Is Office 365 Down? How to Quickly Check for Service Outages (Without the Panic)

Andy McMillan
Jan 27
4 min read

Last week’s Office 365 and Asana outages were a good reminder: when email stops working or staff can’t sign in, stress levels rise fast.

Understandably, many clients contact their IT provider straight away. While we’re always happy to help, the reality is that many issues are outside your IT provider’s direct control, such as Microsoft service outages or disruptions from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

🫡 The good news? With a few simple checks, you can quickly confirm whether there’s a wider outage. This saves you time, stress, and allows I.T. Savvy to focus on unique issues when they truly need our expertise.

This guide will show you how to become an outage-checking pro!

Step 1: Check Microsoft 365 Service Status (The Official Sources)

If you use Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), knowing its health is crucial.

⛑️ For Admins: If you have admin access, the Microsoft 365 Service Health Dashboard is your most reliable source.

* How to check:

1. Go to admin.microsoft.com (https://admin.microsoft.com/ ).

2. Sign in with your admin account.

3. Select Health → Service health.

You'll see real-time status updates for all your Microsoft 365 services (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, sign-in issues, etc.). Microsoft will usually list what’s affected, which regions (including Australia) are impacted, and whether they’re investigating or fixing the issue.

👥 For All Users: Even without admin access, you can get official updates:

* Microsoft 365 Status on X (formerly Twitter): Follow @MSFT365Status (https://twitter.com/MSFT365Status ) on X.

Microsoft’s dedicated team posts frequent, real-time updates on active incidents affecting their services worldwide.

🗿 Public Microsoft 365 Status Page: During widespread outages, Microsoft often highlights a public-facing status page on their main website. While there isn't a single static URL for non-admins, if a major incident occurs, a quick search for "Microsoft 365 status" on Google will usually point to the relevant page.

🐨 Quick Check for Australia: If Microsoft confirms an outage, there’s nothing wrong with your setup – it’s a waiting game.

Step 2: Check Asana Service Status (Directly from the Source)

Asana is a vital tool for team collaboration. If it’s not working, productivity grinds to a halt.

💫Asana Status Page: Asana maintains its own official status page, providing transparent updates on its service health. Visit status.asana.com (https://status.asana.com/). You’ll see the current status of all Asana components, along with a history of past incidents.

Step 3: Rule Out Your Internet Connection (The Quick Test!)

Before assuming it’s Microsoft or Asana, it’s worth checking whether the issue is actually your internet connection.

Quick Tests:

* 👀Can you browse other websites (e.g., Google, news sites)?

* 😶‍🌫️Do other cloud services load (e.g., your banking app, other non-M365 cloud tools)?

* 👯‍♀️Are multiple staff members affected, or just one person?

* 🛜 Check if your internet router/modem lights are behaving as they should (refer to your modem’s manual for normal operation or look for common troubleshooting guides online).

* Try this simple trick:

* Turn on your mobile phone’s hotspot and connect your computer to it.

* If things suddenly work: It's likely an ISP or local network issue.

* If nothing works: It’s more likely a service outage with Microsoft 365 or Asana.

Step 4: Check Your ISP’s Official Outage Page (For Australian Providers)

Internet providers regularly experience local outages, maintenance, or NBN-related faults. Always check your ISP's official status page for the most accurate information.

🌐 NBN Co:

Check the NBN® network status: nbnco.com.au (https://www.nbnco.com.au/ )

🌐Telstra:

Visit their Network Status: status.telstra.com.au (https://status.telstra.com.au/ )

🌐 Optus:

Check for faults/maintenance in your area: optus.com.au/support/network-status (https://www.optus.com.au/support/network-status )

🌐 TPG:

TPG support hub: tpg.com.au/support (https://www.tpg.com.au/support )

🌐Aussie Broadband:

See their network status: aussiebroadband.com.au/network-status/

(https://www.aussiebroadband.com.au/network-status/

🌐iiNet:

Check network status & outages: iinet.net.au/network-status (https://www.iinet.net.au/network-status )

Third-Party Outage Trackers (Use with Caution):

Sites like Downdetector Australia (https://downdetector.com.au/ )

and IsItDownRightNow (https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/ ) aggregate user-reported issues. While they can provide an early indication of widespread problems, they are crowd-sourced and might not always be accurate or reflect official status. Prioritise official ISP pages.

Step 5: Ask “Is It Just Me?” (Single User Troubleshooting)

If only one person is affected and all services are reporting as 'up', it’s rarely a global outage. It’s more likely a local setting, cached credential, or device problem.

👷‍♂️Try these quick fixes:

* Restart your computer.

* Restart your modem/router (if appropriate).

* Try using a different web browser.

* Attempt to sign in from another device.

⚕️Common Symptoms and What They Usually Mean

* “I can’t log into Office 365”: Possible Microsoft sign-in outage OR ISP/DNS issue.

* “Email isn’t sending or receiving”: Exchange Online issue OR local internet problem.

* “SharePoint won’t load”: SharePoint service outage OR slow/unreliable connection.

* “Everything’s broken”: Often an ISP outage (especially if nothing online works).

When to Contact I.T. Savvy

You've done your checks, and all official sources say the services you're using should be up and running, and your internet seems fine? That's when it's definitely time to contact I.T. Savvy! If Microsoft 365, Asana, and your ISP are all reporting healthy services, then the issue is likely specific to your device, account, or network configuration, and we're here to help.

What helps us help you faster:

📸Screenshots of any error messages.

🕸️ Confirmation that you’ve already checked the relevant outage sites.

📲Whether connecting via your mobile hotspot made a difference.

Staying Calm During Outages & Final Tips

Service outages are frustrating, but they’re also a normal part of relying on cloud-based services.

🫨 Don’t panic: A calm approach helps everyone.

📟Check reliable sources: Prioritise official status pages.

📢 Confirm local vs. widespread: Use the mobile hotspot test.

🔖 Bookmark These Pages: We recommend saving the official status pages for quick access next time something feels "off."

Knowing where to look for outage information empowers you to quickly assess the situation and get back to work faster. If you have any other tips or tricks for this sort of situation, please let us know in the comments.