MC833890 - Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint: Protect sensitive files with dynamic watermarking

Service

Microsoft 365 suite
Microsoft Purview

Published

Jul 24, 2024

Tag

New feature
User impact
Admin impact

Platforms

Android
Desktop
iOS
Mac
Web

Summary

Dynamic watermarking, a new sensitivity label setting, will be added to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, embedding the user's information onto files. It will be available on various platforms, with a Public Preview in July 2024 and General Availability in November 2024.

More information

Dynamic watermarking is a new sensitivity label setting that will add watermark text containing the consuming user’s information onto content in files created in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Sensitivity labels from Microsoft Purview Information Protection help you classify and protect your organization's data. Learn more: (Preview) Dynamic watermarking for sensitivity labels in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint - Microsoft Community Hub

This message applies to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on the web, Desktop/Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 400717.

When this will happen:

Public Preview: We will begin rolling out mid-July 2024 and expect to complete by early August 2024.

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out to Current Channel mid-November 2024 and expect to complete by end of November 2024.

The rest of the channels will follow in line with their normal cadence.

How this will affect your organization:

Before the rollout: Admins are not able to configure dynamic watermarking though sensitivity labels in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

After the rollout, refer to the admin documentation to configure dynamic watermarks in your tenant. This feature is off by default. Admins must configure the feature before it is accessible to users.

user controls

What you need to do to prepare:

This rollout will happen automatically by the specified date with no admin action required before the rollout. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation.

Learn more