Fallback Plan if Microsoft Office 365 Exchange Online Cloud Services Outage

Follow below fallback plans when there’s an outage or breakdown in Microsoft Office 365 cloud services to keep on working until the problem resolved. Those fallback plans also applies to anyone with cloud based email storage, Office 365, Exchange Server, Gmail or other.

Content Summary

Fallback Plan 1: Alternative Access Method to Mailbox
Fallback Plan 2: Keep Offline Copy
Fallback Plan 3: Alternate Mailbox

Microsoft Office 365 Exchange Server hosting outages and disconnecting Outlook software from the server. The Register reports that users could continue working via web browser interface, only ActiveSync connection used by Outlook software was affected.

We’re investigating an issue where users may be unable to connect to the Exchange Online service. All details are published in the admin center, available to your Office 365 admin under Service Incident (SI)# EX165763.

— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) November 26, 2018

We’re working to address an issue preventing some UK customers from connecting to Exchange Online. In the meantime, customers may be able to access services by refreshing their connections.

Microsoft spokesperson told

This isn’t the first time Office 365 server outages. Back in mid of November, some Office 365 users reported login problem due to multi-factor authentication MFA failure.

Fallback Plan 1: Alternative Access Method to Mailbox

There are other ways to access the same Office 365 or Exchange Server mailbox such as:

• Outlook desktop Windows or Mac via ActiveSync
• Outlook apps on phone or tablet
• Outlook Web App/Access (OWA)

• Login to Office 365 account > Mail

• IMAP
• POP3/SMTP

Fallback Plan 2: Keep Offline Copy

Override Microsoft’s default caching in Outlook for Windows in order to keep a copy of all messages, calendar and contacts on computer.

Step 1: Go to Account Setting > mail account > Change.
Step 2: Check Use Cached Exchange Mode option.
Step 3: Move Mail to keep offline slider to right.

Fallback Plan 3: Alternate Mailbox

Setup second mailbox as alternative email account with different provider such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail or Outlook.com account.