Microsoft Outage: Courts, Spies, and MPs Hit Worldwide

A massive Microsoft outage has disrupted services across at least 74 countries, affecting everything from court systems to spy agencies, and even prompting some to revert to fax machines. The disruption, which began after midday US Eastern Time on Thursday, has left Microsoft 365 services, including Teams, Outlook, and AI software Copilot, grappling with connectivity problems, according to the company.

Global Disruption

In the United States, staff at the House of Representatives reported that their work had been halted. One staff member told Politico that the outage had been a challenge, saying, "We all use Outlook, that's our life, everything is there, our calendar is there, our boss's calendar... There goes a day of legislative work." Tech giants OpenAI and Anthropic also reported issues. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, said it was investigating a problem affecting its connections to Microsoft's services, causing some tools to malfunction. Courts from Los Angeles to Texas warned of potential delays in communications. Electric truck manufacturer Workhorse Group postponed its third-quarter earnings report from 12 November to 16 November, citing business disruptions. Some US cities, like Austin, Texas, advised residents to call local offices instead of using email. "Due to an ongoing Microsoft Outlook outage, City of Austin employees cannot receive or send emails at this time," the city posted on X. "City phone lines remain operational, and 911 Emergency services are not impacted."

International Impact

In Canada, CBC reported that a healthcare network in Toronto declared a code grey, indicating an infrastructure failure. Unity Health Toronto said its teams were having trouble with email but that patient care was not affected. In Japan, some companies turned to fax machines to maintain communications. "Can't send emails because of a Microsoft outage, so we're switching to fax for the regular updates we usually send as PDFs. Analog is strong," one X user was quoted as saying by the Japan Times. The Japanese government confirmed its shared IT platform had been disrupted. "We understand that Microsoft is working to restore services, and we will continue to monitor the company's response," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki told reporters. Singapore also reported that some government systems were affected but stressed that emergency services remained fully operational. The country's courts said they were experiencing issues with emails and urged people to contact them by phone for urgent matters. In the Philippines, the Supreme Court warned of delays in email responses and other transactions.

Workplace Chaos

In India, the outage disrupted work on Friday, with emails not being delivered and Teams calls not going through smoothly. People in the equity markets told the BBC they panicked when they could not access daily research reports before their morning meetings. "Outlook wasn't working. We fortunately have an alternative so it was not a problem. But we conduct most of our calls, especially with big clients, on Teams - that has been a challenge," a senior executive at a large Indian brokerage said on condition of anonymity. In China, where local software like WPS Office is popular, the outage still caused frustration as Outlook is one of the few reliable channels for international communication. China's internet censorship, known as the Great Firewall, restricts access to many Western websites, making Outlook particularly important.

Security and Government Response

Australia's spy and federal police agencies were affected, though officials suggested the impact was minimal. "The impact that they are dealing with is very much on email system," said Mike Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Other Australian public service providers also confirmed disruptions, mostly limited to emails. There were no major impacts on New South Wales' primary services in health, education, transport, and emergency services, according to the BBC. European stock market operator Euronext advised listed companies to use the phone to communicate corporate information due to the Outlook disruption. In the UK, GPs, police, and pharmacies were among those affected. Some GP surgeries urged patients not to submit messages via their websites, while several large police forces asked the public to call if they wanted to make a report. MPs at Westminster reported that their access to Microsoft products via parliamentary accounts was down. A parliamentary spokesperson said, "We are aware of the global issue affecting Microsoft email services, which is impacting users of the parliamentary network. We are working with Microsoft to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. Alternative communication arrangements are in place, allowing today's business to continue."

Unaffected Regions

Some parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa remain unaffected, according to Downdetector. These include Russia, where Microsoft applications are heavily restricted or phased out in favor of domestic alternatives. However, the lack of reports could also be due to under-reporting in countries where Downdetector is blocked by censorship.