Global Microsoft outage disrupts digital services worldwide

A massive technical failure affecting Microsoft services began on Thursday, November 12, 2026, causing widespread disruption for millions of users across at least 74 countries. The outage primarily hit Outlook and Exchange Online, while also affecting Teams, Copilot, and other Microsoft 365 applications. At the peak of the incident, Downdetector recorded approximately 140,000 reports for Outlook, marking a 2,000-fold increase over normal levels. The disruption impacted businesses, government agencies, and airlines, with some financial institutions in Japan reportedly reverting to fax machines to maintain operations.

Microsoft attributed the outage to server overload caused by unexpected service unavailability rather than a cyberattack. Despite ongoing efforts to restore functionality, initial attempts to fix the issues were unsuccessful as returning servers struggled to handle incoming requests. By Friday, November 13, the company reported initial signs of stabilization, though it emphasized that full system capacity had not yet returned to normal. In Cyprus, authorities confirmed that while email communications in the public sector were hindered, essential state digital systems and the CY Login portal remained operational. The company continues to analyze diagnostic data and is managing traffic flow to prevent further server instability.