Microsoft 365 is down

A public restoration estimate specifically for Word or Excel cannot currently be verified; monitor Microsoft’s public service-status page for the latest recovery information.

Check the current status

Because Microsoft 365 Home users normally cannot access the business admin dashboard:

1. Open the Microsoft service-status page.
2. Look for an active Microsoft 365 incident and any estimated recovery time.
3. You can also follow @MSFT365status for updates on certain incidents.

For work or school accounts, an administrator can open Microsoft 365 admin center → Health → Service health, select the active incident, and review its status and update history. Microsoft posts investigation, mitigation, and restoration updates there.^1^

Continue working in Word and Excel

If the desktop applications are already installed:

1. Open Start and search for Word or Excel rather than opening them through a browser.
2. Open files stored locally on the PC.
3. Save changes locally until the affected online service recovers.

Cloud-only OneDrive files may remain unavailable until OneDrive synchronization or the affected service is restored.

If Word or Excel is not installed, and the Microsoft 365 subscription includes desktop applications:

1. Go to Microsoft account Services.
2. Sign in with the Microsoft account used to purchase Microsoft 365.
3. Find the subscription and select Install apps.
4. After installation, launch Word or Excel from the Windows Start menu.^2^

Avoid reinstalling or repairing Office merely because online services are unavailable. If the status page shows no incident and the desktop applications also fail to open, use Microsoft’s recent Office issues page to identify an application-specific problem or contact Microsoft support.^3^

References

1. How to check Microsoft 365 service health
2. office 365 in my outlook - Microsoft Q&A
3. Fixes or workarounds for recent Office issues | Microsoft Support