Is Outlook down?

Understanding Outlook availability

Outlook availability is not a single yes-or-no condition. The web interface may open while sign-in, sending, receiving, folder loading, or another mail function is unavailable. An issue can also affect one account, region, browser, device, or network without being a broad Outlook outage.

The official Microsoft 365 service-status page is the best place to check Microsoft’s published incident information. If it shows an Outlook-related incident, repeated browser changes are unlikely to resolve the underlying service problem. If no relevant incident appears, compare the same action across another browser, device, or network before concluding that Outlook is down.

When reporting the problem, record the affected action, exact error message, start time, account scope, browser, device, and network. This information helps distinguish a service-wide issue from authentication, connectivity, or local configuration problems.

Outlook troubleshooting

Check for a Microsoft 365 incident first

Open the official Microsoft 365 service-status page and look for an incident affecting Outlook or a related Microsoft 365 service. If Microsoft reports an active issue, avoid repeatedly changing local settings and retry after the incident information changes.

If no relevant incident is listed, test the same Outlook action on another network or device. A problem that affects several environments is less likely to be limited to one browser or connection.

If Outlook will not load

• Refresh once, then try a private or incognito window.
• Test another browser or device.
• Temporarily disable extensions that change page scripts, cookies, or privacy behavior.
• Check whether other websites load. If they do not, investigate the connection rather than Outlook alone.

A successful test in a private window or different browser points toward cached data, an extension, or browser configuration. Failure across browsers and devices warrants another service-status check.

If Outlook sign-in fails

Read the exact authentication message and confirm that the account identifier and password are entered correctly. Test the account in another browser or device. If other users can sign in but one account cannot, an account-specific authentication or verification issue is more plausible than a general outage.

Use Microsoft’s normal account-recovery or support process when the message indicates an account, authentication, or verification problem. Do not give passwords or verification codes to anyone offering unofficial assistance.

If mail is not sending, arriving, or loading

Identify whether the problem affects all mail, one folder, one conversation, new messages, or only sending. Reload Outlook and, when sending is the affected action, try a small new test message. If the same mail operation fails on more than one device or network, check the Microsoft 365 status page for a partial incident affecting Outlook functions.

If only one browser or device is affected

Try a private window, another browser, or another device. A result that changes between browsers points toward extensions, cached data, cookies, or browser settings. A result limited to one device may indicate local software, device configuration, or connectivity conditions.

If only one network is affected

Test Outlook on another network, such as a mobile connection. If the result changes, investigate DNS, proxy, firewall, filtering, or other network conditions. Corporate and school networks may apply access policies; contact the relevant network administrator when only that network is affected.

When to use error-code guidance

Preserve the exact text for a specific connection or browser error and use guidance for that error rather than applying unrelated fixes. Record the affected page or action, time, browser, device, and network when asking for support.