Microsoft 365 users experienced significant disruptions on Saturday due to a "problematic code change," which led to widespread access issues across several services. Reports of outages peaked around 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, with thousands of users unable to access crucial applications, particularly their Outlook email accounts. The outage represented another instance of service interruptions affecting popular platforms, following a recent outage of Slack earlier in the week.
According to data collected by Downdetector, users from various regions reported problems accessing one or more Microsoft 365 services. Many took to social media platforms to voice their frustrations, primarily focusing on the inability to retrieve emails through Outlook. This disruption was not confined to a specific geographical area, impacting users nationwide.
In response to the incident, Microsoft utilized its dedicated company page to inform users about the outage and its cause. The company stated, “Users were able to access Microsoft Teams but may have experienced degraded functionality, including inability to create chats or perform searches.” As the situation evolved, Microsoft worked diligently to resolve the issue, confirming that service was restored after reversion of the problematic code change.
"Following our reversion of the problematic code change, we’ve monitored service telemetry and confirmed that service is restored." – Microsoft
As users began reporting improvements and regained access to their accounts, Microsoft continued to monitor the situation closely. The company emphasized its commitment to addressing user concerns and minimizing disruptions in the future.
This outage serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by technology companies in maintaining seamless service delivery. The incident also highlights a growing trend of service disruptions across widely used platforms, with Slack having recently experienced similar issues affecting thousands of users.
