Check the Microsoft 365 status: is it Microsoft or you?
Outlook won't load, Teams shows an error. Is it the major Microsoft outage, or something in your own network or account? That difference decides what you do: wait, or step in yourself. Here you can read where to see the status of Microsoft 365, as a user and as an administrator, and how to rule out in a few minutes that the problem is on your side.
Go to status.cloud.microsoft. If something isn't working there and your admin centre is reachable, check under Service health. During the November 2026 outage, the incidents are EX1550543 and MO1550821.
Below that you will find the steps to rule out your own environment, and a check for your own domain. Status as of Friday 13 November 2026, 10:15.
Where to see the Microsoft 365 status
- The public status page status.cloud.microsoft is there for when the admin centre itself isn't working.
- Under Service health, the Microsoft 365 admin centre shows the incidents affecting your own organisation.
- The @MSFT365Status account on X gives short updates during major outages.
- Downdetector shows that many people are complaining, not why. It doesn't replace Microsoft's own source.
- If everything works at Microsoft but not at your end, the problem is often in your network, device or account.
Microsoft has two places for the status of Microsoft 365. The most important is the Microsoft 365 admin centre, under Service health. It lists the incidents that apply to your organisation, with what is affected for each incident and when the next update is due. Only administrators can see that page.
If the admin centre itself isn't working, which can happen during a major outage, Microsoft posts the most important notices on the public Microsoft status page. You can read it without logging in. On Friday morning 13 November, it shows a notice that users may be unable to connect to several Microsoft 365 services, with the status disruption. Short updates also appear on @MSFT365Status on X.
Where to find the Microsoft 365 status
| Source | Who it's for | What you see there |
|---|---|---|
| Admin centre, Service health | Your organisation's administrators | Incidents for your tenant, with numbers, impact and next update |
| status.cloud.microsoft | Everyone, no login required | Major outages, especially when the admin centre isn't working |
| @MSFT365Status on X | Everyone | Short updates during major incidents, with a reference to the incident number |
| Downdetector and similar sites | Everyone | How many people are reporting problems. No cause, no official status |
What the incident numbers mean
Microsoft gives every incident a code. The letters indicate which service is affected: EX stands for Exchange Online, TM for Teams, MO for Microsoft 365 in general. For this outage, Microsoft first opened EX1550543 for the mailbox problems, and then MO1550821 for the wider impact on Teams, SharePoint, Copilot and Defender (SecurityWeek, BleepingComputer).
Earlier on 12 November there was a separate Teams incident, TM1550488, with delayed messages for users in North and South America. According to Microsoft, it was resolved in a little over an hour. Microsoft hasn't said whether it is related to the major outage (BleepingComputer). Quote the number when you contact your IT partner or Microsoft: that way everyone immediately knows which problem you mean.
Is it Microsoft or is it you?
With this check you can see in a few seconds whether your email runs through Microsoft 365, whether Microsoft recognises your domain, and what Microsoft's status page is currently reporting. That tells you whether the outage is likely to affect you too.
Enter the domain of your email address. We check whether your email runs through Microsoft 365 and whether Microsoft recognises your domain, and compare that with Microsoft's current status.
We only look up public DNS records for your domain and the public sign-in details at Microsoft. We don't store your domain, only how often each result occurs.
Loading the overview.
Every 2 minutes we fetch Microsoft's public status page and, from an Appfront server, check whether the public endpoints for Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and the sign-in service respond, and how quickly. This tells you something about the service in general, not about your own tenant: an endpoint can respond while your mailbox still won't load. Your administrator can see your own status in the Microsoft 365 admin centre under Service health.
How to rule out your own environment
If Microsoft isn't reporting an outage, or everything works for your colleagues, the problem probably lies closer to home. Four steps tell you quickly where to look.
- Try another device
Does Outlook on the web work on your phone over mobile data? Then the problem is in your computer or your network, not at Microsoft.
- Try another network
If it works at home but not at the office, look at your organisation's firewall, proxy or VPN.
- Ask a colleague
If only you have the problem, it is often down to your account: an expired password, a licence or a prompt in the authenticator app.
- Look at the error message
Note the error code and the time. With those, your administrator or IT partner can search the Microsoft 365 logs.
A status page never asks for your password. If a page about the outage asks you to sign in with your Microsoft account, it is almost certainly phishing.
For administrators: how to follow the incident
In the admin centre, open Service health and search for EX1550543 and MO1550821. Under More information, each incident lists which components are affected. Microsoft keeps that list up to date; for this outage it has already been changed several times. Under Next update you can see when Microsoft will next post something.
If the admin centre won't load, use the public status page and set up an alert on the incident as soon as the admin centre works again. In the meantime, record when you saw which problems and how many users were affected. You will need that later for a review and for any claim under the SLA.
What the SLA says about this is covered in the article on SLAs and compensation. For the timeline and all affected services, read the overview of the outage.
incidents for this outage in the admin centre: EX1550543 and MO1550821.
steps to rule out your own device, network or account as the cause.
countries where the outage is noticeable, according to NOS.
Frequently asked questions
Checking the status of Microsoft 365.
Where can I see whether Microsoft 365 has an outage?
At status.cloud.microsoft, without signing in. Administrators can see the incidents for their own organisation under Service health in the Microsoft 365 admin centre.
What do EX1550543 and MO1550821 mean?
These are the incident numbers for the November 2026 outage. EX stands for Exchange Online, MO for Microsoft 365 in general.
Is Downdetector reliable?
Downdetector counts reports from users. It shows that many people are having problems, but not why. Use it alongside Microsoft's status page, not instead of it.
How do I know whether it's my own network?
Try another device or network, for example your phone on mobile data. If it works there, the problem is probably in your computer, network or VPN.
What if the admin centre itself won't load?
Microsoft then posts the most important updates on status.cloud.microsoft and on @MSFT365Status on X. Once the admin centre works again, the full information is there.
Do I need to sign in to a status page?
No. Microsoft's public status page never asks for your password. A page about the outage that does is almost certainly phishing.
Want to know sooner when something is wrong?
Appfront builds custom software and integrations, including with Microsoft 365. Want your own systems to detect an outage themselves and report it cleanly instead of hanging? Schedule a call with a developer.