X Suffers Global Outage, Leaving Thousands of Users Locked Out

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, experienced a widespread outage on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, leaving tens of thousands of users unable to access key features of the app. According to outage-tracking website Downdetector, reports of service issues spiked sharply across multiple countries, signaling a global disruption rather than an isolated regional problem.

At the peak of the outage, more than 22,900 users in the United States reported issues with X as of 9:19 a.m. ET. The disruption was also felt internationally, with over 7,000 reports in the United Kingdom and approximately 2,700 users affected in Canada, according to Downdetector data.

What users experienced during the outage

Users impacted by the outage reported being unable to load their home feeds, with many encountering error messages or blank screens when opening the app or website. While the home timeline appeared inaccessible for many, some sections of the platform—such as trending topics pages—continued to load intermittently, suggesting a partial system failure rather than a complete shutdown.

Downdetector reports began declining by around 9:40 a.m. ET, and the issue appeared largely resolved by 10 a.m. ET, indicating the outage was relatively brief. However, even short disruptions on a platform as widely used as X can have an outsized impact, especially for journalists, businesses, and public figures who rely on real-time updates.

X remains silent on the cause

As of publication, X had not issued an official explanation for the outage. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters or other outlets. As Downdetector data is based on user-submitted reports, the true number of affected users could be significantly higher than reported.

The lack of transparency has fueled speculation online, with users questioning whether the disruption was caused by internal technical issues or problems with third-party infrastructure.

Recent history of outages raises questions

This is not the first time X has faced technical difficulties in recent months. In November and December 2025, the platform was affected by Cloudflare outages, which disrupted numerous websites across the internet. One of those incidents was linked to an intentional system change by Cloudflare that unintentionally caused widespread service interruptions, including for X. Cloudflare has previously stated that those outages were not the result of cyberattacks.

While it remains unclear whether Tuesday’s outage was connected to Cloudflare or another infrastructure provider, the recurring disruptions have raised concerns among users about the platform’s reliability under its current ownership and technical architecture.

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A reminder of X’s global dependence

With hundreds of millions of active users worldwide, even a short-lived outage on X highlights the platform’s central role in global communication. From breaking news and emergency updates to business announcements and cultural conversations, disruptions can quickly ripple across industries and time zones.

As users regain access, attention now turns to whether X will provide clarity on what went wrong—and what steps, if any, are being taken to prevent future outages.