check before: 2026-01-31
Product:
Entra, Microsoft 365 Apps, OneNote, Purview, Purview Communication Compliance, Purview Data Loss Prevention, Purview Information Protection, Windows
Platform:
Android, iOS, Mac, Online, US Instances, Web, Windows Desktop, World tenant
Status:
In development
Change type:
Admin impact, New feature, Updated message, User impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Microsoft OneNote will support Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels on Win32, Web, iOS, Android, and Mac by late January 2026, enabling manual labeling of sections for encryption and access control. This enhances compliance and data protection, with admin controls via Entra ID; OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP) is not supported.
Details:
Updated January 2, 2026: We have updated the content and timeline. Thank you for your patience.
Introduction
We're introducing support for Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels in OneNote. This update enables users to manually classify and protect OneNote sections using the same compliance standards available across Microsoft 365 apps. Labels can be applied to each OneNote Section, helping ensure sensitive content is encrypted, access-controlled, and aligned with organizational policies. This change supports consistent data protection across platforms and endpoints.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 500020.
When this will happen
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): We expect to complete the rollout by late January 2026.
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
General Availability
Created:
2025-09-23
updated:
2026-01-03
Task Type
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Docu to Check
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MS How does it affect me
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MS Preperations
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linked item details
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summary for non-techies**
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Direct effects for Operations**
Data Processing Changes
The introduction of sensitivity labels will alter how sensitive customer data is processed and accessed within OneNote, potentially leading to confusion or errors if users are unprepared for the new labeling system.
- roles: End Users, Compliance Officers
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/sensitivity-labels, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=500020
User Experience Disruption
Without preparation, users may struggle with the new manual labeling process, leading to frustration and potential non-compliance with data protection policies.
- roles: End Users, IT Support Staff
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/sensitivity-labels, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=500020
Compliance Monitoring Challenges
The change will modify how admins can monitor and report on compliance activities, which may lead to gaps in compliance tracking if not communicated effectively to the admin team.
- roles: Compliance Officers, IT Administrators
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/sensitivity-labels, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=500020
Configutation Options**
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Opportunities**
Enhanced Data Protection and Compliance
The introduction of sensitivity labels in OneNote allows for better data protection by enabling users to manually classify and encrypt sensitive content. This ensures compliance with organizational policies and regulatory requirements, particularly beneficial for organizations in regulated industries such as finance and healthcare.
- next-steps: Develop training materials for users on how to effectively use sensitivity labels in OneNote. Schedule training sessions to ensure all users understand the importance of data protection and compliance.
- roles: Compliance Officers, IT Administrators, Data Protection Officers
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/sensitivity-labels, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=500020
Improved Admin Control and Monitoring
With the ability to enforce labeling policies through Entra ID, administrators can gain better control over how sensitive information is handled in OneNote. This also allows for tracking and reporting on sensitivity label usage, enhancing compliance monitoring capabilities.
- next-steps: Review current DLP and Conditional Access policies to integrate with the new labeling features. Update monitoring tools to track usage of sensitivity labels in OneNote.
- roles: IT Administrators, Compliance Officers, Security Analysts
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/sensitivity-labels, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=500020
Streamlined User Experience Across Platforms
The support for sensitivity labels across multiple platforms (Win32, Web, iOS, Android, and Mac) ensures a consistent user experience. This uniformity helps users to easily understand and apply data protection measures, regardless of the device they are using.
- next-steps: Conduct user feedback sessions to identify any challenges faced in applying sensitivity labels across different platforms. Use this feedback to refine training and support resources.
- roles: End Users, IT Support Staff, Training Coordinators
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/sensitivity-labels, https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=500020
Potentional Risks**
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Data Protection**
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IT Security**
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Hypothetical Work Council Statement**
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DPIA Draft**
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explanation for non-techies**
Microsoft is rolling out a new feature for OneNote that allows users to apply sensitivity labels to their notes. Think of sensitivity labels like a lock and key system for your digital notes. Just as you might lock up important documents in a filing cabinet to keep them safe, sensitivity labels let you "lock" your digital notes with encryption and access controls. This means only people with the right "key" can access the information, ensuring it stays secure and complies with your organization's rules.
This feature will be available on most platforms where OneNote is used, including desktop, web, iOS, Android, and Mac. However, it's important to note that OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP) won't support this feature, so users on that platform might need to switch to a supported version to take advantage of these new security measures.
For administrators, this update provides tools to enforce these labeling policies and monitor how sensitive information is handled within OneNote. It's like having a security system that not only locks the doors but also keeps track of who enters and exits, helping to ensure compliance with data protection regulations.
To prepare for this change, organizations should ensure that their users are on supported versions of OneNote and consider updating any internal documentation to reflect these new capabilities. This will help ensure a smooth transition and that everyone is aware of how to use the new sensitivity labels effectively.
** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
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change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2026-01-03 | MC MessageTagNames | New feature, User impact, Admin impact | Updated message, New feature, User impact, Admin impact |
| 2026-01-03 | MC Summary | Microsoft is rolling out Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels for OneNote sections across Win32, Web, iOS, Android, and Mac clients (excluding Windows 10 UWP) from late January 2026 to 2027. This enables encryption, access control, and compliance enforcement aligned with organizational policies, enhancing data protection and admin control. | Microsoft OneNote will support Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels on Win32, Web, iOS, Android, and Mac by late January 2026, enabling manual labeling of sections for encryption and access control. This enhances compliance and data protection, with admin controls via Entra ID; OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP) is not supported. |
| 2026-01-03 | MC Last Updated | 09/23/2025 00:54:22 | 2026-01-02T20:09:00Z |
| 2026-01-03 | MC Messages | Introduction
We're introducing support for Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels in OneNote. This update enables users to classify and protect OneNote sections using the same compliance standards available across Microsoft 365 apps. Labels can be applied directly within OneNote, helping ensure sensitive content is encrypted, access-controlled, and aligned with organizational policies. This change supports consistent data protection across platforms and endpoints. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 500020. When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): We will begin rolling out on late January 2026 and expect to complete by late January 2027. | Updated January 2, 2026: We have updated the content and timeline. Thank you for your patience.
Introduction We're introducing support for Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels in OneNote. This update enables users to manually classify and protect OneNote sections using the same compliance standards available across Microsoft 365 apps. Labels can be applied to each OneNote Section, helping ensure sensitive content is encrypted, access-controlled, and aligned with organizational policies. This change supports consistent data protection across platforms and endpoints. This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 500020. When this will happen General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCCH, and DoD): We expect to complete the rollout by late January 2026. |
| 2026-01-03 | MC How Affect | This update enhances data protection and compliance capabilities by extending sensitivity labeling to OneNote sections. Admins will gain greater control over how sensitive information is handled within OneNote, aligning it with other Microsoft 365 apps. This is particularly beneficial for organizations in regulated industries, helping mitigate risk and enforce compliance policies across endpoints.
Who is affected: All users of supported OneNote clients across platforms, including organizations in regulated industries and those with compliance requirements. What will happen: Sensitivity labels will be available in supported OneNote clients: OneNote Win32 (Desktop) OneNote for Web OneNote for iOS OneNote for Android OneNote for Mac OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP) will not support this feature. Users will be able to apply sensitivity labels directly to OneNote sections. Labeled sections will be encrypted and access-controlled based on organizational policies. Admins can enforce labeling policies and monitor usage via Microsoft Purview. Label policies can be scoped using Entra ID group membership. What you can do to prepare To prepare for this rollout: Ensure endpoints are using supported OneNote clients: Win32, Web, iOS, Android, and Mac. Transition away from OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP), which will not support sensitivity labels. No additional setup is required beyond maintaining updated builds. Admins may want to validate readiness and communicate expected changes to users. Review and update internal documentation to reflect supported platforms. Learn more: Learn about sensitivity labels | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn Compliance considerations Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed (e.g., documents, emails, chats, etc.)?Yes. This change enables encryption and access control for OneNote sections, modifying how sensitive customer data is processed and accessed within OneNote. Does the change modify Information Protection labels or sensitive information types?Yes. It extends the applicability of Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels to OneNote sections, modifying how labels are used across Microsoft 365 apps. Does the change modify Conditional Access policies, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), or other Purview capabilities?Yes. Admins can enforce labeling policies in OneNote, which may interact with existing DLP and Conditional Access configurations. Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities (e.g., via Purview or admin reporting)?Yes. Admins will be able to track and report on sensitivity label usage in OneNote through Microsoft Purview compliance solutions. Does the change include an admin control, and can it be controlled through Entra ID group membership?Yes. Label policies can be scoped and enforced using Entra ID group membership, allowing targeted deployment and control. | This update enhances data protection and compliance capabilities by introducing sensitivity labeling to OneNote sections. Admins will gain greater control over how sensitive information is handled within OneNote, aligning it with other Microsoft 365 apps. This is particularly beneficial for organizations in regulated industries, helping mitigate risk and enforce compliance policies across endpoints.
Who is affected: All users of supported OneNote clients across platforms, including organizations in regulated industries and those with compliance requirements. What will happen: Sensitivity labels will be available in supported OneNote clients: OneNote Win32 (Desktop) OneNote for Web OneNote for iOS OneNote for Android OneNote for Mac OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP) will not support this feature. Users will be able to manually apply sensitivity labels directly to OneNote sections. Labeled sections will be encrypted and access-controlled based on organizational policies. Admins can enforce labeling policies and monitor usage via Microsoft Purview. Label policies can be scoped using Entra ID group membership. Manual Labeling capability will be supported with this rollout. Other Sensitivity Label capabilities such as auto labeling, mandatory labels, default labeling and user defined permissions (UDP) labels will be rolled out at a future date. What you can do to prepare To prepare for this rollout: Ensure endpoints are using supported OneNote clients: Win32, Web, iOS, Android, and Mac. Transition away from OneNote for Windows 10 (UWP), which will not support sensitivity labels. No additional setup is required beyond maintaining updated builds. Admins may want to validate readiness and communicate expected changes to users. Review and update internal documentation to reflect supported platforms. Learn more: Learn about sensitivity labels | Microsoft Purview | Microsoft Learn Compliance considerations Does the change alter how existing customer data is processed, stored, or accessed (e.g., documents, emails, chats, etc.)?Yes. This change enables encryption and access control for OneNote sections, modifying how sensitive customer data is processed and accessed within OneNote. Does the change modify Information Protection labels or sensitive information types?Yes. It extends the applicability of Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels to OneNote sections, modifying how labels are used across Microsoft 365 apps. Does the change modify Conditional Access policies, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), or other Purview capabilities?Yes. Admins can enforce labeling policies in OneNote, which may interact with existing DLP and Conditional Access configurations. Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities (e.g., via Purview or admin reporting)?Yes. Admins will be able to track and report on sensitivity label usage in OneNote through Microsoft Purview compliance solutions. Does the change include an admin control, and can it be controlled through Entra ID group membership?Yes. Label policies can be scoped and enforced using Entra ID group membership, allowing targeted deployment and control. |
| 2026-01-03 | MC Title | Microsoft OneNote | Sensitivity labels now available on desktop, web, iOS, Android, and Mac | (Updated) Microsoft OneNote | Sensitivity labels now available on desktop, web, iOS, Android, and Mac |
| 2026-01-03 | MC End Time | 02/28/2027 09:00:00 | 2026-03-02T09:00:00Z |
Last updated 2 weeks ago ago
