Microsoft Azure Outage Disrupts Services, Affects 365, Xbox, and Partners
In a setback for Microsoft, its Azure cloud computing service experienced an outage on October 29, 2025. This incident, occurring just a week after similar issues with Amazon Web Services (AWS), led to significant disruptions across various Microsoft services and those of several prominent companies. The outage, which Microsoft attributed to an “inadvertent configuration change” and a DNS problem, impacted a wide range of users and businesses.
Impact on Microsoft Services
The outage directly affected several key Microsoft services. Microsoft 365 users reported issues accessing services and the admin center, while Xbox users faced disruptions to gaming services. The Xbox Support X account confirmed that gaming services had recovered to their pre-incident state, although some players needed to restart their consoles to reconnect. The incident also impacted Minecraft.
The situation unfolded throughout the day. At 12:25 PM ET, the Microsoft 365 status account on X reported ongoing investigations into access issues. By 1:02 PM ET, an update indicated that Microsoft had identified connectivity problems within its internal infrastructure and was working to reroute affected traffic to restore service health.
Wider Implications and Affected Companies
The impact of the Azure outage extended beyond Microsoft’s own services. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines reported disruptions to key systems, including their websites, advising customers to seek assistance at the airport for boarding passes. Community Fibre, an internet provider in the UK, also confirmed that some customers might have experienced issues. Additionally, Kroger reported an unexpected outage affecting its site and mobile apps, while Starbucks and Costco websites and apps were inaccessible. Capital One users also reported issues.
Recovery Efforts and Timeline
Microsoft worked to mitigate the outage, with a status message at 7 PM ET indicating strong signs of improvement across affected regions. The company aimed for full mitigation by 23:20 UTC on October 29, 2025. This timeline reflects the complexities involved in resolving issues related to DNS and configuration changes within a large-scale cloud infrastructure. The incident underscores the critical importance of robust infrastructure and the potential consequences of service disruptions in today’s interconnected digital landscape.
Source: The Verge
About the Author
