Microsoft has experienced a significant outage affecting several of its core services, including Azure, Microsoft 365, Xbox Live, and even Minecraft. The disruption, which began earlier this week, has impacted thousands of users globally, causing widespread service interruptions and disruptions to critical business operations. According to reports, the outage has been particularly noticeable for Azure, the company’s cloud computing platform, with users unable to access key tools and applications hosted on the service.

The downtime has also affected Microsoft 365, disrupting productivity apps such as Word, Excel, and Teams. Xbox Live, which provides online gaming and entertainment services, was similarly impacted, leaving gamers unable to access online features or play multiplayer games. Additionally, Minecraft players were unable to connect to servers, with reports of slow load times and connectivity issues.

Microsoft acknowledged the outage and stated that it was investigating the issue, though the exact cause remains unclear. Users flooded outage tracking sites like Downdetector with complaints, indicating the scale of the problem. Many businesses relying on Azure for their operations have expressed frustration with the disruption, which comes at a time when the company is preparing for its quarterly earnings report.

While the company has been working to restore services, it has not provided a clear timeline for when full functionality will be resumed. The outage is part of a broader trend of disruptions affecting major tech companies and cloud platforms, highlighting the challenges of maintaining large-scale digital infrastructures.

Microsoft is continuing to monitor the situation and has assured users that it is making progress on resolving the issue. However, the outage serves as a reminder of the risks associated with cloud-based services, especially as businesses increasingly rely on them for essential operations.

Sources: TechRadar, The Verge, The Star, Economic Times, Yahoo News, CNBC