check before: 2026-02-01
Product:
Exchange, Microsoft 365 suite, Purview, Purview Communication Compliance, Purview compliance portal, Purview Data Loss Prevention, Purview Information Protection
Platform:
Online, US Instances, Web, World tenant
Status:
Launched
Change type:
Admin impact, New feature, Updated message, User impact
Links:
(543969)
Details:
Summary:
Starting February 2026, Microsoft Purview Activity Explorer will let admins preview flagged email attachments in Exchange Online without downloading them, simplifying investigations. This feature is enabled by default, requires no action, and does not change existing DLP or Information Protection policies.
Details:
Updated February 17, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction]
We're enhancing Activity Explorer in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to provide better visibility into sensitive data detected in Exchange Online. Today, admins can only view email message bodies when investigating Data Loss Prevention (DLP) or Information Protection events. With this update, admins will be able to preview flagged email attachments directly within Activity Explorer-without downloading the email-simplifying investigations and reducing risk exposure.
This message is associated with Microsoft Roadmap ID 543969.
[When this will happen]
General Availability (Worldwide) rollout will begin in early February 2026 and complete by end of February 2026 (previously early February).
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
General Availability
Created:
2026-01-13
updated:
2026-02-18
Public Preview Start Date
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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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MS Urgency
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MS workload name
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linked item details
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Pictures
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summary for non-techies**
The new update in Microsoft Purview's Activity Explorer allows admins to view the contents of email attachments directly within the system, streamlining the investigation process for Data Loss Prevention and Information Protection without requiring any changes to existing compliance settings.
Direct effects for Operations**
Email Attachment Preview Feature
Admins may face challenges in adapting to the new preview feature, potentially leading to confusion during investigations if not properly communicated. This could result in delays in incident response times.
- roles: Admins, Security Teams
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=543969
User Experience with DLP Investigations
The change may initially disrupt existing workflows for admins who are accustomed to downloading attachments for review, leading to inefficiencies and potential oversight in sensitive data handling.
- roles: Admins, Compliance Officers
- references: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=&searchterms=543969
Configutation Options**
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Data Protection**
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IT Security**
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explanation for non-techies**
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** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
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change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2026-02-18 | MC MessageTagNames | New feature, User impact, Admin impact | Updated message, New feature, User impact, Admin impact |
| 2026-02-18 | MC Summary | Starting early February 2026, Microsoft Purview Activity Explorer will let admins preview flagged email attachments in Exchange Online directly within the portal, without downloading emails. This feature is enabled by default, requires no action, and maintains existing DLP and Information Protection policies. | Starting February 2026, Microsoft Purview Activity Explorer will let admins preview flagged email attachments in Exchange Online without downloading them, simplifying investigations. This feature is enabled by default, requires no action, and does not change existing DLP or Information Protection policies. |
| 2026-02-18 | MC Last Updated | 01/13/2026 01:09:59 | 2026-02-17T18:38:41Z |
| 2026-02-18 | MC Messages | [Introduction]
We're enhancing Activity Explorer in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to provide better visibility into sensitive data detected in Exchange Online. Today, admins can only view email message bodies when investigating Data Loss Prevention (DLP) or Information Protection events. With this update, admins will be able to preview flagged email attachments directly within Activity Explorer-without downloading the email-simplifying investigations and reducing risk exposure. This message is associated with Microsoft Roadmap ID 543969. [When this will happen] General Availability (Worldwide) rollout will begin in early February 2026 and complete by early February 2026. | Updated February 17, 2026: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're enhancing Activity Explorer in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal to provide better visibility into sensitive data detected in Exchange Online. Today, admins can only view email message bodies when investigating Data Loss Prevention (DLP) or Information Protection events. With this update, admins will be able to preview flagged email attachments directly within Activity Explorer-without downloading the email-simplifying investigations and reducing risk exposure. This message is associated with Microsoft Roadmap ID 543969. [When this will happen] General Availability (Worldwide) rollout will begin in early February 2026 and complete by end of February 2026 (previously early February). |
| 2026-02-18 | MC Title | Microsoft Purview compliance portal: Information Protection – Email attachment preview in Activity Explorer | (Updated) Microsoft Purview compliance portal: Information Protection – Email attachment preview in Activity Explorer |
| 2026-02-18 | MC End Time | 03/07/2026 09:00:00 | 2026-03-30T10:00:00Z |
Last updated 2 weeks ago ago
