check before: 2026-05-15
Product:
eDiscovery, Purview, Purview Communication Compliance
Platform:
Online, US Instances, World tenant
Status:
Change type:
Feature update, Updated message, User impact
Links:
Details:
Summary:
Starting mid-May 2026, Microsoft Purview eDiscovery will restrict the use of +, =, @, /, and * in naming and description fields for new or edited cases, holds, searches, and review sets. Existing entities remain unaffected, and no admin action is required.
Details:
Updated April 23, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction]
We're making a change to the characters allowed in naming and description fields across Microsoft Purview eDiscovery. As part of ongoing security hardening efforts, this update strengthens input validation for eDiscovery cases, holds, searches, and review sets to improve service resilience and reliability.
[When this will happen:]
General Availability (Production, GCC, GCC High, DoD): This change will begin rolling out in mid-May 2026 and is expected to be completed by late May 2026.
Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
Created:
2026-04-17
updated:
2026-04-24
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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summary for non-techies**
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Direct effects for Operations**
Naming Restrictions
Users will be unable to use certain special characters in naming and description fields, potentially leading to confusion or miscommunication in naming conventions.
- roles: eDiscovery Users, Compliance Teams
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/edisc
Editing Existing Entities
Users attempting to edit existing entities with restricted characters will encounter validation messages, which may disrupt workflow and lead to frustration.
- roles: eDiscovery Users, Helpdesk Teams
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/edisc
Documentation Updates
Internal documentation and naming conventions may become outdated, leading to inconsistencies in how cases and holds are named and described.
- roles: Compliance Teams, IT Documentation Specialists
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/edisc
User Training Needs
There will be a need for additional training and communication to inform users about the new restrictions, which may not be adequately addressed without preparation.
- roles: eDiscovery Users, Training Coordinators
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/edisc
Increased Support Queries
Helpdesk teams may experience an increase in support queries related to the validation messages and naming conventions, impacting their workload.
- roles: Helpdesk Teams, IT Support Staff
- references: https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/edisc
Configutation Options**
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Opportunities**
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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**
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** AI generated content. This information must be reviewed before use.
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change history
| Date | Property | old | new |
| 2026-04-24 | MC prepare | No admin action is required to enable this change. However, we recommend the following:
Inform your eDiscovery users that the characters + - = @ / and * will no longer be accepted in entity names and descriptions. Review and update existing naming conventions or templates that include these characters. Update internal documentation or guidance for eDiscovery naming standards. Communicate this change to helpdesk and compliance teams to prepare for validation messages when editing existing entities. Learn about eDiscovery (Premium) | Microsoft Learn No data loss will occur. Existing entities retain their current names and continue to function. Enforcement applies only at the time of creation or editing. [Compliance considerations:] No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization. https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/edisc | No admin action is required to enable this change. However, we recommend the following:
Inform your eDiscovery users that the characters + = @ / and * will no longer be accepted in entity names and descriptions. Review and update existing naming conventions or templates that include these characters. Update internal documentation or guidance for eDiscovery naming standards. Communicate this change to helpdesk and compliance teams to prepare for validation messages when editing existing entities. Learn about eDiscovery (Premium) | Microsoft Learn No data loss will occur. Existing entities retain their current names and continue to function. Enforcement applies only at the time of creation or editing. [Compliance considerations:] No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization. https://learn.microsoft.com/purview/edisc |
| 2026-04-24 | MC MessageTagNames | Feature update, User impact | Updated message, Feature update, User impact |
| 2026-04-24 | MC Summary | Starting mid-May 2026, Microsoft Purview eDiscovery will restrict the use of +, -, =, @, /, and * in naming and description fields for cases, holds, searches, and review sets. Existing entities remain unaffected unless edited, which will trigger validation. No admin action is required, but user communication is recommended. | Starting mid-May 2026, Microsoft Purview eDiscovery will restrict the use of +, =, @, /, and * in naming and description fields for new or edited cases, holds, searches, and review sets. Existing entities remain unaffected, and no admin action is required. |
| 2026-04-24 | MC Last Updated | 04/16/2026 23:16:23 | 2026-04-23T19:04:10Z |
| 2026-04-24 | MC Messages | [Introduction]
We're making a change to the characters allowed in naming and description fields across Microsoft Purview eDiscovery. As part of ongoing security hardening efforts, this update strengthens input validation for eDiscovery cases, holds, searches, and review sets to improve service resilience and reliability. [When this will happen:] General Availability (Production, GCC, GCC High, DoD): This change will begin rolling out in mid-May 2026 and is expected to be completed by late May 2026. | Updated April 23, 2026: We have updated the content. Thank you for your patience.
[Introduction] We're making a change to the characters allowed in naming and description fields across Microsoft Purview eDiscovery. As part of ongoing security hardening efforts, this update strengthens input validation for eDiscovery cases, holds, searches, and review sets to improve service resilience and reliability. [When this will happen:] General Availability (Production, GCC, GCC High, DoD): This change will begin rolling out in mid-May 2026 and is expected to be completed by late May 2026. |
| 2026-04-24 | MC Title | Microsoft Purview eDiscovery: Naming and description fields will restrict certain special characters | (Updated) Microsoft Purview eDiscovery: Naming and description fields will restrict certain special characters |
| 2026-04-24 | MC How Affect | Who is affected:
Organizations with users or administrators who create or manage Microsoft Purview eDiscovery: Cases Holds Searches Review sets What will happen: Beginning May 15th, 2026, the following special characters will no longer be permitted in naming or description fields when creating or editing: + (plus sign) - (hyphen) = (equals sign) @ (at sign) / (forward slash) * (asterisk) This restriction applies to: Case name and description Hold policy name and description Search name and description Review set name and description Existing entities are not affected. Cases, holds, searches, and review sets that already contain these characters will continue to function normally. Editing triggers enforcement: If a user edits an existing entity that contains a restricted character in the name or description, they will see a validation message prompting them to update the value before saving. The original name and description are preserved until the user chooses to make changes. New entities are enforced immediately: Any newly created case, hold, search, or review set must not contain restricted characters in name or description fields. | Who is affected:
Organizations with users or administrators who create or manage Microsoft Purview eDiscovery: Cases Holds Searches Review sets What will happen: Beginning May 15th, 2026, the following special characters will no longer be permitted in naming or description fields when creating or editing: + (plus sign) = (equals sign) @ (at sign) / (forward slash) * (asterisk) This restriction applies to: Case name and description Hold policy name and description Search name and description Review set name and description Existing entities are not affected. Cases, holds, searches, and review sets that already contain these characters will continue to function normally. Editing triggers enforcement: If a user edits an existing entity's name or description (e.g., updating an eDiscovery case name) that contains a restricted character, they will see a validation message prompting them to remove the special character before saving. Note that this does not apply when an existing hold policy is being reapplied or when data sources are added to or removed from hold policies. The original name and description are preserved until the user chooses to make changes. New entities are enforced immediately: Any newly created case, hold, search, or review set must not contain restricted characters in name or description fields. |
Last updated 3 weeks ago ago
