Outlook isn't loading your email right now? You're not alone. On November 12, 2026, Microsoft confirmed an Exchange Online outage that stops users from connecting to their mailboxes in Outlook. Downdetector reports jumped from about 2,400 to more than 65,000 in under 20 minutes.
Here's what we know so far, how to check whether it's the outage or your own setup, and what to do while Microsoft fixes it.
Quick answer: Yes, Outlook is down for many users, and it's now a wider Microsoft 365 outage. Microsoft says users "may be unable to connect to multiple Microsoft 365 services": Exchange Online (Outlook), Teams, SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Defender XDR. The cause is elevated load on Microsoft's infrastructure across multiple regions. It is a problem on Microsoft's side, so don't reset your password, remove your account or reinstall Outlook. Follow the official Microsoft 365 Service Health Status page for updates.
Last updated: November 13, 2026, 12:35 AM IST (November 12, 7:05 PM UTC). This is a developing story. Microsoft's next update is due by 8:30 PM UTC (2:00 AM IST).
Latest update from Microsoft
Microsoft's Service Health Status page now shows Service degradation for Microsoft 365 (Business or Enterprise), last updated November 12, 2026 at 6:32 PM UTC (12:02 AM IST, November 13).
| Title | Users may be unable to connect to multiple Microsoft 365 services |
| Services that may be affected | Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Defender XDR |
| Cause (so far) | The affected infrastructure is under elevated load across multiple regions, which is likely causing the connection errors. |
| What Microsoft is doing | Restarting and repairing the affected parts of the infrastructure to restore capacity, checking whether an unexpected increase in one type of traffic is adding to the load, and looking at moving traffic to other infrastructure to speed up relief. |
| Scope | Users trying to access the affected Microsoft 365 services. |
| Next update | By November 12, 2026, 8:30 PM UTC (2:00 AM IST, November 13) |
Table of contents
- Latest update from Microsoft
- What's happening
- Timeline
- Who is affected
- Is it the outage or just you?
- What to do right now
- For Microsoft 365 admins
- FAQ
What's happening
Microsoft's Microsoft 365 Status account said it is "investigating reports of users experiencing issues accessing Exchange Online mailboxes" through multiple connection methods in the Americas. The issue is tracked as EX1550543 in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Exchange Online is the email server behind Outlook for work and school accounts. When it has trouble, Outlook on the web, the Outlook desktop app and Outlook mobile can all fail to load mail at the same time.
At first Microsoft described it as an Exchange Online issue in the Americas. Its later update widens the scope: Teams, SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Defender XDR may also be affected, and the elevated load is across multiple regions.
Timeline
| Time (PT) | Time (IST) | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 9:35 AM | 11:05 PM | Outside monitors start seeing Outlook failures (17:35 UTC). |
| 9:46 AM | 11:16 PM | Incident EX1550543 appears on Microsoft 365 status feeds. |
| 9:50 AM | 11:20 PM | About 2,400 Outlook reports on Downdetector. |
| 9:58 AM | 11:28 PM | More than 13,000 reports. |
| 10:08 AM | 11:38 PM | Microsoft publicly confirms it is investigating. Reports pass 65,000. |
| 10:32 AM | 12:02 AM (Nov 13) | Microsoft updates its Service Health Status page: multiple Microsoft 365 services affected, elevated load across multiple regions, repairs under way. |
| 12:30 PM | 2:00 AM (Nov 13) | Next update due from Microsoft. |
Microsoft has shared a likely cause (elevated load on its infrastructure) but no time for the fix yet. We'll update this post after its next update.
Who is affected
- Work and school accounts (Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise) are the ones affected.
- Services: Outlook / Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online (and OneDrive files stored there), Microsoft 365 Copilot and Defender XDR.
- Regions: the first reports were from the Americas, but Microsoft now says the elevated load is across multiple regions, so users in India and elsewhere may also be affected.
- Outlook on the web, the desktop app and mobile apps can all be affected, because the problem is on the server side.
Is it the outage or just you?
- Try Outlook on the web at
outlook.office.com(work/school) oroutlook.live.com(personal). If it also fails, the problem is very likely Microsoft's. - Check the status pages: Microsoft's official Service Health Status page, the Microsoft 365 Status account on X, and Downdetector. A sudden spike in reports means a wide outage.
- Ask a colleague on another network. If they can't open mail either, it's not your PC.
- If everything else works and only you are stuck, follow our guide on Outlook not receiving emails.
What to do right now
- Don't reset your password, remove your account or reinstall Office. It won't help, and you may have to set things up again later.
- Save important emails as drafts or in a Word/Notepad file until mail works again.
- Use another channel for urgent messages: phone, WhatsApp, or a personal email.
- Check later for sent mail. After the fix, open Sent Items and Outbox. Resend anything that didn't go out.
- Watch for phishing. Scammers send fake "Outlook outage, verify your account" emails during big outages. Microsoft will never ask for your password by email. See what to do if you clicked a phishing link.
For Microsoft 365 admins
- Open the Microsoft 365 admin center > Health > Service health and select EX1550543. Check the Scope of impact and latest update.
- Click Manage notifications for this issue to get email updates.
- Tell users it's a Microsoft-side issue so they don't flood the helpdesk with password resets.
- If your users are affected but your tenant isn't listed, use Report an issue on the Service health page.
- After recovery, check for delayed mail with message trace or the EmailEvents table in Defender.
FAQ
Is Outlook down right now?
On November 12, 2026, Microsoft confirmed that users may be unable to connect to multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online (Outlook) and Teams. Check the Microsoft 365 Service Health Status page for the latest update.
Is Teams also down?
Yes, Microsoft lists Microsoft Teams among the services that may be affected, along with SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Defender XDR.
Is Outlook down in India?
It started in the Americas, but Microsoft now says the elevated load is across multiple regions. Users in India may also see errors.
What caused the outage?
Microsoft says the affected infrastructure is under elevated load across multiple regions. It is also checking whether an unexpected rise in one type of traffic is adding to the load.
Will I lose my emails?
Microsoft hasn't reported any mail loss. In past Exchange Online outages, mail was usually delayed and delivered after the fix.
Is personal Outlook.com (Hotmail) affected?
The incident ID is for Exchange Online (work and school accounts). Some Outlook.com users reported problems too, but Microsoft hasn't confirmed it.
When will Outlook be fixed?
Microsoft hasn't given a time yet. We'll update this article when it does.
Related: Microsoft 365 sign-in error codes and fixes.
Sources: Microsoft 365 Service Health Status (update of November 12, 2026, 6:32 PM UTC), Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) statements as reported by KHQ and GV Wire, incident EX1550543 on public Microsoft 365 status feeds, Host-Tracker monitoring and Downdetector report counts. Checked November 13, 2026, 12:35 AM IST.
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