3 Quick Things to Know
- Outlook is currently down due to a major Email Outage, with login errors and slow performance affecting millions.
- Microsoft says the issue likely stems from internal mailbox authentication—not a cyberattack.
- A fix is in the works, but there’s no confirmed timeline yet.
Outlook Down: Users Face Login Errors and Delays
It’s not the kind of start anyone wants to their day. As millions of people fired up
Microsoft Outlook this morning whether at home over coffee or just settling into the office they were hit with an unexpected surprise: Outlook wasn’t working.
From login issues to slow load times and strange license error messages, this widespread Email Outage is leaving users frustrated and scrambling.
What’s Actually Going On?
Microsoft Outlook, one of the world’s most-used email platforms, is experiencing a global Email Outage that began early today.
According to outage tracking site DownDetector, the bulk of user complaints (over 60%) are related to login problems. For some, Outlook won’t even load. For others, it opens but runs painfully slowly.
A number of users are even getting a confusing message saying they don’t have a valid license to use the service.
So what’s causing it? That’s still unclear.
Is It a Cyberattack? Probably Not.
Whenever there is a big outage, people naturally consider the worst – perhaps a cyber attack. But in this case, Microsoft did not receive any indication of foul play.
Instead, the company believes the Email Outage might be tied to a glitch in Outlook’s mailbox authentication system.
That’s the part that handles logins and user verification.
If that system misfires, users won’t be able to sign in even if their account is perfectly fine.
We’ve seen similar problems before. Back in June, Outlook crashed because it couldn’t access something called the “Forms Library.”
Additionally, several Microsoft 365 services were momentarily unavailable in March of this year due to a poorly executed update.
Therefore, it’s not out of the ordinary and is probably not a long-term concern.
Microsoft Says They’re On It
Microsoft has confirmed the Email Outage through its Office 365 Service Health portal and on X (formerly Twitter).
They’ve acknowledged that users are running into login errors and slow performance.
His engineering team is already investigating, and has promised regular updates.
If the previous outages are no indication, the Microsoft will probably identify the issue and soon roll out a fix.
But until then, users are left in the limbo.
Here’s What You Can Do (For Now)
Until Microsoft rolls out a fix, here are a few things you can try:
- Log out and back in – Some users report this helps, but it’s hit or miss.
- Use the web version – If you’re using the desktop app, try logging in from your browser instead.
- Keep an eye on updates – Microsoft posts live updates at their Office status page, and @MSFT365Status on X.
If you rely on Outlook for work, it’s a good idea to temporarily switch to an alternate email service—just to stay productive.
Don’t Confuse This With the Authenticator Update
Some headlines are trying to link this Email Outage to Microsoft’s recent announcement about the Authenticator app.
Starting in August, Authenticator will stop storing passwords, but that has nothing to do with today’s Outlook issues.
This outage appears to be entirely separate.
