In 3 points:

Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, Copilot and more than 10 other services were offline for nearly 24 hours, affecting users in at least 70 countries.

The cause was a problem during a previous network capacity expansion, not a cyberattack or AI agents, according to Microsoft.

Services were back online around 3 p.m. ET on Friday, with gradual recovery and stability validation at each stage.

Microsoft apologized for the global outage that left millions of users without access to email, messaging and AI tools. The company attributed the outage to a previous "network capacity upgrade" and dismissed any relationship to cyberattacks or AI/agents.

The disruption began on Thursday afternoon in the Americas and extended through working days in Asia and Europe. Businesses, governments, schools and even court systems were affected. In the UK, NHS staff experienced disruptions, while in Japan some companies temporarily resorted to fax.

Microsoft said it restored services gradually, validating stability at each stage to ensure a robust recovery. Emails held during the outage will be queued for up to 48 hours instead of bouncing back, to ensure delivery.

Impact on Latin America: The outage reignited the debate about dependence on technological infrastructure concentrated in a single provider. In Mexico and other countries in the region, companies that operate with Microsoft 365 faced interruptions in internal communications and administrative processes, with no immediate alternatives available.

What's next: Microsoft will publish a full post-incident report once its internal review concludes. The company said it will continue to restore service to the remaining customers and regions while monitoring stability.

Sources:

• BBC News - Microsoft apologizes for global outage after nearly 24 hours of outage

• Forbes Australia - Outlook and Teams return after 24 hours of outage

• Windows Central – Microsoft apologizes for 24-hour drop, dismisses AI as cause

• Engadget - Microsoft services return after outage that left out Outlook, Teams and more

• CNBC - Microsoft works to restore Outlook and other 365 services

Image: Unsplash

Originally published in Digitalia.