Microsoft Exchange Online Outage (11-25-2025) and Work Around

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Microsoft is currently experiencing an Exchange Online outage today (Nov 25, 2025). The issue is preventing many users from connecting to their mailboxes via the classic Outlook desktop client, with impact reported across Asia Pacific and North America. Microsoft has acknowledged the incident under ID EX1189820 and is actively investigating.

 As a workaround, users can still access mailboxes through Outlook on the Web (OWA)


Details of Today’s Exchange Outage

  • Incident ID: EX1189820
  • Start Time: 09:57 AM UTC (Nov 25, 2025)
  • Impact:
    • Users unable to connect to Exchange Online mailboxes in the classic Outlook desktop client.
    • Login and server connection failures reported.
  • Regions Affected: Asia Pacific and North America.
  • Workaround: Microsoft advises using Outlook on the Web (OWA) until the issue is resolved.
  • Additional Issue: A separate incident is also affecting search functionality in the Outlook desktop client, acknowledged earlier today at 05:05 AM UTC.

What You Can Do Right Now

  • Switch to OWA: Direct users to https://outlook.office.com for mailbox access.
  • Communicate Clearly: Send a concise outage notification to staff — acknowledge the issue, provide the workaround, and reassure them that Microsoft is investigating.
  • Monitor Service Health: Track updates in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Service Health for real‑time progress.
  • Check Regional Impact: Since this outage is not global, some users may still connect normally.

Suggested Notification Template

Here’s a concise message you could send internally:


In summary: Exchange Online is down today for many users in North America and Asia Pacific when using Outlook desktop. OWA remains functional, and Microsoft is working on a fix.

Formal Notification for Executives. 

Executive Summary – Exchange Online Outage (Nov 25, 2025)
Incident ID: EX1189820
Start Time: 09:57 AM UTC
Impact: Users in Asia Pacific and North America are unable to connect to Exchange Online mailboxes via the Outlook desktop client.
Workaround: Mailboxes remain accessible through Outlook on the Web (OWA).
Additional Issue: A separate incident is affecting search functionality in Outlook desktop (acknowledged at 05:05 AM UTC).
Status: Microsoft is actively investigating and working toward resolution. Updates are being posted in the Microsoft 365 Service Health Dashboard.

Key Points for Leadership
• Scope: Regional impact, not global.
• Business Continuity: Email access is available via OWA; mobile clients may also function normally.
• Risk: Productivity disruption for desktop Outlook users; no data loss reported.
• Next Steps: IT team monitoring Microsoft updates, communicating workarounds to staff, and preparing follow‑up once service is restored.



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