Microsoft admits configuration error caused worldwide Azure outage — Are services back?

Microsoft on Wednesday (October 29) confirmed that a configuration change error triggered a massive outage that disrupted its Azure cloud services and several related platforms — including Microsoft 365, Outlook, Xbox Live, and Copilot — across multiple industries worldwide.

The company said the issue began around 16:00 UTC (12 p.m. ET) and primarily affected Azure Front Door (AFD), Microsoft’s global network responsible for routing traffic across its cloud environment.

“We have confirmed that an inadvertent configuration change [was] the trigger event for this issue,” Microsoft said in a statement updated at 18:10 UTC, October 29.

Microsoft begins recovery deployment

Microsoft said it has initiated the deployment of its “last known good” configuration to restore services, with early signs of recovery expected within 30 minutes of deployment.

“Once this is completed, the next stage is to start to recover nodes while we route traffic through these healthy nodes,” the company said.

The tech giant added that customer configuration changes will remain blocked while mitigation continues, assuring users it will update them once the restriction is lifted.

Access to Azure portal restored

Microsoft confirmed that access to the Azure management portal — a key interface for customers managing cloud operations — has been rerouted away from AFD to minimize impact.

“Customers should be able to access the Azure management portal directly, while all portal extensions are working correctly. There may be a small number of endpoints that might have a problem loading (i.e., Marketplace),” Microsoft said.

Customers unable to access Azure via the web portal were advised to use PowerShell or CLI tools as temporary alternatives.

Industries impacted worldwide

The outage rippled through several critical industries that rely heavily on Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.

Alaska Airlines said it was experiencing a “disruption to key systems, including its website,” while Vodafone UK and Heathrow Airport also reported service interruptions linked to the Azure downtime.

The outage affected both consumers and enterprises, slowing access to core productivity tools and business applications.

Downdetector data shows decline in reports

According to Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages based on user-submitted reports, Azure-related issues peaked at over 18,000 reports, before easing to 3,299 users by 1:27 p.m. ET.

Microsoft 365 services also showed improvement, with 3,858 users still reporting issues, down from nearly 11,700 earlier in the day.

Downdetector noted that actual figures could vary, as the data is compiled from voluntary user submissions.

Microsoft 365 confirms downstream impact

On its own status page, Microsoft 365 confirmed it was experiencing downstream disruptions related to the Azure outage.

“A recent configuration change to a portion of Azure infrastructure is causing the outage,” the company said, echoing Microsoft’s broader statement.

Another major cloud outage after AWS disruption

The incident follows last week’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage, which caused widespread global disruptions — impacting Snapchat, Reddit, and other major platforms.

The AWS disruption was described as the largest internet outage since last year’s CrowdStrike malfunction, which paralyzed systems across hospitals, banks, and airports, highlighting the vulnerability of the world’s interconnected digital infrastructure.