As we reported last month, Microsoft decided to start migrating its old-school Hotmail users over to its shiny new Outlook service. That migration process might not be going so well, as users have flooded sites like Twitter with reports of downtime to the tune of three hours. Its migration approach was to be a slow one, with the move being optional at first.
Regardless of the reason, three hours is a long time to not be able to check your email. Upon visiting the Outlook status site, the message looks grim, but doesn’t call it a full outage, with Outlook and SkyDrive being affected as well:
The Hotmail and Outlook issues are described as an issue with displaying all of your emails, while SkyDrive is having file-editing problems. These are important features for these products, obviously. The status site also shows that a Calendar issue was recently resolved, with the only details provided being that the issue had to do with “maintenance.” Perhaps this was the migration that we were all waiting for. Oops.
[tweet https://twitter.com/bwhetstone/status/311643961351602176]
[tweet https://twitter.com/n_gothic/status/311640232934129665]
Depending on who you ask, it sounds like the entire suite of Microsoft-cloud products aren’t acting as they should. Popular site DownRightNow reports the issue as a “likely service disruption.”
Disrupt 2026: The tech ecosystem, all in one room
Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $400.
Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit
1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately
Offer ends March 13.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment and will update our story upon hearing back.
UPDATE: Here’s the statement that we’ve received from a Microsoft spokesperson, that says the problem is affecting a “small number of customers,”:
Microsoft is investigating an issue affecting a small number of customers’ access to Hotmail and Outlook.com, and we are working to restore full access to the service as quickly as possible. For the latest information, we encourage people to visit the Hotmail and Outlook.com status page (HTTPS://status.live.com/).
[Photo credit: Flickr]
