Microsoft struggling to restore service as global outage affects Outlook and Teams

Detailed summary

Microsoft said the outage was caused by servers unexpected becoming unavailable, straining other systems.

Microsoft is struggling to fix a major global outage of its service that is reportedly affecting tens of thousands of users.

Services including Teams, Outlook and Microsoft's artificial intelligence software Copilot have been affected by "connectivity problems".

"We're aggressively pursuing all pathways to reduce impact," the company wrote on X.

Reports of problems with Outlook peaked globally at nearly 140,000 around 18:00 GMT on Thursday, according to monitoring website Downdetector.

The BBC understands there is no indication the outage was caused by a cyber-attack.

The disruption affects programs that are part of Microsoft 365 - a popular online service among businesses that allows them to use workplace tools like Outlook, Teams and OneDrive.

For international organisations, this platform is essential for connecting and collaborating with colleagues around the world.

Microsoft said in a series of updates on X that the outage was caused by a number of servers "being unexpectedly unavailable", straining its remaining systems.

The company is working to address the issues with its services, said a Microsoft spokesperson.

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