A significant Microsoft failure on Wednesday caused major disruption across the internet. Key platforms, including Heathrow Airport, NatWest, and Minecraft, went offline for hours before engineers restored access later in the evening. Millions of users faced interruptions to banking, work, and entertainment services.
Thousands of users report widespread outages
Outage tracker Downdetector logged thousands of complaints from users who could not access websites, send emails, or log into accounts. Pages froze, transactions stalled, and apps became unresponsive.
Microsoft confirmed that Microsoft 365 users experienced delays, especially with Outlook. By 21:00 GMT, most affected websites were back online after engineers rolled back a faulty software update.
Azure cloud failure causes global ripple effects
Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, which powers much of the internet, reported “service degradation” around 16:00 GMT. The company traced the problem to “DNS issues,” the same technical fault behind last week’s Amazon Web Services outage.
Amazon confirmed its systems remained fully operational.
In the UK, Asda, M&S, and O2 websites were affected. In the US, Starbucks and Kroger users also experienced temporary outages.
Businesses struggle to maintain operations
Microsoft said corporate clients using Microsoft 365 were among the hardest hit. Some of its own web pages displayed an error message reading, “Uh oh! Something went wrong with the previous request.”
With its service status page offline, Microsoft posted live updates on X to keep users informed.
NatWest reported brief website downtime but confirmed mobile banking, chat, and phone services remained operational.
Consumer watchdog calls for accountability
Consumer group Which? urged companies to provide clear communication and support for affected customers. “Customers should keep evidence of failed or delayed payments in case they need to make a claim,” said Which? legal expert Lisa Webb. She advised anyone affected to contact providers and request waivers for late fees.
Scottish Parliament halts business amid outage
In Scotland, parliamentary proceedings were suspended after the online voting system failed. Lawmakers postponed a debate on land reform legislation designed to allow government intervention in private land sales and break up large estates.
A senior parliamentary source said the outage appeared to be linked to Microsoft’s global failure.
Experts warn of risks from dependence on few cloud giants
The full impact of the outage remains unclear, though Microsoft Azure controls about 20% of the global cloud market. Microsoft said the issue resulted from “an inadvertent configuration change,” an internal adjustment with unintended consequences.
Dr Saqib Kakvi from Royal Holloway University said reliance on Microsoft, Amazon, and Google increases vulnerability. “When one provider fails, hundreds or thousands of services collapse,” he said. “We have concentrated digital infrastructure in just a few hands.”
Digital infrastructure proves fragile
Professor Gregory Falco of Cornell University said the outage highlighted the fragility of modern cloud systems. “Azure and AWS may seem unified, but they are made up of thousands of interconnected components,” he explained.
Falco noted that some systems are managed by providers, while others rely on third-party partners such as CrowdStrike, whose update last year disrupted millions of Microsoft devices.
He warned that even a single technical error can trigger global outages, revealing how dependent the modern internet has become on a few cloud networks.
