Products · Product
Microsoft 365
Raised as a usability problem by 156 people on Hacker News over 15 years (2012–2026), in 139 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
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Every issue, all time, most people first
Cheaper plan only appears after cancellingUnreviewed
20122026- Can't cancel subscription because storage usage is hidden in a non-obvious location2026-09-28
- Users only learn of cheaper downgrade option when trying to cancel, a dark pattern2025-11-06
- Cancelling a subscription led to an unexpected AI upgrade, forcing a full cancellation to avoid it2025-11-06
Online Office apps are slow and unstable next to Google DocsUnreviewed
20122026- Online Office apps are slow and unstable compared to Google Docs and Sheets2026-06-03
- Office apps feel laggy and horrible to use for casual work2026-01-03
- Online Word layouts and Excel text break, and complex Excel books are slow2022-02-28
Forced to sign in daily, then signed out again immediatelyUnreviewed
20122026- Outlook web signs the user out every 30 minutes, forcing repeated sign-ins2026-03-15
- Requires signing in every day, then often immediately signs user out again2025-07-13
- Must sign out each time to switch between multiple tenant accounts2023-02-03
Links rewritten into long, suspicious-looking URLs that can't be turned offUnreviewed
20122026- Left-click links get intercepted by a checker that often fails2025-10-31
- Rewritten links are long and unreadable, so users can't verify them2024-02-24
- Links get rewritten into long, suspicious-looking URLs that cannot be turned off2023-02-01
Features differ across web, desktop and Mac versions, forcing app switchingUnreviewed
20122026- Features differ across web, desktop and Mac versions, forcing users to switch apps2020-05-20
- Online apps feel like extensions of desktop apps, not standalone products2014-12-30
- Key features missing and rendering lags, so users switch to desktop apps2014-04-14
Overlapping products make it unclear which tool to useUnreviewed
20122026- Too many overlapping products, so people can't tell which tool to use2023-08-01
- Too many overlapping apps, unclear which one to use for projects2023-03-22
- Confusing overlapping product names make it hard to find the right app or folder2017-04-20
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Gets logged out constantly, with no error until chats are lost2026-10-05
- Can't cancel subscription because storage usage is hidden in a non-obvious location2026-09-28
- Panes don't resize cooperatively and each use feels unfamiliar and clunky2026-09-15
- Users get tricked into logging into OneDrive by suggestive interface design2026-09-09
- Linux users find copy/paste, picture and file uploads disabled in web apps, forcing workarounds2026-09-01
- Copy/paste is disabled when the browser reports Linux, so it can't be used there2026-07-13
- M365 authentication suffers frequent outages, around four times a day2026-06-10
- Online Office apps are slow and unstable compared to Google Docs and Sheets2026-06-03
- Config changes apply unpredictably with no UI indication of when they take effect2026-05-13
- Teams calls waste the first 20 minutes fixing people's joining and audio problems2026-05-11
- Rewritten links expire by the time the user clicks activation links2026-05-09
- Typing in new message is interpreted as browser shortcuts, messing up inbox2026-05-03
- Can't tell how long devices take to receive new policies; timing is unpredictable2026-04-10
- Microsoft's admin UI is horrific and causes problems for users2026-04-05
- Files get saved in several places, causing version control confusion2026-03-25
- Outlook web signs the user out every 30 minutes, forcing repeated sign-ins2026-03-15
- Switching between ribbon tabs repeatedly adds clicks and strains the wrist2026-03-01
- Gets unbearable once too many things are put in the equation editor2026-02-05
- Forces download through Edge on Windows, blocking other browsers2026-01-28
- Opening the app shows only chat, and users must search hard to find their files2026-01-07
- Office apps feel laggy and horrible to use for casual work2026-01-03
- Redirected across many admin dashboards, hidden settings needed to enable IMAP, took hours to connect2025-12-30
- Huge delays make it unusable2025-12-09
- The non-Copilot plan is buried, only offered when trying to cancel2025-12-08
- Customers were dark-patterned into upgrading to plans with AI features2025-12-08
- Copilot opt-out is hidden behind obscure flows, forcing users to dig to disable it2025-12-01
- No way to turn off auto-capitalization while typing2025-11-29
- Users can't find shared project documents and managing edits between collaborators is difficult2025-11-29
- Admin tools feel needlessly complicated, and features are often incomplete for the intended task2025-11-28
- Cancelling a subscription led to an unexpected AI upgrade, forcing a full cancellation to avoid it2025-11-06
- Users only learn of cheaper downgrade option when trying to cancel, a dark pattern2025-11-06
- Left-click links get intercepted by a checker that often fails2025-10-31
- Documents were hidden and Copilot was front and center, making a simple task a headache2025-10-31
- Cancelling pushed user toward pricier AI plan, hiding cheaper option2025-10-27
- Forced upgrade to Copilot-included plan at renewal, with unclear choice to avoid it2025-10-27
- Users are moved to a pricier Copilot plan without clear notice and must find hidden steps to revert2025-10-27
- Cheaper plan only appears after cancelling, so users must hit cancel to find it2025-10-27
- Hard to find the DKIM settings, and DNS check fails on subdomains2025-10-21
- Former portal functions are hidden behind a tiny search icon, confusing users2025-10-05
- Can't tell whether the 365 account is paid or freemium from account screens2025-10-04
- Overlapping admin sites and legacy settings make simple tasks overly complicated and time-consuming2025-10-02
- Customers repeatedly buy the wrong Microsoft product due to confusing names2025-10-02
- Forced into a pricier Copilot plan; must attempt cancelling to be offered old plan2025-10-01
- Old plan option is hidden, only offered when trying to cancel2025-09-06
- Can't find a sensible way to configure 2FA; settings get overridden across admin sites2025-07-18
- Requires signing in every day, then often immediately signs user out again2025-07-13
- Two near-identical Copilot apps with the same icon are confusing to tell apart2025-06-25
- Upgrade plans not explained in app; payment pages repeatedly error out2025-05-21
- Features break on Firefox/Linux user agent, so the user must spoof a browser to use it2025-05-15
- Basic features like shared mailboxes need PowerShell and hit unexpected behaviors2025-04-29