A widespread service disruption is affecting Microsoft Outlook users, with customers reporting an inability to access their mailboxes across all platforms.
The outage began late Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at approximately 10:20 PM UTC. The issue impacts multiple access methods, including Outlook.com, Outlook Mobile, and the Outlook desktop client. While Microsoft states that a fix is being deployed and progressing faster than expected, users continue to report persistent problems accessing their email.
Microsoft first acknowledged the issue via its X account earlier today. An update posted several hours later stated that the root cause had been identified and a fix was being rolled out under the company's safe change management process. The firm expects the fix to gradually restore access over time.
The problem appears to be rooted in an authentication-related failure within Microsoft's mailbox infrastructure. Initial assessments pointed to performance degradation in a portion of that infrastructure, which hindered client authentication and mailbox access. Microsoft later confirmed that an “authentication component” was likely at fault, though full technical details have not been disclosed.
Outlook.com is part of Microsoft's broader consumer Microsoft 365 offering, which includes cloud-based services like OneDrive, Skype, and Teams. Microsoft Outlook, formerly known as Hotmail, remains one of the most widely used email platforms globally, serving hundreds of millions of individual users and small businesses. While most other Microsoft 365 consumer services are operating normally, Outlook remains the sole product currently flagged as interrupted.
Public frustration has mounted as users report continued outages across different browsers, devices, and connection types. On Twitter, users noted that while they could sign into Microsoft.com, they received an error when trying to access their Hotmail account via any browser or device. Others echoed similar complaints, indicating the issue is not resolved for all users, despite Microsoft's optimistic timeline.
As of the latest status page update, Microsoft has not provided a definitive ETA for full restoration.
If you're unable to access your Outlook mailbox, try using a different connection method to see if access is partially restored. Avoid repeated sign-in attempts, which could exacerbate authentication issues or trigger account lockouts. If you're dependent on email access for time-sensitive tasks, consider setting up temporary forwarding or using alternate communication channels.
Leave a Reply