Microsoft's initial fix fails as global Outlook outage persists

Microsoft is working to resolve a major global Outlook outage, but its initial repair efforts have failed, prompting the company to seek alternative solutions as users worldwide lose access to critical services. The hours-long disruption, attributed to "elevated load" on Microsoft's infrastructure, has affected email, Teams, and the AI assistant Copilot. The outage spread globally within an hour, impacting 74 countries and territories, according to Downdetector. Affected users include governments and companies, such as New Zealand's foreign ministry, which reported email disruptions across its embassies. Microsoft confirmed the issue affects Microsoft 365 service connectivity in any region and is aggressively pursuing pathways to reduce impact.