Required lisence for Activity Explorer on Purview Portal

Question

Required lisence for Activity Explorer on Purview Portal

Yuta WAKITA 91

Could you please let me know which lisence is needed for Activity Explorer.

I would like to check when and who labeled which file, and also export them as a CSV file.

It seems possible on Activity Explorer on Purview Portal, then I wonder which lisence is needed for it, whether E3 or E5.

I see the major difference between E3 and E5 is Standard or Premium audit, but I did not find which part is exactly including Activity Explorer.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/audit-solutions-overview#comparison-of-key-capabilities

Thank you in advance!

Yuta WAKITA 91 Reputation points

2025-03-13T06:47:05.0366667+00:00

Let me add a bit detail.
I mean Activity Expolorer especially for Microsoft Information Protection, and maybe the document about auditing is not concerned with it.
This one below is what I wanted to know further.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/data-classification-activity-explorer
Sorry for if I made you confused.

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Yuta WAKITA 91 Reputation points

2025-03-13T06:47:05.0366667+00:00

Let me add a bit detail.
I mean Activity Expolorer especially for Microsoft Information Protection, and maybe the document about auditing is not concerned with it.
This one below is what I wanted to know further.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/data-classification-activity-explorer
Sorry for if I made you confused.

Answer 1

Smaran Thoomu 25,115 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Yuta WAKITA
I understand you're specifically asking about Activity Explorer in Microsoft Purview Information Protection rather than general audit logs. Let me break it down for you:> Licensing Requirement for Activity Explorer

To access Activity Explorer in Microsoft Purview (Data Classification), you need a Microsoft 365 E5 license.

Microsoft 365 E5 includes all the necessary capabilities for Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) and Activity Explorer.
Microsoft 365 E3 does not provide access to Activity Explorer, as it lacks the required data classification and protection insights.

Activity Explorer allows you to

Track labeling activities – See who labeled, relabeled, or removed labels from files.

Monitor file protection actions – View events related to encryption and classification policies applied to content.

Export data – You can filter and export the activity logs as a CSV file for further analysis.

For more details, you can refer to Microsoft’s official documentation:

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need further clarification.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Yuta WAKITA 91 Reputation points

2025-03-14T02:30:05.2466667+00:00

Thank you for your kindness. Now I found E5 is required to find labeling history and export it as CSV.

I am sorry it if every user is supposed to know such things, but let me ask it more.
Who need to access and use Activity Explorer is only 1 user such as an administrator in this scenario.
Then could you please let me know which selection should be correct?
A. Needed to apply E5 lisence "for all users in the tenant."

B. Needed to apply E5 lisence "for who will label a file."

C. Needed to apply E5 lisence "only for an administrator who use Acticity Explorer."
Smaran Thoomu 25,115 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-03-14T07:30:48.05+00:00
Hi Yuta WAKITA
I completely understand the need for clarity regarding who requires an E5 license when using Activity Explorer in Microsoft Purview.

Activity Explorer itself (viewing and exporting activity logs) – Requires at least one user with a Microsoft 365 E5 license. This is typically the administrator or compliance officer who needs to monitor labeling activity.

Users applying labels (who generate the labeling activity logs) – The logs in Activity Explorer only capture actions performed by users with the correct licensing. This means that if a user applies labels but does not have the necessary license, their activity may not be tracked in the logs.

Then could you please let me know which selection should be correct?

Option B: "E5 is needed for users who will label a file."

If you want full visibility in Activity Explorer, then the users who apply labels must have an E5 license.

If only some users are labeling, you could assign E5 licenses to those specific users instead of the entire tenant.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need further clarification.

Answer 2

Vasil Michev 119.9K MVP Volunteer Moderator

It should be available for every SKU that supports sensitivity labels. There is no direct relation to "premium" audit events.

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Required lisence for Activity Explorer on Purview Portal

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