Key Takeaways
- Thousands of Microsoft 365 users are reporting outages on January 22, 2026, according to Downdetector
- The majority of reported issues (61%) are related to Microsoft Exchange, the enterprise messaging and collaboration platform
- Approximately 32% of reported issues are related to the Microsoft 365 Administration Center, used by IT teams
- Microsoft has identified a portion of service infrastructure in North America that is not processing traffic as expected and is working to restore it to a healthy state
- The company has restored the affected infrastructure to a healthy state and is directing traffic to alternate infrastructure to achieve recovery
Introduction to the Outage
The technology giant Microsoft is experiencing a significant outage, with thousands of users reporting issues with their Microsoft 365 services. According to Downdetector, a real-time status platform, over 12,000 people reported outages around 4:30 p.m. ET on January 22, 2026. This outage has affected various Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Purview. The majority of reported issues are related to Microsoft Exchange, the company’s enterprise messaging and collaboration platform, which provides business-class email, calendars, contacts, and tasks.
Causes of the Outage
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is working to resolve it. In a post on an X account at 2:37 p.m. ET, the company stated that it was investigating a potential issue impacting multiple Microsoft 365 services. A follow-up post at 3:17 p.m. ET revealed that the company had identified a portion of service infrastructure in North America that was not processing traffic as expected. This infrastructure issue is believed to be the primary cause of the outage. Microsoft’s IT teams are working to restore the infrastructure to a healthy state to achieve recovery.
Impact on Users
The outage has had a significant impact on Microsoft 365 users, particularly those who rely on Microsoft Exchange for their business operations. With 61% of reported issues related to Microsoft Exchange, many users are experiencing disruptions to their email, calendar, and contact services. Additionally, 32% of reported issues are related to the Microsoft 365 Administration Center, which is largely used by IT teams to manage and administer Microsoft 365 services. This has likely caused difficulties for IT teams in managing and troubleshooting the issue.
Resolution Efforts
Microsoft has been working to resolve the issue and has made significant progress. As of 4:14 p.m. ET, the company announced that it had restored the affected infrastructure to a healthy state. Furthermore, Microsoft is directing traffic to alternate infrastructure to achieve recovery. This means that users should start to see improvements in their Microsoft 365 services, and the outage should be fully resolved soon. Microsoft’s prompt response and efforts to resolve the issue demonstrate the company’s commitment to providing reliable and high-quality services to its users.
Conclusion
The Microsoft 365 outage on January 22, 2026, has affected thousands of users and has had a significant impact on business operations. However, Microsoft’s swift response and efforts to resolve the issue have mitigated the effects of the outage. The company’s transparency and communication throughout the process have also helped to keep users informed and updated. As the issue is resolved, Microsoft 365 users can expect to see a return to normal service, and the company will likely conduct a thorough investigation to prevent similar outages in the future.
