Microsoft outage leaves users without access to cloud, business tools
On October 29, 2024, a big Microsoft outage left tens of thousands unable to access essential cloud and business tools.
A configuration change in Azure Front Door triggered the chaos, causing widespread log-in failures and making services like Microsoft 365, Xbox Live, and Minecraft inaccessible for many users for hours.
Outage affects Microsoft services and 3rd-party platforms
Core apps like Outlook, Teams, Exchange Online—even Copilot—were knocked offline. Gamers couldn't log into Xbox or Minecraft.
The impact spread beyond Microsoft: third-party platforms using Azure (like Alaska Airlines) also faced disruptions.
Outage reports spiked worldwide.
Microsoft rolls back changes to restore services
Microsoft quickly rolled back the changes that caused the issue and rerouted traffic to get things running again.
Services came back gradually—some users still noticed slowdowns as systems stabilized.
Incident underscores need for robust backup plans in tech industry
This outage shows just how much we all rely on cloud services for work and play.
It comes shortly after a similar AWS incident, highlighting why tech companies need stronger backup plans so one glitch doesn't take half the internet with it next time.