status outloook email outages

There are current user reports of Outlook/Outlook.com receiving problems on November 12, 2026, but Microsoft’s live dashboard must be checked to determine whether Microsoft has formally confirmed an outage affecting your region or account.^1^

Check the official status

Open Microsoft’s Service Health Status site and look for Outlook.com. Microsoft directs Outlook.com users there for current service availability.^2^

• If it shows an active incident, no local repair is required; monitor that page for recovery updates.
• If it shows normal service, determine whether this is specific to your mailbox.

Check your mailbox

1. Sign in to Outlook.com in a web browser rather than relying only on the desktop or mobile app.
2. Send a new test message from another email provider.
3. Check Other, Junk Email, Deleted Items, Archive, and custom folders.
4. Select Filter → Sort → Date so the latest messages appear first.
5. Open Settings → Mail and review Rules, Forwarding, and Junk email for settings that redirect or block incoming messages.
6. Open Settings → General → Storage. If Microsoft cloud storage is full, Outlook.com cannot send or receive mail. Messages sent while it was full are bounced to senders and cannot later be recovered.^3^
7. Ask the test-message sender whether they received a non-delivery report; its error text can identify whether delivery failed before reaching your mailbox.

If storage is available, no rule or forwarding setting explains the issue, and messages from multiple senders still do not arrive, select Help in Outlook.com, search for cannot receive emails, then choose Still need help? → Yes to request Outlook.com support.^3^

References

1. Microsoft Outlook down? Current problems and outages | US
2. Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
3. Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com | Microsoft Support