Outlook or Microsoft 365 not working? What to do
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If your email, Teams or other Microsoft apps suddenly stop working, the problem is often with Microsoft, not your computer. Here’s how to check, what to do, and what to avoid.
Is it Microsoft, or is it me?
- Check Microsoft’s status page: status.cloud.microsoft
- Check Microsoft 365 Status on X: @MSFT365Status
If other people at work or in your area have the same problem at the same time, it’s almost certainly Microsoft.
If only you have the problem and Microsoft says everything is fine, it may be your computer, phone or internet. That’s something we can help with.
What to do
1Wait before re-sending emails
Email is usually delayed, not lost. Microsoft holds on to messages and delivers them once things are working again. If you re-send, the other person may get it twice.
2Use the phone for anything urgent
If it can’t wait, call the person instead.
3Check your calendar afterwards
Meeting invites and replies sent during an outage can arrive late. Double-check anything booked or changed around that time.
What not to do
Don’t reinstall Office or Outlook
It won’t fix a Microsoft fault, and you could lose settings.
Don’t reset your password because of the outage
Your password isn’t the problem.
Don’t keep removing and re-adding your email account
Wait for Microsoft to fix things first.
Watch out for scam emails
- Scammers use outages as cover. Be careful with any email saying your account needs “restoring”, “verifying” or a password reset because of the outage.
- Microsoft won’t ask you to do this. Don’t click the link. Go to the website yourself, or ask us.
- Take extra care with links in emails that arrived during the outage. Some of Microsoft’s link-checking was affected.
Not sure about an email? Send us a screenshot and we’ll check it for free. More tips in our cyber security checks.
After it’s fixed, you may notice…
- A pile of old emails arriving at once, sometimes out of order.
- A “message not delivered” notice turning up a day or two later.
- The same email twice, if someone re-sent it.
- Outlook asking you to sign in again. This is normal after an outage. Just sign in on the usual Microsoft page.
Still not working after Microsoft says it’s fixed?
If your email, Outlook or Teams still isn’t right once Microsoft says everything is back to normal, the problem may be on your computer or phone. We can help.
Remote support (Windows only): £35 for 30 minutes, £55 for an hour, no travel charge.
Please call us first so we can check remote support is right for the problem.
Prefer us to come to you? Book a call-out online. A quick fix is our Express rate, £45; a bigger job is a Full Service call-out, £70 (£55 and £80 for locations requiring extra travel). The price is agreed first.
Common questions
Is Outlook down, or is it just me?
Check Microsoft’s status page (status.cloud.microsoft) or Microsoft 365 Status on X. If other people at work or in your area have the same problem at the same time, it’s almost certainly Microsoft.
Will I lose emails sent during an outage?
Usually not. Email is usually delayed, not lost. Microsoft holds on to messages and delivers them once things are working again, so wait before re-sending.
Should I reset my password or reinstall Outlook?
No. Your password isn’t the problem, and reinstalling Office or Outlook won’t fix a Microsoft fault. You could lose settings. Wait for Microsoft to fix things first.
Why is Outlook asking me to sign in again?
This is normal after an outage. Just sign in on the usual Microsoft page. Be careful with any email asking you to sign in or reset your password because of the outage: go to the website yourself instead of using the link.
What if it’s still not working after Microsoft says it’s fixed?
The problem may be on your computer or phone. We can help with remote support on Windows (£35 for 30 minutes, £55 for an hour, no travel charge) or a call-out. Please call us first on 01633 859991.
Sources
- Microsoft 365 service status: https://status.cloud.microsoft
- Microsoft 365 Status on X: https://x.com/MSFT365Status
- Outage details from Microsoft’s own updates, as reported by CNN, TechRadar and Windows Central, 13 November 2026.
Written by Jason, Icon Computing. Last checked .
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