Office 365 Exchange enjoys a less than manic Monday. Users? Not so much

Microsoft has a post-weekend problem

Happy Monday, everyone! Microsoft is apparently celebrating this made-up Cyber Monday "holiday" by giving Office 365 users a break from all that pesky email, with Exchange services currently still out of whack.

Users in the UK began noticing problems with the service late this morning, with things starting to get a little sluggish at around 11:30 GMT.

Office365 slow for anyone else? #EX165763 #O365 #Office365

— Luke Kavanagh (@LJKavster) November 26, 2018

As is so often the case, the issue rapidly escalated as the Exchange Online service ground to a halt, leaving users unable to connect in order to send or receive email. Microsoft confirmed that things had indeed toppled over by 11:53 UK time.

We’re investigating an issue where users may be unable to connect to the Exchange Online service. All details are published in the admin center, available to your Office 365 admin under Service Incident (SI)# EX165763.

— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) November 26, 2018

While some may relish not having to use Microsoft's Outlook application, others found resorting to the web portal just to pick up their emails a distressing and dispiriting experience.

Genuinely stressed by Outlook not working today, and having to resort to Office 365's web version. What an awful UI.

— Simon Roffe (@SimonRoffe) November 26, 2018

Having had to endure Google's updates to the Gmail interface, we'd cut Microsoft some slack on the Outlook's appearance. However, with the Windows giant increasing its efforts to get users onto the Office 365 infrastructure, and paying those juicy subscription fees, having the service wobble every week is not a good look.

The gang at Redmond may simply opt to extend the weekend in future. Based on the last two weeks, Monday really isn't their thing.

We have, of course, contacted Microsoft to learn more and will update this piece if a response is forthcoming.

At present, some UK users are reporting success in getting the web portal to work, but the majority of affected customers remain sat at their desks, staring at a recalcitrant Outlook client and wondering if it is too late for a cheeky half day.

Over 4,000 users reported having issues to DownDetector since 11:00 UK time.

The Reg tips its hat to the readers who emailed in. ®

Updated at 1531 to add:

A Microsoft spokesperson told us: "We’re working to address an issue preventing some UK customers from connecting to Exchange Online. In the meantime, customers may be able to access services by refreshing their connections."