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Microsoft Viva Engage: Modernized Private Content Mode
Microsoft Viva Engage introduces a modernized Private Content Mode allowing Verified and Engage admins to view and moderate conversations in private communities without membership. Enabled via a toggle, it supports moderation actions while preserving privacy limits. Rollout begins mid-September 2025, with audit logging and compliance updates included.
Introduction
Viva Engage is introducing a successor to legacy Private Content Mode (PCM) in Yammer: When explicitly enabled, Verified admins and Engage admins will be able to open, view, and take moderation actions on conversations in private communities they are not members of. This capability is intended to support timely moderation and safety response without requiring admins to join each private community. Network admins and corporate communicators are not included in scope. This is a feature available to all Microsoft 365 tenants but requires an explicit, per‑admin opt‑in via a toggle in the Engage Admin Center.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 498493.
When this will happen
General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-September 2025 and expect to complete by late September 2025.
How this affects your organization
When a Verified admin or Engage admin (Yammer administrator in Entra) turns on the new Private Content Mode toggle in the Engage Admin Center:
To enable/disable this mode:
Go to Engage Admin Center > Governance & Compliance > Data Management > and toggle Private Content Mode On or Off.
While enabled, a persistent, non‑dismissible banner appears across the Engage web UX.
Important limits:
What you can do to prepare
Compliance considerations
- They can view community feed, conversations, post conversations and moderate them for any private community that they are not a member of.
- Moderation actions supported in private communities (without membership) include delete, mute, close, plus other standard conversation actions. Admins may also start new conversations or reply in those communities; such activity appears in their All-activity feed on their storyline.
- Manage certain community settings like managing community experts, the files tab being shown. You can learn more on what they can and cannot do in the Monitor private content in Viva Engage documentation – which will be updated at the time of general availability.
- Private content mode will persist for that particular admin user until it is explicitly disabled in the Engage admin center.
- Private messages can only be viewed via data export or the ediscovery tool going forward.
- Community specific files and events will not be visible in private communities unless the admin is a member; admins also cannot attach media/files when posting in such communities while operating under PCM. Access to SharePoint‑scoped content remains governed by SharePoint/Entra permissions.
- No accidental discovery: Private …
Message ID: MC1143993
