Sending, receiving, and organizing email in Outlook.com
A widespread Microsoft/Outlook outage is being reported today, November 12, 2026, so check Microsoft’s service status and wait until it returns to normal before changing your password or attempting account recovery.^1^
What to do now
- Open Microsoft’s service-status page.
- If Outlook is not shown as operating normally, wait and try again later. Microsoft specifically recommends waiting until the service is running normally.^2^
- When service is restored, open Outlook.com and select Sign in.
- Use your complete MSN email address and existing Microsoft account password. Do not create a new account.
“This site can’t be reached” normally means the browser cannot reach the website; it is not, by itself, evidence that your 20-year-old mailbox or password has been lost.
If service status is normal but the site remains unreachable
Try these in order:
- Open an InPrivate/Incognito browser window:
- Microsoft Edge or Chrome: press Ctrl+Shift+N.
- Then try Outlook.com again. A private window bypasses existing cookies and cached site data.^3^
- Switch temporarily from Wi-Fi to another connection, such as a phone’s mobile hotspot. If Outlook opens there, the original network, router, or DNS service is the likely area to troubleshoot.^3^
- If the private window works, clear the normal browser’s cookies and cached data, close the browser completely, reopen it, and sign in again.^4^
Only if the page opens but rejects the sign-in
Use Microsoft’s sign-in troubleshooter from the official Outlook.com sign-in guidance.^5^ Account recovery is appropriate for messages such as incorrect password, account blocked, or a request to verify your identity—not for “This site can’t be reached.”
If recovery still fails, Microsoft directs users who cannot sign in to the Microsoft account sign-in helper; Outlook.com support cannot manually bypass account security checks.^6^
Never post your email address, password, recovery code, or verification code in a public reply.
References
- Microsoft 365, Outlook Down for Thousands of US Users, Downdetector Shows
- How to sign in to Hotmail | Microsoft Support
- how come I can't sign into outlook mail that it can't be found - Microsoft Q&A
- Unable to access email account - Microsoft Q&A
- How to sign in to Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
- How to get support for Outlook.com | Microsoft Support