Outlook web access disruptions impact over 80% of users, Microsoft launches investigation

Microsoft is investigating a widespread issue affecting its Outlook and Teams services, which appears to have begun around 8am on Monday.

The problem, which has impacted users across the UK and Europe, has primarily affected Outlook when accessed through the web. More than 80% of reported issues are related to Outlook, with users struggling to log in or connect to the server.

In a statement on social media platform X, Microsoft 365 Status said: "We're investigating an issue impacting users attempting to access Exchange Online or functionality within Microsoft Teams calendar."

Exchange Online, a key platform for business communications, offers email, contacts, and calendar services through cloud-based applications. The disruption has led to significant problems for users trying to access their emails and other functions.

Down Detector, a website that tracks online outages, confirmed that the issues began around 8am on Monday. The platform reported that 87% of the incidents involved problems accessing Outlook via the web, with additional difficulties related to server connections and logins.

Social media posts from affected users painted a picture of widespread frustration. One user shared: "When you need to check an important mail, but #outlook decides to not work..." Another user in Belgium commented: "Here in Belgium mainly issues with tracking of email in Dynamics 365. Inbound and outbound in Outlook still work."

In response, Microsoft has directed users to its admin centre, which is specifically designed for business network administrators and IT professionals. Access to this page requires a login, providing assistance for those managing organisational accounts.

As investigations continue, users remain hopeful that the issues will be resolved soon.