Microsoft services improving but not fully restored after global outage

Microsoft says its email and other services are improving but not fully restored more than 24 hours after a global outage disrupted communications across 74 countries. The failure, caused by overloaded servers, began around 16:00 GMT on Thursday, with no sign of a cyberattack. The outage affected Microsoft 365 services including Outlook, Teams, and Copilot, disrupting governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. Microsoft reported email queues significantly reduced and approaching normal levels, with improvements across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific, though some services remain spotty. The disruption forced some users to resort to fax machines and phone calls, impacting rail operators, hospitals, and government offices. Microsoft, valued at over $3.8 trillion, said it will review the incident and implement measures to prevent future disruptions, with its stock remaining mostly flat on Friday.