Sensitivity labels now apply to modified documents

Originally posted by Microsoft Dec 15, 2021 Microsoft 365 suite 0 Comments

Coming to public preview, default labeling policies can now be applied to any supported document that a user edits, not just a new document. 

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 88515.

When this will happen:

We expect for the rollout to begin in mid-January and expect it to be complete by late February.

How this will affect your organization:

If you’ve configured users for a default sensitivity label policy for Office documents, the label you chose will automatically be applied to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents you create or modify. Previously, this only applied to new documents only.

Users can always select a different label to better match the sensitivity of their document. Note: the default label policy always takes priority over mandatory labeling.

Once this change is rolled out, it’ll start to take effect for users who are configured for a default sensitivity label the next time they edit an existing unlabeled document.

What you need to do to prepare:

No action required but you may want to adjust your documentation as needed.

• Learn more about specifying a default sensitivity label.
• Learn more about requiring users to apply a label.

Message ID: MC305436