A Microsoft 365 outage disrupted access to Outlook and Exchange Online on Thursday, November 12, with users also reporting problems with Teams, Copilot and other services. Microsoft said part of its infrastructure was handling higher-than-normal traffic and that it was redistributing traffic across its systems to address the issue.
The company initially reported that users in the Americas were having trouble reaching Exchange Online mailboxes through several connection methods. Later updates referred to effects across multiple regions. The Associated Press reported that service problems were still affecting users and organizations on Friday.
Teams appeared to be working in most regions by Friday, although some users continued to report difficulties. Because the disruption involved access to Exchange Online, switching between Outlook’s desktop, web and mobile versions may not restore access to a mailbox hosted on Microsoft’s systems.
Ways to keep working during an outage
Users can check Microsoft’s service status page for updates. Outlook desktop users with a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account may also be able to work with messages already stored on their computer. Exchange cached mode supports access to mailbox items when a connection is slow or unavailable, but it does not apply to POP or IMAP accounts.
Outlook for Microsoft 365 and versions 2021, 2019 and 2016 also include a Work Offline option under the Send/Receive tab. It can be used to read stored messages and draft new ones while the service is unavailable; messages cannot be sent until connectivity returns.
For coordination, teams can use a messaging service that does not rely on Microsoft, such as Slack or Google Chat. Large files can be shared through services such as WeTransfer or Google Drive, with links sent through another available channel.
Email apps and email providers are different
Changing the program used to read email does not change where the mailbox is hosted. For example, Thunderbird can connect to a Microsoft 365 account, but the mailbox remains on Microsoft’s servers. Moving to another provider requires opening an account with that provider.
Gmail offers free addresses and integrates with Google services, though storage is shared across them and custom domains require a paid Google Workspace plan. Proton Mail offers a free plan, web access and mobile apps; custom domains are available on paid plans.
Nicole French 
Clayton Ward