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Microsoft is addressing a widespread outage impacting Outlook and Teams, disrupting work for users worldwide. The company is working to restore full functionality after the issue began Monday morning.

Microsoft Struggles with Major Outage Impacting Outlook and Teams

Microsoft is working to resolve a significant outage that has disrupted several of its core services, including Outlook and Microsoft Teams. The issue, which began early Monday morning, has impacted businesses and individual users globally, hindering access to critical workplace tools used for communication and scheduling.

The outage primarily affects Exchange Online and calendar functions within Teams, both of which are essential for the smooth functioning of daily business operations. Thousands of users have reported being unable to access these services, causing frustration among employees who rely on these tools for productivity.

User Frustration Mounts as Services Remain Inaccessible

The outage first became apparent at 8 a.m. ET, according to DownDetector, a website that tracks tech-related outages. Within hours, reports surged, as many users took to social media and tech forums to express their frustration. By 11 a.m. ET, the problem was widespread, with complaints highlighting how the disruption had impacted meetings, emails, and workflow.

One user tweeted, “The Microsoft outage has ruined my productive day! Guess it’s back to phone calls and handwritten notes for now.” This sentiment was echoed by many, who found themselves unable to access essential work resources or communicate with colleagues.

Microsoft’s Response and Efforts to Restore Services

In response to the mounting complaints, Microsoft acknowledged the outage and attributed the problem to a recent system change. The company stated that it began reversing the change in order to restore services. By late morning, Microsoft reported that approximately 90% of affected systems had been fixed, with ongoing efforts to resolve the remaining issues.

“We are working diligently to restore all services and ensure that customers can resume using our products without further interruptions,” Microsoft said in an official statement.

A Growing Trend of Microsoft 365 Service Disruptions

This current outage is not the first time Microsoft has experienced widespread issues with its cloud-based services. A similar incident occurred in September when more than 24,000 users were unable to access Microsoft 365 services, including email. In that case, a third-party Internet Service Provider (ISP) was identified as the cause, and service was restored after the ISP reversed its change.

Despite Microsoft’s efforts to prevent such disruptions, users have expressed concerns about the reliability of Microsoft 365 services, which are relied upon by millions of businesses around the world. The company’s swift response to this outage, however, may help to mitigate some of the frustration among users.

Impact on Business and Productivity

For many businesses, Microsoft’s suite of tools—including Outlook, Teams, and Exchange Online—forms the backbone of daily operations. The outage’s timing, on a Monday morning, only exacerbated the issue, as workers were preparing for the start of the workweek and had important meetings and tasks to complete.

The disruption has led to widespread uncertainty, with many businesses forced to turn to alternative means of communication, such as phone calls and messaging apps, while waiting for services to be restored.

Looking Ahead: Microsoft’s Ongoing Efforts to Address the Issue

As Microsoft works to resolve the current outage, the company has pledged to keep users updated on their progress. They are also investigating the root cause of the disruption to ensure that similar issues are prevented in the future.

With Microsoft 365 becoming an integral part of modern business operations, the company’s ability to quickly restore services and prevent future outages will be crucial in maintaining its credibility and customer trust.

For now, affected users are advised to check Microsoft’s service status page for updates and to explore alternative methods of communication as the company continues to work on a full resolution.