Source: BBC
A major Microsoft service disruption has left tens of thousands of users worldwide experiencing difficulties accessing essential workplace applications, including Outlook, Microsoft Teams and its artificial intelligence platform Copilot.
The technical problems have affected Microsoft 365, the company's widely used productivity platform, which provides businesses and organisations with tools for email communication, online meetings, file storage and collaboration.
According to monitoring website Downdetector, reports of problems with Outlook reached almost 140,000 globally at approximately 18:00 GMT on Thursday. Users in several countries, including the United States, Japan and Singapore, reported difficulties accessing Microsoft's services.
Microsoft attributed the incident to several servers becoming unexpectedly unavailable, placing additional pressure on the remaining infrastructure. The company warned that customers in any region could experience disruption, even as engineers worked to restore normal operations.
In updates published on X, Microsoft reported progress in its recovery efforts, describing the results as positive. However, it cautioned that applications which had already been restored could become unresponsive again.
The problems have affected access to certain files and calendar information, while Copilot users may also encounter errors or reduced functionality. Microsoft said messaging and online meetings had remained largely operational.
The company has not identified any indication that the incident was caused by a cyberattack. A spokesperson apologised for the inconvenience and thanked customers for their patience while technical teams worked to bring services back online.
Impact extends to artificial intelligence companies
The disruption has also affected other technology businesses that rely on Microsoft's infrastructure. OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, confirmed that it was investigating connectivity problems involving Microsoft's services, which had prevented some of its tools from functioning as expected. AI company Anthropic was also among the businesses affected.
The latest incident follows another Microsoft service disruption last month, when problems with its Azure cloud computing platform affected productivity applications and businesses internationally.
The consequences have also reached companies outside the technology sector. US electric truck manufacturer Workhorse Group postponed the announcement of its third-quarter financial results, originally scheduled for November 12, until November 16, citing operational disruption linked to the Microsoft outage.
The incident highlights the dependence of businesses and organisations on centralised digital infrastructure, with technical failures at a major technology provider capable of interrupting communication, daily operations and financial reporting across multiple industries.
