Microsoft outage: What to do when Outlook fails and free alternatives to try

Millions of users worldwide experienced technical issues with Microsoft services on Thursday, November 12, primarily affecting the Outlook email platform, along with Teams and the Copilot AI assistant. Microsoft confirmed the outage was widespread, impacting users in Europe, Africa, and beyond, citing overloaded infrastructure. The company reported only "marginal success" in fixing the issue, with most complaints originating from the Americas, according to Downdetector. Switching apps or email clients will not resolve the problem, as the fault affects access to Exchange Online mailboxes regardless of connection method. Users with cached data can work offline via Exchange cache mode or the "Work Offline" button. For communication during the outage, experts recommend using non-Microsoft channels like Slack or Google Chat, and file-sharing services such as WeTransfer or Google Drive. Free email alternatives include Gmail, which offers integrated Google services, and Proton Mail, a Swiss open-source provider with end-to-end encryption, though both have limitations on custom domains and storage.