By The Katy News Staff
November 12, 2026
KATY, Texas — Microsoft reported Thursday that some users in the Americas had trouble accessing their Outlook mailboxes. The company later identified connection problems affecting other Microsoft 365 services, including Microsoft Teams.
Why Outlook was down for some users
Microsoft said the primary disruption affected Exchange Online, the service that hosts many work and school Outlook mailboxes. The company reported problems with several ways of connecting to those mailboxes, including Outlook on the web.
Some servers became unavailable after failing automated health checks, according to Microsoft. The company redirected traffic to ease pressure on affected systems and tested a different way to check server health. Microsoft said that test brought some servers back online and that it was rolling out the change more widely.
What happened with Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft reported that it resolved an earlier Teams incident in North America on Thursday. During that incident, some users experienced delays sending chat messages or had trouble loading conversations. Microsoft also listed Teams among the services that could be affected by the broader Microsoft 365 disruption.
How to check whether Outlook is back up
Katy-area readers who still have trouble opening a work or school inbox can check with their organization’s IT team or visit the Microsoft Service Health page.
Microsoft 365 administrators can find detailed updates in the Microsoft 365 admin center under EX1550543 for Outlook and Exchange Online and MO1550821 for the broader Microsoft 365 disruption.
