Check Microsoft’s public service-health status and, for work or school accounts, the Microsoft 365 admin center’s Health › Service health page. If no incident is shown, compare web and desktop apps before repairing Office or changing the account.
What this covers
- Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams or OneDrive availability questions
What it does not cover
- ×Tenant health that only a Microsoft 365 administrator can see
Try in this order
0 of 4 completedCheck Microsoft’s public status
ReversibleOpen the public status page and identify whether the named cloud service has a current incident.
Check tenant health if authorized
ReversibleA Microsoft 365 administrator can open Health › Service health for tenant-specific advisories.
Compare web and desktop apps
ReversibleIf the web app works but the installed app fails, focus on that local app instead of the whole service.
Restart or repair only after status is clear
ReversibleRestart the app and device. Use Microsoft’s app repair flow only when the provider reports no relevant incident.
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions about “Is Microsoft 365 down or is the problem local?”
Where can I check whether Microsoft 365 is down?+
Microsoft publishes service status pages and posts outage notices on its official status channels. If the status shows an incident, wait for Microsoft to resolve it rather than reinstalling Office.
How do I tell if the problem is my account or the service?+
Try signing in on the web and on another device. If it works elsewhere, the problem is with the device or its cache; if it fails everywhere and status shows an incident, the service is at fault.
What should I do while Microsoft 365 is down?+
Use another way to reach your files, such as the web version or a locally saved copy, and avoid reinstalling Office. Check the status page again later, and once it is fixed, restart the app and sign in again if it still fails.
Where do I check Microsoft 365 health?+
Microsoft's public status site for consumers, and the Microsoft 365 admin center service health for work accounts.
What if only Outlook fails?+
Try the web app. If it works there, the desktop app or profile may be the problem.
How do I check whether my account is limited?+
Sign in to the account page and look for a security or billing notice.