A Microsoft systems error meant users are being sent a warning that their licence was not valid, with millions affected.

Millions of Hotmail and Outlook users across the world are facing login failures, server errors and stalled inboxes. The disruption began overnight on 10 July, with problems spanning major cities from London to Sydney.

Several thousand Microsoft Outlook users ran into issues with the email platform Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with some reporting problems like loading their inboxes or signing in