Why it's trending
Google Trends shows a spike in searches for 'Xbox outage' as thousands of users reported inability to sign in to Xbox Live. The spike correlated with the broader Microsoft outage affecting Microsoft 365 and Azure, leading to speculation that Xbox services were down.
A widespread Microsoft outage on Thursday morning disrupted access to multiple services, including Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook, and Azure, according to outage tracking site Downdetector. Users began reporting issues around 7:30 a.m. PT, with complaints peaking in the hundreds. By 2 p.m. PT, reports dropped sharply, indicating recovery.
Microsoft's preliminary post-incident review, cited by The Register, attributed the outage to a bug during routine device maintenance. At 14:44 UTC (7:44 a.m. PT), the company started maintenance that inadvertently removed IP routes from more network devices than intended, causing 'large-scale route churn' and cutting off traffic to a West US datacenter. Microsoft identified the issue between 16:00 and 17:45 UTC, rolled back changes by 17:45 UTC, and completed recovery by 19:41 UTC.
Although Xbox was not explicitly named in Microsoft's reports, BleepingComputer noted that Microsoft 365 services such as Teams and SharePoint were affected. Xbox Live also relies on Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure, and user reports on social media indicated login failures coincided with the outage. However, no official statement confirmed an Xbox-specific outage.
The outage follows a Microsoft filing earlier this month revealing 605 permanent layoffs in Redmond as part of a broader Xbox restructuring cutting 3,200 roles globally through fiscal 2027. The incident highlights the fragility of cloud dependencies, with similar recent outages at AWS and Google.
Downdetector data showed affected services included Microsoft 365, Teams, and Outlook. The source of the outage was not immediately disclosed, but Microsoft's post-incident review confirmed the root cause as a bug in the maintenance request conversion system.
Timeline
- Outage begins
Routine device maintenance triggers a bug that removes IP routes from multiple network devices. Users report issues with Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook, and Azure on Downdetector.
- Microsoft begins maintenance
Microsoft starts routine device maintenance. Almost immediately, multiple Azure services detect service degradation, and networking teams investigate traffic anomalies and packet loss.
- Root cause identified
Microsoft identifies that recent fiber maintenance activity correlated with the routing behavior. The bug caused route removal from a West US datacenter.
- Rollback begins
Microsoft starts rolling back the maintenance changes. By 11:26 a.m. PT (18:26 UTC), the WAN is restored.
- Services recovered
All impacted services have fully recovered. Downdetector reports fewer than 30 user complaints by 2 p.m. PT.
Questions people ask
Is there an Xbox outage?
Microsoft has not confirmed an Xbox-specific outage. However, the broader Microsoft outage affecting Azure and Microsoft 365—which Xbox services rely on—caused login problems for some users, as reported on social media.
What caused the Microsoft outage?
According to Microsoft's preliminary post-incident review, a bug during routine fiber maintenance incorrectly marked additional devices for maintenance, removing IP routes from more devices than intended and cutting off traffic to a West US datacenter.
When did the outage start and end?
The outage began around 7:30 a.m. PT on July 23, 2026. Services were fully recovered by 12:41 p.m. PT (19:41 UTC) the same day.
Which services were affected?
Downdetector and Microsoft reports indicate Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook, and Azure were hit. Xbox Live may have been indirectly impacted due to shared infrastructure.
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