption impacts Outlook, email services for users nationwide →
The Independent12 Nov

On Thursday, Microsoft experienced significant outages affecting services like Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft 365, impacting thousands of U.S. users. According to Downdetector, there were over 97,000 reported incidents for Outlook alone at 2:07 p.m. ET, with additional reports for Microsoft 365 and Teams. Microsoft responded by pausing deployments and routing traffic to unaffected infrastructure while working to…

Is Outlook down? Widespread outage hits Microsoft and OpenAI →
Reason12 Nov

Stanford University is experiencing a service disruption affecting Microsoft Office 365 email and related services, such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint Online, starting from 9:53 AM on November 12, 2026. The university’s IT department is monitoring the situation and will provide further updates by 1:30 PM. Other services with email integration, including page to email, Mailman, and Cardinal Fax, are also…

Living Today Without Email—Like Animals! →
BBC12 Nov

Microsoft reported global connectivity issues on Thursday that affected services including Teams, Outlook, and Copilot. The company attributed the outages to a configuration test that caused servers to fail health checks and strain the remaining infrastructure, rather than an increase in user traffic. Downdetector recorded a spike in UK reports and over 131,000 reports of Outlook problems in the US at approximately…

Microsoft users report outages amid tech giant 'connectivity issues' →
The Guardian12 Nov

Microsoft is addressing a widespread outage affecting its 365 suite, including Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel, after Down Detector recorded nearly 130,000 reports of connectivity issues. The company identified the cause as a portion of its infrastructure experiencing elevated load because a large number of servers became unexpectedly unavailable during automated checks. Microsoft is currently restarting affected…

Microsoft ‘restarting’ as outage impacts global users, with Outlook and Teams affected →
The Straits Times12 Nov

Microsoft Outlook suffered a major outage on November 13 that affected Microsoft 365 connectivity for users in multiple regions, including Singapore. Downdetector recorded nearly 130,000 user reports of issues shortly after 1pm Eastern Time, with those numbers declining to approximately 60,000 by 3pm Eastern Time. Microsoft attributed the errors to elevated load across its infrastructure and reported that it paused…

Major outage hits Microsoft Outlook; Singapore users affected →
The Daily Wire12 Nov

Microsoft faced a significant outage on Thursday affecting its Microsoft 365 suite, including Outlook email and Teams collaboration tools, with nearly 130,000 reported issues on Downdetector. The company started experiencing problems accessing Exchange Online shortly before 1 p.m. ET and was working to restart servers and revert recent configuration updates to restore service.

Microsoft Outage Disrupts Email, Workplace Apps →
CBC12 Nov

On Thursday, Microsoft experienced widespread outages affecting services like Outlook and Teams, with nearly 130,000 users reporting issues on Downdetector. Microsoft attributed the disruptions to elevated load on its infrastructure, causing some servers to fail during automated checks. The company is working on a fix and reported partial restoration of Teams issues in North America earlier in the day.

Widespread outages reported across Microsoft apps →
Washington Examiner12 Nov

On Thursday, Microsoft Outlook and other Microsoft platforms experienced an outage, affecting over 120,000 users. Reports of the problem surged just before 1:30 p.m., with approximately 130,000 users encountering issues, as tracked by Downdetector. Both the mobile app and website version of Outlook were impacted.

Outage hits Microsoft Outlook, impacting more than 120,000 users →
NPR13 Nov

On Thursday, a significant outage affected Microsoft services including Outlook, causing issues for approximately 130,000 users as reported on Downdetector. Problems included difficulties sending and receiving emails and loading inboxes, alongside issues with Microsoft Teams, Copilot, and other Microsoft 365 applications. Microsoft acknowledged the disruptions and identified them as stemming from an elevated load on…

Is Outlook down? Widespread outage hits Microsoft email and other apps →
Daily Mail13 Nov

Microsoft Outlook experienced a major outage on Thursday that prevented tens of thousands of users from accessing websites, logins, and the app. Downdetector recorded over 65,000 reports of these issues by 6:10pm, with the disruption appearing particularly widespread in the Americas. The report highlights that while Microsoft investigated the Exchange Online mailbox issues, users also reported difficulties with…

Outlook 'is down': Tens of thousands of users report website, login and app issues →

Where they agree and split

Agreed

Reported by outlets on both sides of the middle

The tech giant said a part of its infrastructure was experiencing "elevated load", which was likely contributing to connectivity errors.

7 outlets
Show 1 more

Then, just before 2:15, the company said it had “paused all deployments,” moved “additional traffic off the affected infrastructure,” and that they were restarting affected servers to return them to service.

5 outlets

Framing

How the first headlines put it

Attributed to a source4
Stated as fact15
The headlines (19)

Outlook outage: Microsoft reports 'issues' with Teams and email ABC News · attributed to a source

Microsoft users report outages amid tech giant 'connectivity issues' BBC · attributed to a source

Widespread outage hits Microsoft platforms including Outlook, thousands report issues NBC News · attributed to a source

Outlook 'is down': Tens of thousands of users report website, login and app issues Daily Mail · attributed to a source

A Microsoft 365 outage is hitting users in regions around the world Global News · stated as fact

Is Outlook down? Widespread outage hits Microsoft apps Toronto Star · stated as fact

Microsoft 365 disruption impacts Outlook, email services for users nationwide Just the News · stated as fact

Is Outlook down? Widespread outage hits Microsoft and OpenAI The Independent · stated as fact

Breaking: Microsoft platforms suffering widespread outages, including Outlook ABC News (Australia) · stated as fact

Microsoft 365 hit by massive outage across the Americas Toronto Sun · stated as fact

Living Today Without Email—Like Animals! Reason · stated as fact

Microsoft ‘restarting’ as outage impacts global users, with Outlook and Teams affected The Guardian · stated as fact

Microsoft outage hits tens of thousands of users Al Jazeera · stated as fact

Major outage hits Microsoft Outlook; Singapore users affected The Straits Times · stated as fact

Microsoft Outage Disrupts Email, Workplace Apps The Daily Wire · stated as fact

Widespread outages reported across Microsoft apps CBC · stated as fact

Outage hits Microsoft Outlook, impacting more than 120,000 users Washington Examiner · stated as fact

Global outage for Microsoft Sydney Morning Herald · stated as fact

Is Outlook down? Widespread outage hits Microsoft email and other apps NPR · stated as fact

The full story: what happened, how it changed, and all 25 articles →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 10% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
ABC News (US)
Hedges 2 of 8 claims Outlet record 67/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
Just The News
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 94/100
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 3 of 8 claims Outlet record 67/100
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 65/100
The Straits Times
Hedges 3 of 9 claims Outlet record 65/100
The Daily Wire
Hedges 3 of 13 claims Outlet record 59/100
CBC News
Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 71/100
Washington Examiner
Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 68/100
NBC News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 77/100

Story

Microsoft outage
Other · 25 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
10%
1 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
25
Other
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-13 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Al Jazeera · 5559 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
1031 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
US President Donald Trump has said he would “certainly consider” using military force against Cuba, adding that he wants to “get Cuba done” before he leaves office in 2029.
Reports of problems with Outlook, the company’s email client, climbed to about 130,000 on the outage tracking site Downdetector shortly after 1pm Eastern Time (18:00 GMT), with some users saying emails weren’t being sent or received, while others couldn’t open their inboxes.
2026-11-12 · assertive framing · Microsoft outage hits tens of thousands of users
After winning control of the US Congress in the midterm elections, Democrats will descend on Denver on Thursday for a conference on the future of the party.
The Republic of Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin, known as the taoiseach, said those responsible for the attacks seek to “create confusion, sow division and weaken public confidence in our democratic systems”. “We will not allow them to succeed.
Nvidia’s chief financial officer, Colette Kress, has taken over as interim CEO while the company looks for a permanent replacement. Recommended Stories list of 2 items- list 1 of 2Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang steps down, more affair details revealed - list 2 of 2Trump heads to China amid Nvidia scandal: Will he get tougher on Beijing?
The commission warned that if the mosque fails to “remedy the misconduct”, it may be subjected to further action.
Spain’s interim lower house of parliament ratified the housing measures on Thursday; however, their duration will depend on the outcome of a snap election scheduled later in November.
Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, were convicted on Thursday following a six-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court in south London for engaging in conduct likely to assist Iran’s intelligence service in a bid to inflict violence on “subjects” in the UK. Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4If hackers can take over a supermarket fridge, what else is at risk? - list 2 of 4Iran denies talks with US, says Hormuz will stay shut until demands are met - list 3 of 4Schools across Italy evacuated after receiving email bomb alerts - list 4 of 4From the UK to the Gulf, are US overseas bases becoming liabilities? These included journalists for Iran International, Mojtaba Pourmohsen and Kambiz Hosseini, and a founding member of UK Lawyers for Israel, Jonathan Turner.
Mao said that China’s scientific and technological progress was driven by independent innovation and open cooperation, adding that Beijing was willing to work with the US to implement a consensus reached by their two heads of state.
Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said one of the goals of Thursday’s visit would be for the US team to persuade Putin to invite Europeans to the negotiation process.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Al Jazeera Staff
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 1031 articles by Al Jazeera Staff →

Topics

4IBM 4Ireland Downdetector Microsoft Outlook

Subjects

Microsoft ORG · 5× 4IBM ORG · 1× 4India GPE · 1× 4Ireland ORG · 1× Colette Kress PERSON · 1× Downdetector ORG · 1× Israeli NORP · 1× Jensen Huang PERSON · 1× Nvidia ORG · 1×

Narrative

Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4IBM’s biggest division ends most US foreign worker sponsorships - list 2 of 4Ireland fears undersea cables face growing threat from ‘malign actors’ - list 3 of 4India bypasses own rules to buy Israeli phone-hacking tech - list 4 of 4Why did Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resign, and who is Colette Kress?
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-13
Reports of problems with Outlook, the company’s email client, climbed to about 130,000 on the outage tracking site Downdetector shortly after 1pm Eastern Time (18:00 GMT), with some users saying emails weren’t being sent or received, while others couldn’t open their inboxes.
2026-11-13 · Al Jazeera
Microsoft outage hits tens of thousands of users · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 1 hedged)

Thousands of Microsoft users reported trouble accessing their email and connecting to work apps after a widespread outage hit Outlook and other services on Thursday. asserted
outage → report → Thursday
Reports of problems with Outlook, the company’s email client, climbed to about 130,000 on the outage tracking site Downdetector shortly after 1pm Eastern Time (18:00 GMT), with some users saying emails weren’t being sent or received, while others couldn’t open their inboxes. asserted
others → climb → inboxes
Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4IBM’s biggest division ends most US foreign worker sponsorships - list 2 of 4Ireland fears undersea cables face growing threat from ‘malign actors’ - list 3 of 4India bypasses own rules to buy Israeli phone-hacking tech - list 4 of 4Why did Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resign, and who is Colette Kress? asserted
Kress → end → tech
By just before 3pm (20:00 GMT), that figure had fallen to about 77,000. asserted
figure → fall → 77,000
Users also reported having trouble accessing Microsoft’s workplace messaging app Teams and its AI assistant Copilot, along with other Microsoft 365 services. asserted
Users → report → services
The company said the issues could impact users in any region. uncertain
issues → say → region
Microsoft said on X that servers were unavailable and failing automatic health checks, putting pressure on those still operating. asserted
servers → say → those
It said it was testing a configuration change to redistribute traffic that was elevated on parts of its infrastructure and restarting affected services to bring them back online. asserted
that → say → them
“We’re working to safely return them to service,” the company said. asserted
company → work → service
Microsoft did not state when it expected services to be fully restored. asserted
services → state → ?
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