How to remove IRM restrictions on a document stored in SharePoint

Question

We store documents in Sharepoint and publicly post the links on our website. Recently, those who click on the document receive an error message:

I've tried to remove the IRM protections, but the properties on my document do not give me that option. I want to be able to use the Sharepoint links on the website, rather than having to upload each document onto the website storage.

Answer 1

Hi @David Pollock,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your sharing, this is an expected behavior when Office web has limitations with IRM/RMS-protected files and will block browser editing when IRM is applied. You can find more details about IRM in this article: Office Online Server and Office Web Apps Server limitations and features with Information Rights Management

To remove the IRM restriction, the steps will be different based on where the protection is coming from:

1- Library-level IRM (has higher possibility since you mentioned that there is no option on the document properties)

Please note that you need admin/owner rights to perform these steps:

• Go to the document library that stores these files
• Open Settings > Library settings > More library settings > select Information Rights Management under Permissions and Management
• Uncheck "restrict permission .. on download" and Save/OK

Note: Even after disabling library IRM, any files that were individually protected will still fail in the browser so you should check the file itself with the next steps.

For reference: Set up Information Rights Management (IRM) in SharePoint admin center | Microsoft Learn

2- Remove IRM / remove encrypted sensitivity label

Option 1: Remove IRM/RMS protection in Word desktop

• Download the file (or open it from SharePoint) in the desktop Word app.
• Go to File > Info > Protect Document > Restrict Permission…
• Use Change Permission to remove/reduce restrictions and save.

For reference: Restrict access to documents with Information Rights Management in Word - Microsoft Support

Option 2: remove/replace a Sensitivity Label with encryption

In Word desktop, change the file’s Sensitivity to a non-encrypting label (often “Public”/“General”) or remove encryption, then re-upload.

Important note: it is suggested that files need to be downloaded and uploaded again or edited to fully benefit from the new processing behaviors.

For reference: Enable sensitivity labels for files in SharePoint and OneDrive | Microsoft Learn

Please understand that my initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, you can try these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to find a solution.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.    

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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