The November 12, 2026 symptoms match a reported Microsoft service disruption affecting Outlook sign-in, mail flow, and Copilot, so check Microsoft’s live service status and wait for restoration before changing account or application settings.^1^

1. Check whether the incident is resolved

Open the public Microsoft Service Health Status page. Microsoft directs Outlook.com users there when they cannot access the service.^2^

Look separately for problems involving:

• Outlook.com access or Microsoft account sign-in
• Email sending and receiving
• Copilot

If an incident shows Investigating, Service interruption, Restoring service, or Extended recovery, the fix is being handled on Microsoft’s side. Retry after the status changes to Service restored.^3^

Do not remove the account, reset Outlook, or change the password solely because the problem began during this incident. Those actions will not repair an active service outage. A Microsoft 365 subscription is not required to check status or obtain support for an Outlook.com account.

2. If service is restored but sign-in still fails

Use the Microsoft account sign-in helper. Microsoft specifies this route when an Outlook.com user cannot sign in.^4^

Follow its prompts for the exact condition displayed, such as an unrecognized password, blocked account, or verification problem. Record any error code or message shown; it will distinguish an account problem from an Outlook.com mailbox problem.

If the helper confirms that the Microsoft account works but Outlook.com still will not open, use the dedicated support path for users who cannot sign in.^5^

3. If sign-in works but mail still does not

First check Microsoft cloud storage. A full storage allocation stops both sending and receiving; incoming messages received while it is full are returned to their senders and cannot later be recovered.^5^

If storage is available:

1. Send a plain-text message to yourself without an attachment.
2. Check Other and Junk Email.
3. Select Filter → Sort → Date.
4. Open Settings → Mail → Rules and look for rules moving or deleting messages.
5. Open Settings → Mail → Forwarding and check for unintended forwarding.
6. If only sending fails, remove any attachment over 25 MB and try again.^5^

If these checks fail, select Help in Outlook.com, search for the issue, scroll to Still need help?, and select Yes to request support.^4^

4. If Outlook recovers but Copilot still does not reply

Treat that as a separate connectivity problem after the service incident is cleared:

1. Open the Windows Get Help app.
2. Search for Copilot connectivity troubleshooter.
3. Run it and apply any reported remedy. It checks for firewall rules and other connection blockers.^6^

If Copilot remains unresponsive, use … → Send feedback → Report a problem in the Copilot app and include the start time, device, operating system, and a screenshot.^7^

References

1. Microsoft 365, Outlook down for thousands of US users, Downdetector shows
2. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
3. How to check Microsoft 365 service health
4. How to get support for Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
5. Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
6. Copilot troubleshooters | Microsoft Support
7. Troubleshoot Your Content in the Updated Copilot App | Microsoft Support