A global outage hit X - the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter - on November 18, 2025, disrupting service for users across Europe, Asia, North America and Africa during peak traffic hours. Downdetector recorded more than 10,000 incident reports by 5:20 p.m., confirming a widespread failure that affected the mobile app, website and server connections simultaneously. The disruptions occurred as technical analysts pointed to instability at Cloudflare, a major internet infrastructure provider, though X has not confirmed any cause.
Downdetector's data showed that 61% of reports stemmed from failures within the mobile app, while 28% involved the website and 11% reflected broader server connection issues. The tracker emphasized that it only logs incidents once complaints surge beyond normal background levels, documenting what it described as a clear, significant service disruption.
The outage affected users on iPhone, Android and desktop, triggering login loops, stalled message queues and timelines that refused to load. The failure temporarily slowed the flow of breaking news, emergency updates and business communications - areas where X has long positioned itself as a critical real-time information network.
Technical specialists monitoring the event pointed to instability reported by Cloudflare earlier in the day. Because Cloudflare underpins content delivery and security functions for major digital platforms, disruptions there can cascade globally. Analysts say the outage illustrates how dependent major communication hubs are on external infrastructure and how a single point of failure can reverberate across continents.
With X only partially functional, users migrated to rival platforms, including Threads, Facebook and Instagram, to report the disruption. Despite the company's rebranding, #TwitterDown quickly trended worldwide. The flood of posts underscored how strongly users still associate the platform with its previous identity and how deeply integrated it remains in political debate, journalism and public-safety messaging.
Reports of outages emerged from London, New York, Delhi, Manila, Johannesburg and Tokyo, among dozens of other cities. The global reach of the problem amplified concerns among businesses and emergency-response professionals who depend on X for time-sensitive announcements.
The failure added fuel to ongoing debate about the platform's stability under Elon Musk's ownership. Since the takeover, X has undergone major restructuring, including deep staffing cuts and system overhauls that critics argue have reduced resilience. Supporters contend that the changes have streamlined internal processes and enabled faster product expansion, such as longform posts and enhanced video features.
