Microsoft 365 was down globally: Users faced issues accessing services across the platforms

• Microsoft 365 outage hit Outlook, Teams, and Exchange on January 23
• Over 15,000 reports at peak, with gradual service restoration later
• Microsoft is investigating the cause and monitoring service performance

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Microsoft 365 services experienced a disruption on January 23, impacting users across several regions, as indicated by outage-tracking platform Downdetector. Users reported difficulties accessing core services, prompting a sharp rise in complaints during peak hours before numbers began to ease.

According to Downdetector, reports crossed 15,000 at the height of the incident and later declined to a few thousand, suggesting gradual service restoration. The platform relies on user-submitted data and real-time signals, which means the scale of disruption could be broader than reported.

The outage affected multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Teams, Exchange, and administrative dashboards. Users flagged problems such as login failures, delayed or undelivered emails, and limited access to cloud-based tools. While a large number of reports originated from the United States, complaints were also recorded from other regions, pointing to a wider impact.

Microsoft acknowledged the disruption through its service status channels, stating that a section of its infrastructure was not handling traffic as intended. The company said it had initiated corrective steps, including redistributing traffic, to stabilise affected services.