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Widespread outage hits Microsoft email and other apps

By Associated Press & The Maui News 2 min read

A widespread outage hit Microsoft platforms including Outlook on Thursday, with many users encountering trouble using their email accounts and other errors across the tech giant’s suite of apps.

Thousands also reported issues with Microsoft’s workplace messaging app Teams, as well as its AI assistant Copilot and wider Microsoft 365 services. Microsoft said it was investigating disruptions, notably related to its email and Teams applications.

In a Facebook post, the Maui County Council advised people wishing to submit public comments by email to consider using its eComment system or providing live testimony in person, by phone or through Teams. To access the eComment system, visit tinyurl.com/4d2h9rxb and click the “eComment” link.

In updates posted on social media, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said it was aware of users "experiencing issues accessing Exchange Online mailboxes through multiple connection methods in the Americas."

Microsoft explained that a portion of its infrastructure was "experiencing elevated load” -- which it said was "likely contributing to the connectivity errors." The company determined a number of servers were "unexpectedly unavailable" due to a problem that caused them to fail during "automated health checks."

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused that failure. But Microsoft later said it was testing a fix and rolling out an alternative method for these checks to bring impacted servers back online.

"We’re aggressively pursuing all pathways to reduce impact," the Microsoft 365 Status account wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, the company said it had "successfully restored" problems related to Microsoft Teams in North America, although some users continued to report connectivity issues.

Starting at /week.