Is Office 365 Not Working?[Reasons And Solutions]

Is Office 365 Not Working [Reasons And Solutions]

Is your project deadline very near? And you are not able to use Office 365 as it is crashing frequently crashing or not working at all. You might be sitting there frustrated and probably wondering what you are going to do. If you are having such problems then don’t worry I am here to guide you.

Office 365 may not be working due to issues with office activation, down servers, browser issues, login issues, update issues, and ad-ins problems. Some other issues can be that your internet connection might be down, your login credentials are wrong, or the office is having synchronization issues, and so on.

If you want to know how you can check the real problem for the office to go down and also want to know how you can solve those problems then this article is just for you. Read the article below and you can start working with Office 365 as I have found, tried, and succeeded with the below problems with their solutions.

What Are The Possible Reasons For Office 365 Not Working?

Any application, even Office 365 may have problems you have to deal with. Not all problems are brought on by software vendor-unpatched defects. From the client-side, several problems can be resolved.

Let’s see the possible reasons why the office might not be working. Below are some of the possible reasons for the office to crash/not work.

Issues With Office 365 Activation

Firstly, your office 365 has to be activated to work inside office 365 applications. When you try to open the office without activation it will show a “Product Deactivated” error message. It will also display the following option:

Product Deactivated

To keep using Word without interruption, choose the option below to reactivate

Enter keyI have a product key.

Sign InAdd this computer to an active account.

 

The installed Office 365 apps are inactive until they establish a connection with Microsoft licensing servers and the license is renewed if they are disconnected from Microsoft servers for more than 30 days in a row.

Office 365 activation problems might arise if numerous versions of Microsoft Office are installed on your device.

Safari Browser Issues

When using Office 365 online apps, Safari may have issues because of the browser’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) function. The webpage might not be compatible with the browser settings

Issues With Login

You can run into a sign-in issue while attempting to enter into your Office 365 account. The error typically appears when you input incorrect login information. It might display the error as:

“We are unable to recognize this user ID or Password”

 

Another reason might be that your administrator changed your password without telling you. You need to ask him/her to provide you with the login information so you can log in.

Synchronization Issues

Office 365 syncing issues are frequent for Office Mobile, but occasionally, problems with OneDrive and Outlook on the desktop version of Office 365 can be similar.

Users are reporting that they are observing differences between the messages that they receive in Microsoft Outlook compared to Microsoft Outlook Web App. People are also receiving an error message when they synchronize their offline folder file (.ost) in Outlook while their mailbox on a server is running in Microsoft Exchange Server.

The error messages are displayed like:

Cannot start Microsoft Outlook.

Cannot open the Outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opened. The file c:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook<[email protected]> is not an Outlook data file (ost).

One time I also had an issue regarding synchronization. Even though I synced all my email messages, appointments, contacts, tasks, notes, and documents in my, ost file. It was missing from my .ost file/ my mailbox.

To fix synchronization issues you can uninstall some applications on your PC or repair office 365.

Update Issues

The Microsoft team is updating Windows, Microsoft Office, and other software regularly and they are continuously fixing the threats, bugs, etc for their users. So, as the office is updated from the team side, the users might not be updating the office on their devices.

So, if the client-side doesn’t update the office once the update is released, they might face some issues. Sometimes the update might also fail. There are a lot of different reasons for the updating issues.

Before updating the office you must check your Operating System (OS), your internet connection, firewall settings, Office 365 subscriptions, etc.

Office 365 Problems Caused by Add-Ins

Examine the installed Add-Ins for Office 365 apps. Microsoft Office issues can occasionally be brought on by Add-Ins. Low performance or application crashes are examples of these issues. Try turning off Add-Ins so you can use Office 365 programs without them.

Office 365 might display something as:

Sorry, we had to restart because this add-in wasn’t responding

 

This often occurs if the user takes longer than 5 seconds to choose local files in the dialog box.

5 Ways To Check If Office 365 Is Down Right Now.

There are various ways that you can check about the Microsoft office 365 not working. Below I have mentioned some of the ways that you can perform to check if office 365 is down.

Check Service Health

Check Service Health

The online tool for Office 365 enterprises is called “Service Health” (if you have work and school Office 365 accounts). This function in the Office 365 admin center is only accessible to administrators of Office 365. Find potential Office 365 issues using the Service health dashboard and review the supplied guidance on how to resolve them.

Below I have mentioned steps on how you can check the service’s health

Step 1: Open Any Browser

Firstly, open any browser on your device (Google, Mozilla, Safari, etc)

Step 2: Go To Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Go To https://admin.microsoft.com and login into your admin account.

Note: Viewing service health is available to those with the global admin or service support admin roles.

Step 3: Go To Health

On the left-hand navigation of the admin center, click on health.

Step 4: Click On Service Health

Tap on service health available there. You will be directed to the dashboard where you can see active service issue and links to the detailed Service Health page.

On the service health page, you will be able to see the health of each cloud service in a table format.

Check Downdetector Website

You can also view various down detectors available online to know if the office server is down. It will provide a chart of the problem reports of the last 24 hours reported by the users as well.

Check Downdetector Website

The above picture displays how the down detector shows the current state of the Office 365 server.

Check Twitter Official Account

You can also check the Microsoft official Twitter account as they are updating news about Office 365 regularly. They will also let the users know if office 365 is not working or if they are under maintenance immediately. So, keep updated with the official Twitter account of Microsoft 365 status.

Check Azure Status

Check Azure Status

You can also view Microsoft Azure’s operation status by visiting the status page if office 365 is not working. The website shows you the status of different regions as shown in the photo above ( America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific). The icon inside the status bar represents

  • Good
  • Information
  • Warning
  • Critical

Check Microsoft Group On Facebook

There is a Facebook group called Microsoft 365 Champions where Microsoft users and officials are active. They are updated frequently about the Microsoft office and its other application.

So, if you are also facing some problems regarding office 356 then you can either post it on the page or you can directly message the members that are in the group.

Tools To Help You With Office 365 Not Working

Besides the Microsoft team, there are a lot of things that you can do from your side to solve the issues with office 365. When I was also facing these office 365 problems I performed the below methods and made it run again.

Office 365 Repair Tool

The majority of Office 365 issues for installed Office 365 applications may be resolved with the aid of the Office 365 repair tool (not applicable if you use online apps only). You can attempt to fix Office using the proper built-in tool.

Below I have mentioned steps on how you can repair office 365 with the help of the appropriate built-in tool

Step 1: Press Windows + “R” Key

At the same time press the Windows + “R” key on your keyboard. The run tab will open

Step 2: Type Control Panel

In the search bar, type control panel and press enter key

Step 3: Go To Programs

When you are inside the control panel, click on the programs

Step 4: Open Program And Features

You will see programs and features inside the programs window. Double left-click on it.

Step 5: Select Office 365

Among the programs there, select office 365

Step 6: Click On Repair

Right-click on office 365 and press on repair

Quick repair and online repair are the two choices that will be available. The online repair offers additional repair options and does a more thorough inspection.

Microsoft Support And Recovery Assistant

You can also try using Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant if office 365 is not working. Firstly, you have to install this application on your device. After installation, start the program, enter the Office 365 account credentials and then run tests to determine the issue and locate the required fix.

Fix the Office 365 issues that are stopping you from utilizing the email services by evaluating the settings of your Office 365 email system. Problems with Microsoft Office, Office 365, and Outlook may be fixed with the help of Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant.

Follow the guides provided by the assistant to find and solve Microsoft Office 365 problems. If the provided solutions still don’t work then you can send complaints to office 365 or call Microsoft support.

Checking Office 365 Service Health

Check Service Health
The above picture represents what the service health tab looks like. It shows the current status of Microsoft office and every element that are in it.

 

You can check the current health condition of office 365 in the service health. But only office administrators can access this tool in the Office 365 admin center.

If you are an administrator then use the service health dashboard to find possible office 365 issues and also read the provided information to fix them.

The Remote Connectivity Analyzer

The remote connectivity analyzer is used to identify connectivity issues that office 365 has. It can help to detect issues of the following services and features by using different tests:

  • Exchange ActiveSync
  • Service account access
  • Synchronization, Notification, Availability, and Automatic replies
  • Outlook connectivity
  • Exchange DNS
  • Lync DNS
  • Outlook Mobile Hybrid Modern Authentication
  • Single Sign-on
  • Inbound/Outbound SMTP email, POP email, IMAP email

How To Fix Synchronization Issues?

To fix the synchronization issues, you just have to uninstall updates (KB2837618 and KB2837643) to fix the related IMAP synchronization issues for outlook 365

Below I have mentioned steps on how you can solve the synchronization issues.

Step 1: Press the “Windows” And “R” Key

Press windows and the R keys at the same time on your keyboard and open the run tab.

Step 2: Type Control Panel

In the search bar of the run tab, type the control panel, and press enter.

Step 3: Tap On Programs

On the control panel tab, you will see programs. Get into it.

Step 4: Click On Programs and Features

After getting into the programs you will see programs and features in it. Click on it.

Step 5: Select The Program And Click On Uninstall

After pressing on the programs and features tab, you will see a variety of programs that are on your device. Select KB2837618 and KB2837643 and uninstall these programs

After completing the above steps, restart your device and try to open Microsoft office outlook 365. Now, it should be running perfectly.

How To Fix Office 365 Login Issues?

There are various ways if you are having login issues with office 365. I also had the same problem a long time ago and I performed various ways to get into office 365 and got successful with it as well.

Below I have mentioned different solutions that you can perform to log in to the office:

Method 1: Check Your Login Credentials

Method 2: Check Your Web Browser

Method 3: Change Your Password

Method 4: Unlock Your Account

Let’s discuss the above methods.

Method 1: Check Your Login Credentials

Firstly, check if your login information is correct or not. Sometimes the user is not providing their actual information because they get confused as people have numerous social accounts. Before logging into office 365, make sure that the information is fully correct.

I suggest you note down all the log-in information on your device or somewhere else for such cases. It would be easier for you to log in if you have forgotten the login details.

You can also save your credentials in the browser as soon as you log in so that you won’t have to type it again the next time you want to get into office 365 online.

Method 2: Check Your Web Browser

Firstly, if you are using more than one browser, sign out from the portal. You can also try clearing the cache in the web browser, removing internet cookies and deleting web history, and try signing in again.

Method 3: Change Your Password

If you are still not able to log in and you don’t know if the information that you are providing to login into office 365 is correct or not. Then you can try to change the password from the login page.

Click on the “Forgot Password” option where you are asked to type in your passcode. Then you will be directed to another page where you have to provide your email info. Also, don’t forget to type in the captcha correctly and verify yourself.

Then you will be asked to complete your cellphone number and after that, you will get a verification code in the number that you have provided. You can choose to obtain the code in either text or code.

After you get the verification code in your number, provide the code. Then you will be redirected to another page where you will be asked to reset your password. Put a strong password and don’t forget to note it down.

Method 4: Unlock Your Account

Your account can be locked if possible violations of office 365’s Terms of Use include activities that are connected to your account. To unlock your account, you can use any phone number to request the security code and the number doesn’t need to be associated with your account

The phone doesn’t need to be connected to the internet or nor does it have to be a smartphone. It just needs to have a sim network as you can receive text messages on your sim card. After doing so, you may have to create a new password to get into your account.

We have also written some related articles on why some apps or websites are not working. Have a look if you are having problems with any.

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“Snapchat Not Working [Updated 2022]”

“Why Is Kik Not Working? [1o Fix For The Issue]”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some of the frequently asked questions related to Office 365 not working and its applications. Have a look below to know some more.

Why Is Outlook Not Connecting To Server?

Your device can experience the “Outlook cannot connect to server problem” if any third-party extensions or add-ons are in the way of Outlook. You can try deactivating the plugins to see if it helps to repair the problem if you want to. Open Outlook, then navigate to File > Options > Add-ins and deactivate them.

Why Has My Email Stopped Working?

Emails might stop working for a variety of reasons (incorrect email settings, poor email passwords, etc.), but the best way to figure out why is to check your end for any error messages.

How Do I Fix Email Not Connecting To The Server?

You’ll need to change your password to unlock your account. The banned account’s email address must be entered, followed by the characters you can see on your screen. Next, to get a text message for verification, choose to use a different verification option or enter the code issued by your authenticator app.

Why Is Word Not Opening?

Open the Settings application on Windows 10 and choose Apps & Features. To fix Office apps, choose Microsoft Office from the app list, click Modify, and then take the appropriate action. Delete and install Word again. Your Microsoft ID and Product Key are required.

Do I Have To Pay Every Year For Office 365?

Office 365 offers two choices for customers at home: Microsoft 365 Family – Provides customers with one practical membership for up to 6 persons for a cost of $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Microsoft 365 Personal, which costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 annually, is designed for personal usage.

Conclusion

To conclude, Microsoft Office is a collection of programs intended to increase productivity and carry out typical operations on a computer. You can make presentations and posters, deal with data in databases and spreadsheets, and create and edit documents with text and graphics.

As people are using Office 365 for their daily use, it can be very frustrating for the user if the office does not work. Especially when people have to make important projects, manage databases, or students are doing their coursework or projects. I was also very frustrated when I had to submit a huge project and the office was completely down.

I analyzed the problem and tried to fix it myself and was later able to gain access to office 365. So before complaining to the team, I suggest you do the research from your side and try to solve the problem by yourself. I hope this article will help you to solve the problems that you are facing.

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