Microsoft is investigating a widespread outage that has left IT administrators unable to access the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, disrupting core management functions for enterprise and business customers.
What happened
On July 25, Microsoft acknowledged an outage that prevented administrators with business or enterprise Microsoft 365 subscriptions from accessing the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Affected admins encountered “Runtime Error” messages during login attempts. The incident was officially tracked under MO1120879 in Microsoft’s Service Health Dashboard.
Going deeper
Though the issue originated in the Eastern US infrastructure, user reports indicate the outage may have extended globally, disrupting access across multiple regions, including Europe and Asia. This is the second incident of its kind within a single week, raising concerns over ongoing service instability. The first incident happened just days before and similarly affected access to the admin portal. Microsoft described the cause as underperforming regional service infrastructure, which unexpectedly blocked authentication requests
What was said
According to Bleeping Computer, the Microsoft Service Health Status stated that “Microsoft is investigating a potential issue that may be preventing administrators from accessing the Microsoft 365 admin center.” Furthermore, the status read, “Information about this issue is posted on this page because Microsoft 365 administrators may be unable to access the admin center to get Service health information.”
“Any admin served through the affected section of service infrastructure in the Eastern US region attempting to access the Microsoft 365 admin center may have been unable to do so,” Microsoft said. “A portion of regional service infrastructure responsible for access wasn't performing at the expected thresholds, and as a result impact occurred.”
Why it matters
The outage meant that organizations could not:
- Adjust user accounts (e.g. provision or revoke access),
- Respond to security incidents or apply policy changes,
- Review licensing, billing, or compliance configurations, or
- Monitor or diagnose service health and incidents proactively.
For organizations in regulated industries, such as healthcare, loss of admin controls poses compliance and operational risks. Productivity and response capability to support tickets can stall as a result.
See also: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide (2025 Update)
FAQS
What is the Microsoft 365 Admin Center?
The Microsoft 365 Admin Center is a web-based portal that allows IT administrators to manage users, licenses, security settings, and monitor service health for Microsoft 365 services like Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive.
What workarounds are available during outages?
Admins can try switching browsers, clearing cache, or using direct URLs (if known). However, when the issue is on Microsoft's servers, workarounds may be limited.
What can organizations do to prepare for future outages?
IT teams should have contingency plans, including backup management methods, alternative communication tools, and predefined response playbooks for administrative disruptions.
Tshedimoso Makhene
