Microsoft 365 Outage: Is Outlook Still Not Working?
Updated: November 13, 2026
If Outlook suddenly stops opening, emails won’t send, or new messages don’t arrive, the problem may not be your computer. A major Microsoft 365 outage that began on November 12 disrupted Exchange Online and affected Outlook and other connected Microsoft services.
Microsoft reported significant recovery progress on November 13, with email queues approaching normal levels. However, some users may still experience intermittent access problems or delayed email delivery.
If you’re searching for Outlook not working today or wondering why your emails are missing, here’s what happened and what to check before changing your account settings.
Is Microsoft 365 Still Down?
The outage began on November 12 at approximately 16:17 UTC. It affected access to Exchange Online mailboxes through Outlook on the web, desktop connections, and mobile connections.
Some Microsoft 365 features that rely on Exchange Online were affected too, including certain Teams calendar and scheduling functions and Copilot experiences that need access to work data. This doesn’t mean every Microsoft 365 app or Teams feature stopped working.
By November 13, Microsoft was reporting improving service availability across several regions and email queues approaching normal levels. Some users could still encounter delayed messages or intermittent connection errors.
You can check the Microsoft 365 service status page for current information. For work or school accounts, your administrator can also check Service Health in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
For additional reporting on the incident, see The Associated Press’s Microsoft outage update.
Why Are Outlook Emails Still Delayed?
Getting back into your inbox doesn’t necessarily mean every email has been delivered.
During the outage, Microsoft reported delays in email delivery. As the affected infrastructure recovered, email queues began moving toward normal levels. This means some messages could arrive later than expected even after Outlook starts opening again.
Here’s how the symptoms may differ:
| What you notice | What to check |
|---|---|
| Outlook won’t connect | Microsoft 365 service status |
| New emails aren’t appearing | Delayed delivery or synchronization |
| Messages remain in Outbox | Sending status and connection |
| Outlook Web works, but desktop doesn’t | Local Outlook app or sync issue |
| Teams calendar isn’t updating | Exchange Online service health |
What to Do If Outlook Is Still Not Working
Before reinstalling Outlook or removing your account, try these checks in order.
1. Check Microsoft’s Service Status
Visit the Microsoft 365 status page and look for an Exchange Online incident.
If Microsoft still reports an active disruption, the problem may be outside your control. Avoid changing account settings while engineers are restoring the service.
2. Test Outlook on the Web
Open Outlook on the web and sign in to the same account.
If your inbox works in the browser but not in the desktop app, the problem may be limited to your computer or Outlook installation. Microsoft recommends this comparison when troubleshooting missing messages.
If neither version works, check the service status again before assuming your account is damaged.
3. Check Your Outbox and Sent Folder
If you tried sending emails during the outage, open your Outbox and check whether any messages are still waiting.
Then check Sent Items before sending them again. This helps prevent duplicate messages if an earlier attempt actually went through.
For important emails that remain missing, ask the recipient or sender to confirm whether the message was received.
4. Restart Outlook After Service Recovery
Once Microsoft reports improvement:
- Close Outlook completely.
- Reopen the app.
- Allow your mailbox to synchronize.
- Send a short test email.
- Check whether it appears in Sent Items and reaches the recipient.
You don’t need to delete your Outlook profile or reinstall the application just because Microsoft experienced an outage.
5. Ask Your Admin to Trace Missing Emails
If you use a work or school account and important messages are still missing, contact your Microsoft 365 administrator.
An administrator can use Message Trace in the Exchange admin center to check whether a specific email was delivered, delayed, or failed. Microsoft explains this process in its email delivery troubleshooting guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Outlook not receiving emails today?
The November 2026 Microsoft 365 outage affected Exchange Online mailbox access and email delivery. Some users may continue seeing delays while recovery progresses.
Will delayed Outlook emails arrive after the outage?
Some delayed messages may arrive as email processing returns to normal, but don’t assume every missing message was delivered. Verify important emails with the sender or your administrator.
Was the Microsoft 365 outage a cyberattack?
Microsoft said it had no indication that malicious activity caused the incident. Its full technical findings were not yet available in the updates covered here.
More Outlook & Email Guides from Neceb
- Outlook Attachments Not Opening? 7 Ways to Fix It
- Outlook Search Not Showing Recent Emails? 7 Fixes
- Gmail Not Receiving Emails? 10 Fixes That Work
Final Thoughts
The November 2026 Microsoft 365 outage affected more than just the Outlook inbox. Because Exchange Online supports several connected services, email access and related features were disrupted together.
If Outlook is still not working, check Microsoft’s service status first, test your mailbox online, and verify delayed messages before changing your account settings. Once the service has recovered, investigate any problems that remain on your device.
