Microsoft Purview | ​Information Protection: On-demand classification of files on Windows devices for sensitive data

Message Center ID: MC1106875
Microsoft 365 suite Microsoft Purview
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New feature User impact Admin impact
August 2025 September 2025 November 2025
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Summary

Microsoft Purview Information Protection will introduce on-demand classification of files on Windows devices starting mid-August 2025 (public preview) and mid-November 2025 (general availability). This helps discover and classify sensitive data for security and compliance without impacting existing configurations. New audit events will be introduced.

Details

Updated July 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

We’re introducing a new capability in Microsoft Purview Information Protection: On-demand classification of files on Windows devices. This feature will enable you to discover and classify sensitive content stored on devices, helping to strengthen your data security posture and meet compliance requirements.

This capability is especially useful for:

  • Investigating potential incidents or exposure risks
  • Surfacing older files that weren’t captured in Data Loss Prevention (DLP) activity logs
  • Identifying sensitive content in place for audit or compliance use

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 496593.

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out mid-August 2025 (previously mid-July) and expect to complete by late September 2025 (previously late July).

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-November 2025 and expect to complete by late November 2025.

[How this will affect your organization:]

After this rollout, admins can access this feature in Purview Information Protection at Data Loss Protection > Classifiers > On-demand classification: 

user settings

There will be no impact to existing Purview configuration or user experience by default. You can choose to use this capability to discover existing content and apply applicable policies.

user settings

[What you need to do to prepare:]

No immediate action is required. Once available, you can initiate scans on Windows devices to classify existing data based on your organization’s compliance or security needs. Before rollout, we will update the following post: On-demand classification (preview) - Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn.

[Compliance considerations:]

  • Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable any audit logging capabilities (Purview): Yes. - New audit event introduced.

Related Roadmap Items

Change History

July 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM Updated
Summary
Previous
Microsoft Purview Information Protection is introducing on-demand classification of files on Windows devices to enhance data security and compliance. Public preview starts mid-July 2025, with general availability in mid-November 2025. Admins can access this feature in Purview without impacting existing configurations. No immediate action is required.
New
Microsoft Purview Information Protection will introduce on-demand classification of files on Windows devices starting mid-August 2025 (public preview) and mid-November 2025 (general availability). This helps discover and classify sensitive data for security and compliance without impacting existing configurations. New audit events will be introduced.
Last Updated Date
Previous
2025-06-30T23:04:44.553Z
New
2025-07-30T14:17:07.913Z
Tags
Previous
New feature,User impact,Admin impact
New
Updated message,New feature,User impact,Admin impact
Body Content
Previous

We’re introducing a new capability in Microsoft Purview Information Protection: On-demand classification of files on Windows devices. This feature will enable you to discover and classify sensitive content stored on devices, helping to strengthen your data security posture and meet compliance requirements.

This capability is especially useful for:

  • Investigating potential incidents or exposure risks
  • Surfacing older files that weren’t captured in Data Loss Prevention (DLP) activity logs
  • Identifying sensitive content in place for audit or compliance use

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 496593.

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out mid-July 2025 and expect to complete by late July 2025.

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-November 2025 and expect to complete by late November 2025.

[How this will affect your organization:]

After this rollout, admins can access this feature in Purview Information Protection at Data Loss Protection > Classifiers > On-demand classification: 

user settings

There will be no impact to existing Purview configuration or user experience by default. You can choose to use this capability to discover existing content and apply applicable policies.

user settings

[What you need to do to prepare:]

No immediate action is required. Once available, you can initiate scans on Windows devices to classify existing data based on your organization’s compliance or security needs. Before rollout, we will update the following post: On-demand classification (preview) - Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn.

[Compliance considerations:]

  • Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable any audit logging capabilities (Purview): Yes. - New audit event introduced.

New

Updated July 30, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

We’re introducing a new capability in Microsoft Purview Information Protection: On-demand classification of files on Windows devices. This feature will enable you to discover and classify sensitive content stored on devices, helping to strengthen your data security posture and meet compliance requirements.

This capability is especially useful for:

  • Investigating potential incidents or exposure risks
  • Surfacing older files that weren’t captured in Data Loss Prevention (DLP) activity logs
  • Identifying sensitive content in place for audit or compliance use

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 496593.

[When this will happen:]

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out mid-August 2025 (previously mid-July) and expect to complete by late September 2025 (previously late July).

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out mid-November 2025 and expect to complete by late November 2025.

[How this will affect your organization:]

After this rollout, admins can access this feature in Purview Information Protection at Data Loss Protection > Classifiers > On-demand classification: 

user settings

There will be no impact to existing Purview configuration or user experience by default. You can choose to use this capability to discover existing content and apply applicable policies.

user settings

[What you need to do to prepare:]

No immediate action is required. Once available, you can initiate scans on Windows devices to classify existing data based on your organization’s compliance or security needs. Before rollout, we will update the following post: On-demand classification (preview) - Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn.

[Compliance considerations:]

  • Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable any audit logging capabilities (Purview): Yes. - New audit event introduced.

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