Subscribers worldwide are experiencing ongoing problems with Microsoft’s email products, including Outlook, which was previously called Hotmail. The problem started on Wednesday night and by Thursday morning had escalated severely, leaving subscribers unable to log in, check emails, or connect to servers, according to the Associated Press.
Thousands Affected, Login Errors Surge
The outage, which was monitored on sites such as DownDetector, reported that more than 2,200 users were experiencing issues by 10 am ET. Most of them, in excess of 60 per cent, encountered login errors, ranging from password re-enter prompts, invalid credentials alerts, and ‘license not valid’ notice.
Others complained of emails failing to load or sync, with many getting the frightening ‘Cannot connect to server’ notice.
Users Vent Frustration on Social Media
Users expressed their frustration on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and others. A user from Manchester said that they tried five times to log in, but kept getting kicked out. “I need access for work, this is beyond frustrating,” the user added.
The Outlook disruption has been witnessed in top states throughout the nation, with New York, Washington, and Dallas in Texas being among the worst-hit areas, as per LiveMint. There have also been similar complaints from users in India, Canada, Germany, and Australia.
Microsoft Responds but Fix Still Incomplete
Microsoft acknowledged the issue in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said, “We identified an issue with the initial fix and we’ve corrected it. We’re continuing to deploy the fix and are monitoring to ensure no further issues.”
In spite of this, there has not yet been an official reason provided, and users were still facing difficulties by midday on Thursday
Other Microsoft Services Operating Normally
Meanwhile, Microsoft has confirmed that other products in the Microsoft 365 suite, such as Teams and OneDrive, are functioning normally. This means that the outage is localized to Outlook’s mail servers.
Customers have been discouraged from unnecessarily resetting their passwords during the outage and to keep checking the official Microsoft 365 Service Health page for real-time status.
FAQs
Q1. Is Hotmail down or experiencing outages?
Yes. Microsoft’s Hotmail (via Outlook) is currently facing a global outage that has left many users unable to access or use their accounts.
Q2. Why can’t I sign in to my Hotmail account?
Users are encountering errors like invalid credentials, repeated password prompts, or license errors. Microsoft is working on a fix, but issues persist.
Q3. Why are my emails not syncing or loading?
The outage has disrupted normal mail syncing and access. Users may find their inboxes frozen or unable to load due to server-side problems.
Q4. Why am I receiving a “Cannot connect to the server” error?
This error is part of the ongoing outage affecting Outlook servers globally. It indicates your device cannot reach Microsoft’s mail servers at this time.
