Microsoft is investigating an ongoing service issue that is preventing some users from opening files in Microsoft Teams and Office for the web.
Quick Summary – TLDR:
- Microsoft Teams and Office for the web users are experiencing file access problems.
- Impacted applications include Excel for the web and potentially other Office web apps.
- Microsoft says it has identified elevated error rates and is investigating a possible cross service issue.
- The company has not yet shared affected regions or a timeline for a fix.
What Happened?
Microsoft has launched an investigation into an outage affecting users who rely on Office for the web and Microsoft Teams to access and work with files online. The issue appears to be preventing some users from opening documents, disrupting normal workflows across Microsoft’s cloud productivity services.
The company acknowledged the problem through its Microsoft 365 Status channel and said engineers are actively reviewing service telemetry to determine the root cause.
We’re investigating reports that some users are unable to open files in Office for the web or Microsoft Teams. For more information, please see MO1329446 in the admin center.
— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) June 1, 2026
Microsoft Confirms File Access Problems
The issue was first flagged after users reported being unable to open files through Office for the web and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft later confirmed the reports and directed administrators to incident notice MO1329446 in the Microsoft 365 admin center for additional information.
According to Microsoft, affected users may encounter an error message stating:
The company noted that the outage affects multiple Office applications and specifically mentioned Excel for the web among the impacted services.
Elevated Error Rates Detected
As part of its investigation, Microsoft said it has identified elevated error rates across Office for the web experiences. Engineers are currently analyzing service telemetry and examining dependencies across multiple services to understand what is causing the disruption.
In a later update, Microsoft said its initial findings point to a potential cross service issue impacting Office for the web experiences. This suggests the problem may extend beyond a single application and could involve shared infrastructure used by multiple Microsoft services.
At this stage, Microsoft has not disclosed which geographic regions are affected or provided an estimated timeline for full service restoration.
Incident Classified as a Significant Service Disruption
Microsoft has categorized the event as an incident, a designation typically reserved for service issues that result in noticeable customer impact.
The company is continuing to gather diagnostic information and has asked administrators for more detailed reports. Specifically, Microsoft requested information on whether affected users are encountering problems with Teams file previews, Office web launches, or both, as broader descriptions of “cannot open files” do not provide enough detail to help route investigations effectively.
Recent Microsoft Service Issues
The latest outage follows several Microsoft service disruptions reported in recent months.
Earlier the same day, Microsoft resolved an issue that prevented some customers from setting up multi factor authentication or accessing the MySignIn service. The company attributed that incident to a cache configuration change that required a failover process, resulting in high CPU and memory usage as customer traffic increased.
In April, Microsoft also addressed a backend issue that prevented some Teams Free users from making calls and sending chats. During the same month, the company fixed a bug linked to a Microsoft Edge update that stopped some Windows users from joining Teams meetings.
Microsoft additionally rolled back a service update after some Teams users became stuck on a loading screen displaying the message: “We’re having trouble loading your message. Try refreshing.“
What Users Should Expect Next?
For now, affected users may continue experiencing difficulties when attempting to open files through Teams or Office for the web. Microsoft says its engineers are actively investigating the issue and monitoring service telemetry to identify the source of the outage.
Organizations relying heavily on Microsoft’s cloud productivity tools will likely be watching closely for further updates as the company works toward a resolution.
SQ Magazine Takeaway
I think this incident highlights how dependent modern workplaces have become on cloud-based productivity platforms. When services like Teams, Excel for the web, and other Office applications experience even a short disruption, it can affect communication, collaboration, and daily business operations. While outages happen, users will be looking for a quick explanation and a fast resolution from Microsoft as work increasingly depends on these online tools.
