Microsoft Races to Restore Systems After Global Outage Disrupts Businesses and Governments

Microsoft was working to repair a global service outage that disrupted businesses and government agencies, leaving users unable to access workplace software. According to Sina Finance, the outage began Thursday and continued into Friday, affecting Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Copilot, and other Microsoft 365 services; at its peak, Downdetector received more than 130,000 Outlook error reports. Charles Lamanna, Microsoft's executive vice president for Copilot, agents, and platform, said on X that there was no indication the outage resulted from a malicious attack or cyber intrusion. Government agencies in the United States, Australia, and Japan reported problems, including Australian police and intelligence agencies. Singapore said some government systems were affected, while emergency services continued to operate normally. Employees in India also complained about the disruption on social media after returning from the Diwali holiday. Richemont, the Swiss luxury group that owns Cartier and Chloé, said Friday that the outage delayed publication of its half-year results. U.S. electric truck maker Workhorse Group also postponed its quarterly disclosure on Thursday. Microsoft said on X Friday that its teams were working to restore services and that some recovery had occurred; the company had not responded to inquiries. Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said government shared IT infrastructure relying on Microsoft products had experienced an interruption. Downdetector received more than 4,600 reports of Microsoft 365 problems and over 3,500 Outlook reports as Japanese workers began their workday, with reports later declining. Japanese companies told media outlets that Outlook problems delayed email delivery. Logistics company Sagawa Express suspended same-day reservations for luggage storage at stations and airports nationwide. Local media reported that some banks and brokerages switched to fax machines to confirm transactions.