Edit

Frequently asked questions about classification and labeling in Azure Information Protection

  • Article

Note

Are you looking for Microsoft Purview Information Protection, formerly Microsoft Information Protection (MIP)?

The Azure Information Protection add-in is retired and replaced with labels that are built in to your Microsoft 365 apps and services. Learn more about the support status of other Azure Information Protection components.

The new Microsoft Information Protection client (without the add-in) is currently in preview and scheduled for general availability.

Have a question about Azure Information Protection that is specifically about classification and labeling? See if it's answered here.

Which client do I install for testing new functionality?

We recommend using the built-in labeling solution for Office apps by default, and then installing the Azure Information Protection unified labeling client in parallel if you need the extra features supported by AIP.

You can use the AIP client's extra functionality and built-in labeling simultaneously, and the unified labeling client downloads labels and policy settings from the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

For more information, see Learn about about built-in labeling and the AIP unified labeling client.

Tip

The Azure Information Protection client is supported on Windows only.

To classify and protect documents and emails on iOS, Android, macOS, and the web, use Office apps that support built-in labeling.

Where can I find information about using sensitivity labels for Office apps?

See the following documentation resources:

For information about other scenarios that support sensitivity labels, see Common scenarios for sensitivity labels.

How do I prevent somebody from removing or changing a label?

To prevent users from removing or changing a label, the content must already be protected and the protection permissions do not grant the user the Export or Full Control usage right.

When an email is labeled, do any attachments automatically get the same labeling?

No. When you label an email message that has attachments, those attachments do not inherit the same label. The attachments remain either without a label or retain a separately applied label. However, if the label for the email applies protection, that protection is applied to Office attachments.

How can DLP solutions and other applications integrate with Azure Information Protection?

Because Azure Information Protection uses persistent metadata for classification, which includes a clear-text label, this information can be read by DLP solutions and other applications.

For examples of using this metadata with Exchange Online mail flow rules, see Configuring Exchange Online mail flow rules for Azure Information Protection labels.