Microsoft Purview | Information Protection – Override manually applied labels and Remove labels with Auto-labeling

Introduction

We are introducing new auto-labeling actions for SharePoint and OneDrive in Microsoft Purview as part of the convergence of Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (MDA) into Purview. These enhancements allow administrators to automatically override manually applied sensitivity labels or remove existing labels at scale when content no longer meets labeling criteria.

This update helps organizations maintain accurate and consistent data classification as policies, label taxonomies, and business requirements evolve—without relying on end users to manually update labels. It also improves governance and control for data at rest across Microsoft 365.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 558342.

When this will happen:

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout will begin in mid-April 2026 and is expected to complete by mid-April 2026.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected:

• Microsoft 365 administrators who manage Microsoft Purview Information Protection.
• Organizations using auto-labeling policies for SharePoint and OneDrive.

What will happen:

• Admins can configure new auto-labeling actions in the Microsoft Purview portal.
• Auto-labeling policies can now:
  • Override existing sensitivity labels, including labels applied manually by users.
  • Remove a specific sensitivity label from files that no longer meet policy conditions.
• These actions apply to files at rest in SharePoint Online and OneDrive.
• The feature is not enabled by default and only takes effect when configured by an admin.

What you can do to prepare:

• No immediate action is required.
• If you use auto-labeling for SharePoint or OneDrive, review existing policies to understand where labels may be overridden or removed automatically.
• Inform relevant stakeholders that sensitivity labels on existing files may change automatically when these policies are enabled.
• Update internal governance or compliance documentation if you reference sensitivity label behavior.
• Learn more about configuring auto-labeling policies:
  • Microsoft Purview auto-labeling
  • Creating an auto-labeling policy | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations: