Microsoft restores all services after global technical outage affects 70 countries

Microsoft announced on November 15, 2026, that all services have been fully restored to all customers and regions following a major global technical outage. The disruption, which began on Thursday, November 13, 2026, impacted more than 70 countries and territories across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Microsoft confirmed that the incident was not caused by a cyberattack or artificial intelligence.

Causes of the technical disruption

The technical issue stemmed from a mistake during a previous network capacity expansion and a network configuration change. Microsoft stated that the company has completed work to resolve the initial causes of the incident and has restored services to the remaining affected customers and regions. While the disruption caused significant global issues, Microsoft stated that they found no signs of malicious activity or a cyberattack.

The outage primarily affected several key applications used by millions of people. These applications included Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft Copilot. Because these tools are essential for modern digital workflows, the disruption had a wide-reaching impact on the daily operations of approximately 430 million users worldwide.

Global impact on institutions

The disruption was initially detected primarily in the United States but quickly spread to other parts of the world. The outage impacted government institutions, businesses, and financial institutions globally. In the United Kingdom, the outage affected the Cabinet Office and the Ministries of Transport, Justice, and Energy, as well as police stations and schools. Government institutions in Australia, Japan, and India were also affected, along with various European stock exchanges.

The impact was felt heavily by major industrial and transport entities in Europe. In Germany, the outage affected companies including Siemens, Deutsche Bahn, and Volkswagen. The scale of the event highlighted how many essential services rely on a small group of large technology providers to function.

Microsoft response and recovery

Microsoft expressed deep regret for the global disruption caused by the technical error. The company has worked to ensure that all services are once again operational for its global user base. The recovery process focused on resolving the configuration errors that occurred during the network capacity expansion.

The incident serves as a significant example of the heavy dependence that modern companies and essential services have on large-scale technology providers. As the company moves forward, the focus remains on maintaining the stability of the network for its 430 million users across all affected regions and territories.

Glossary

• Microsoft 365 — Microsoft 365 is a service that includes various applications and services. It is used by millions of people for modern digital workflows.
• Microsoft Teams — Microsoft Teams is a key application used by millions of people. It is an essential tool for modern digital workflows.
• Microsoft Copilot — Microsoft Copilot is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Microsoft AI. It is based on the Microsoft Prometheus large language model.
• Cabinet Office — The Cabinet Office is an agency that handles the day-to-day affairs of the Cabinet. It is formally headed by the Prime Minister.
• Deutsche Bahn — Deutsche Bahn is a transport entity in Europe.