A widespread Microsoft outage disrupted access to several major websites and online services across the globe on Wednesday, before operations gradually returned to normal later in the evening. Heathrow Airport, NatWest Bank, and the popular video game Minecraft were among those affected, as users worldwide reported connectivity issues spanning several hours.
According to outage tracker Downdetector, thousands of incidents were reported beginning around 16:00 GMT, affecting businesses and institutions that rely on Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. The company confirmed that its Azure cloud computing platform — which supports a significant portion of global internet traffic — had experienced “degradation of some services” due to a Domain Name System (DNS) issue. Microsoft said the disruption was caused by “an inadvertent configuration change,” the same type of problem that led to a major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage last week.
By 21:00 GMT, Microsoft said it had rolled back the faulty update, restoring access to affected systems. “Some Microsoft 365 users experienced delays with Outlook and other services,” the company said, adding that the issue was resolved once the earlier configuration was restored.
The outage had ripple effects across multiple sectors. In the UK, supermarket chains Asda and Marks & Spencer, as well as mobile operator O2, faced temporary disruptions. In the US, customers reported difficulties accessing the websites of Starbucks and retailer Kroger. Microsoft’s own websites also experienced interruptions, with some users receiving error messages reading: “Uh oh! Something went wrong with the previous request.”
NatWest confirmed its website was briefly affected, though mobile banking, web chat, and telephone services remained functional. The UK consumer group Which? urged companies to keep customers informed and offer compensation where appropriate. “Customers should keep evidence of any failed or delayed payments in case they need to make a claim,” said Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb.
In Scotland, the national parliament suspended proceedings after its online voting system went offline. The disruption forced the postponement of a debate on land reform legislation. A parliamentary source told the BBC the issue was believed to be linked to the Microsoft outage.
Azure, which holds roughly 20 percent of the global cloud market, plays a critical role in hosting online infrastructure. Experts say the growing dependence on a handful of providers such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google makes the internet increasingly vulnerable to such failures. “We are effectively putting all our eggs in one of three baskets,” warned Dr. Saqib Kakvi of Royal Holloway University.
Cornell University’s Professor Gregory Falco added that the episode highlighted the internet’s structural fragility. “What looks like a monolithic cloud system is actually tens of thousands of interconnected pieces — and when one fails, the effects can cascade across the world,” he said.
