Microsoft 365 was still reporting a service-degradation incident on Friday morning, November 13, after a disruption that began on Thursday affected Outlook and other services connected to Exchange Online. Microsoft’s latest available service-health update, timestamped 9:04 am IST, said it was reviewing traffic flows and affected infrastructure to improve routing and stability. The company also said it had no indication that the incident resulted from malicious activity.
The disruption has affected users trying to reach mailboxes through Outlook on the web, Outlook desktop and mobile connections, while knock-on effects have been reported across parts of Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Copilot and other Microsoft 365 services. The precise experience can vary by tenant, region and connection method; Microsoft has not provided a confirmed time for full restoration in the latest update reviewed by GAWAH News Desk.
What is affected by the Microsoft 365 outage?
Microsoft’s incident notices identify Exchange Online as the principal affected service. Potentially affected mailbox access methods include Outlook on the web, Messaging API (MAPI), Exchange ActiveSync and REST-based connections. The wider Microsoft 365 incident notice also lists disruption to features in services that depend on Exchange Online, including some Teams calendar and scheduling functions, Copilot experiences, Microsoft Graph requests and selected administrative tools.
This does not mean every feature in every Microsoft application is unavailable. Microsoft has distinguished services and features that depend on Exchange Online from functions that can continue independently. Users should therefore check the service status for their own organisation rather than assume that all Microsoft 365 tools are down.
What has Microsoft said about the cause?
Microsoft’s service updates describe affected servers becoming unavailable and creating traffic-management imbalances. The company has been investigating why servers become unresponsive after traffic is returned to them, reviewing routing and infrastructure, and testing recovery measures. In its latest Exchange Online update reviewed for this report, Microsoft said it was examining traffic flows and affected infrastructure to identify routing improvements and verify the reasons for service failures.
Microsoft said there was no indication that the incident was caused by malicious activity. That is the company’s stated assessment at the time of its update; it should not be read as a detailed independent cybersecurity investigation.
What should Outlook and Microsoft 365 users do?
Users should check Microsoft’s public Microsoft 365 service status page and, where available, their organisation’s Microsoft 365 admin-centre Service Health panel for incident-specific guidance. Business and education users should follow their IT administrator’s instructions. If email access is essential, organisations may need to use their approved continuity procedures and alternative contact channels until their tenant’s services stabilise.
Avoid sharing passwords, one-time passcodes or recovery codes with anyone claiming to offer an urgent outage fix. Do not install software or follow unofficial links circulated in social posts or unsolicited messages. A service outage does not require users to disclose account credentials to restore access.
Is Outlook fixed now?
Not conclusively, based on the latest service-health update available to GAWAH News Desk at 9:30 am IST on November 13. Microsoft’s Exchange Online incident remained under service degradation, and its update described ongoing investigation and remediation rather than a confirmed resolution. Availability may improve unevenly as affected infrastructure is restored, so users should consult the live status page for subsequent updates.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Outlook not opening or connecting?
Microsoft has reported an Exchange Online incident affecting several mailbox connection methods. The impact may differ by region, tenant and application.
Are Teams and Copilot also affected?
Microsoft has listed some Teams and Copilot experiences among the services affected where they rely on Exchange Online or related Microsoft 365 components. Not every feature is necessarily unavailable.
Has Microsoft confirmed a cyberattack?
No. Microsoft said it had no indication that the incident resulted from malicious activity. Its investigation focused on infrastructure availability, server behaviour and traffic routing.
Featured image: Representative office-computer photograph by Clint Patterson via Unsplash.
Sources and updates
GAWAH News Desk reviewed Microsoft’s Exchange Online incident updates and Microsoft 365 service-health notices, alongside reporting by Reuters and the Associated Press. The service-health information is time-sensitive and may change after publication.
Updated: November 13, 2026, 9:30 am IST. This report will require a further update if Microsoft issues a confirmed restoration notice or materially changes its assessment.
