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Microsoft 365 Outage: What to Do Right Now

7 Min Read

TL;DR

  • A global Microsoft 365 outage that began Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, disrupted email, calendars, and Copilot for millions of users. Microsoft says it is seeing broad recovery and stability, but it has not declared a full restore and has no ETA for one yet.
  • As of 4:54 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, Microsoft’s official status page still showed service degradation. In its latest update at 3:05 PM ET, Microsoft 365 Status said it is still draining queued messages and rebalancing traffic, so sign-in and access may improve before mail flow fully normalizes.
  • 1. Check the official status page at status.cloud.microsoft first. If Outlook or Teams still looks stuck, close and reopen the app. Do not reinstall or rebuild a profile.
  • 2. Follow along on DownDetector. When the line of user reports drops toward normal and stays there, that is a good sign service is coming back.
  • 3. Expect delayed mail even if you can sign in. Microsoft says access can recover before mail flow catches up. Do not resend the same message. Check your Outbox for stuck items, and do not assume a “sent” receipt means the other person has it yet.
  • 4. Watch for scam emails or calls claiming to “fix” your Microsoft account. Outages are a favorite time for phishing.
  • 5. Use a phone call or text for anything urgent if email still is not reliable for you.
  • Call or text (843) 324-5824, or email support@advyon.com. Book a free Discovery Meeting at advyon.com/contact/.
Watch: Microsoft 365 Outage: Outlook Down? What to Do Right Now (1:37)

Outlook or Teams acting up, or just coming back online? In our YouTube video and Short, we walk through what to do.

A global Microsoft 365 outage that began Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, disrupted email, calendars, and Copilot for millions of users. Microsoft is seeing broad recovery, but as of 4:54 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 it still had not declared a full restore. ADVYON checked Microsoft’s public status page at that time, and it still listed a service degradation for Microsoft 365, with users possibly unable to connect to multiple services.

Here is a short timeline of the official picture, then what to do today.

What’s the latest?

  • As of 4:54 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026: Microsoft’s official status page still showed service degradation, not an all-clear.
  • 3:05 PM ET: Microsoft 365 Status said: “As infrastructure stabilizes, we’re still draining queued messages and rebalancing traffic, so customers may see improved sign-in/access while delivery and processing continue to catch up. We do not have an ETA for full recovery yet. Service access can recover before mail flow fully normalizes.”
  • 1:05 PM ET: Microsoft 365 Status said it was seeing “broad recovery and stability across our services,” apologized for the disruption, and said it had addressed the underlying issue and continued to restore service to remaining customers and regions. It described the cause as a technical issue, not related to cyber or AI/agents.
  • 11:51 AM ET: A Microsoft spokesperson told BBC News the same cause and that restoration was gradual because of the scale of demand.
  • 9:17 AM ET: Microsoft 365 Status said email queues were significantly reduced and approaching normal levels, though some users could still see intermittent access issues or delayed email delivery.

That is real progress. Microsoft has still not declared a full restore, and it has no ETA for one yet. Check the live status page for any newer note.

Check Microsoft’s official status page first

Start with Microsoft’s official status page: status.cloud.microsoft. It is the first place to confirm whether Microsoft is still investigating, recovering, or all-clear for the services you use.

If Outlook or Teams still looks stuck as service returns, close and reopen the app after you check the official page. Do not reinstall Outlook or tear apart a working profile. That will not speed up a cloud recovery, and it can create a new problem you then have to undo.

If you cannot reach the admin center you normally use, that is another reason to rely on the public status page. Microsoft has noted that some administrators may be unable to get service-health information there during this incident.

Follow the outage in real time on DownDetector

Microsoft’s status page tells you what the company is reporting. DownDetector shows a different, useful picture: a chart of problem reports submitted by users.

Search for Outlook, Teams, or Microsoft 365. A big spike usually points to a widespread issue rather than a problem on one computer. When the line drops back toward the normal baseline, that is a good sign service is coming back. These charts are user-reported, not a formal score of Microsoft’s infrastructure, so check them alongside the official status page, not instead of it.

On the morning of Nov. 13, 2026, DownDetector charts for Outlook, Microsoft 365, and Teams still showed a large spike beginning Thursday afternoon, a decline overnight, and a smaller rise Friday morning, with reports well above the usual baseline. Those charts move through the day, so look at the live page rather than this snapshot.

Expect delayed mail even if you can sign in

If you can get into Outlook again, that does not always mean mail is fully caught up. In its 3:05 PM ET update, Microsoft said it is still draining queued messages and rebalancing traffic, and that “service access can recover before mail flow fully normalizes.” It also said it does not have an ETA for full recovery yet.

Earlier Friday, Microsoft said the extended 48-hour email timeout window remained in place to help protect delayed messages as delivery catches up, according to a morning status update. That is meant to preserve mail already in the queue. It is not a guarantee that a given message has arrived.

As service returns:

  • Do not keep resending the same message. Mail you already sent may still be delivered as queues drain, and duplicate sends can create a mess when delivery catches up.
  • Check your Outbox for messages that got stuck and were never actually handed off.
  • Do not assume a “sent” receipt means the other person has the message yet. Delayed mail may also arrive later, sometimes with a later timestamp.

If something is truly urgent and email still is not reliable for you, use a phone call or text instead, which is covered below.

Watch for scam emails and calls

Outages are a favorite time for phishing. Watch for emails or calls that claim to “fix” your Microsoft account, restore Outlook, or ask you to sign in, share a code, or install a tool to clear the problem.

Microsoft will not call you out of the blue and ask for your password. If a message creates urgency, points you to an unexpected link, or asks you to hand over sign-in details, treat it as suspicious. When in doubt, go directly to a site or app you already use, or call a number you already have, rather than following a link from the unexpected message. If you think a work mailbox may already be compromised, see What to do if your email is hacked.

Use a phone call or text if email still is not reliable

If email still is not reliable for you, use a phone call or text for anything that cannot wait: a customer who needs an answer, a payment or delivery question, or an internal issue that would normally go over Outlook or Teams. That is a temporary workaround. Once Microsoft’s status page and the DownDetector charts look normal, and you can send and receive reliably, you can return to email.

ADVYON is on standby

ADVYON’s team is on standby. If anything still is not working right once Microsoft is back online, we are glad to help you sort it out.

Call or text us at (843) 324-5824, or email us at support@advyon.com as service returns.

Frequently asked questions

Is Outlook down?

Many people had trouble with Outlook and other Microsoft 365 services starting Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. Microsoft says it is seeing broad recovery and stability, but as of 4:54 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026 its official status page still showed service degradation, and it said it has no ETA for a full recovery yet. Sign-in can improve before mail finishes catching up. Check the official status page and the Outlook, Teams, or Microsoft 365 charts on DownDetector for the latest picture.

Is it a hack?

Microsoft has said there is no indication this was malicious or cyber activity. A spokesperson told BBC News the disruption was a technical issue, not related to cyber or AI/agents, introduced during an earlier network capacity upgrade. Treat that as Microsoft’s current assessment, not a reason to let your guard down. Outages still attract phishing, so be careful with unexpected “account fix” emails or calls.

Should I resend my emails?

Usually, no. Microsoft says it is still draining queued messages, and that access can recover before mail flow fully normalizes. Messages you already sent may still be delivered. Check your Outbox for stuck items, and do not assume a “sent” receipt means the other person has the message yet.

How do I know when it’s back?

Use more than one signal. Microsoft’s official status page should move off “service degradation” and stay there. On DownDetector, the line of user-reported problems should drop back toward the normal baseline and stay there. In your own mailbox, you should be able to send and receive new mail reliably, not only sign in. Microsoft has said it does not have an ETA for full recovery yet.

Want a second set of eyes after service returns?

ADVYON has helped Lowcountry businesses with technology since 2008, from Summerville and Mt Pleasant. If email, calendars, or Teams still are not right once Microsoft is back online, book a free Discovery Meeting and we will help you sort it out. Call or text (843) 324-5824, email support@advyon.com as service returns, or visit advyon.com/contact/. See our managed IT services and Microsoft 365 pages for how we work.

Sources

Educational information for a developing incident, not a guarantee that any one mailbox is down or restored, and not a security audit. Details may change as Microsoft continues recovery. Sources checked 4:54 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. The hosts in the companion video are AI-generated presenters.