Microsoft Outlook and Hotmail Down: Users Report Widespread Email Login Issues and Server Errors
Millions of users across the globe faced major disruptions Thursday morning as Microsoft Outlook and Hotmail experienced widespread outages. The partial service failure affected login access, email syncing, and server connectivity on both desktop and mobile.
Thousands of Reports Surge on DownDetector
According to DownDetector, Outlook issues began around 7:35 p.m. ET on July 9, with reports peaking at 2,618 around 10:50 a.m. ET the next day. Affected users reported:
- 61–62% facing login errors
- 35% experiencing server connection issues
- Some receiving notices about invalid licenses
- Others dealing with extremely slow email loading
Hotmail, which now redirects through the Outlook platform, also showed a sharp increase in user complaints.
Global Impact: UK, Canada, Australia Also Affected
Though the issue started in the U.S., users in Canada, the UK, Australia, and other countries also reported similar problems. With over 400 million Outlook users worldwide, the ripple effect has been significant.
What Caused the Microsoft Email Outage?
Microsoft initially did not confirm a cause but later acknowledged the issue through its Microsoft Office service health dashboard. The company stated:
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“We’ve determined the cause of the issue and have deployed a fix. We’re closely monitoring its deployment and expect the issue to gradually resolve as deployment progresses.”
So far, no evidence suggests a cyberattack, although speculation circulated on social media. Tech experts believe the cause may relate to an internal error—potentially tied to licensing or recent updates.
What Services Were Affected?
The outage impacted several Microsoft email services including:
- Outlook.com
- Outlook desktop client
- Outlook mobile app
- Hotmail accounts now hosted on Outlook servers
As of Thursday afternoon, service appears to be gradually returning for some users.
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Have you been affected by today’s Outlook or Hotmail outage? Did your email return or are you still locked out? Let us know below.
More…
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2025/07/10/is-microsoft-outlook-down/84530039007
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/07/10/microsoft-outlook-down—email-outage-confirmed-what-we-know-so-far
- https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2025/07/10/is-outlook-down-right-now-near-me-today-microsoft-email-down-detector-hotmail-server-outage-login/84530337007
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