Forum Discussion
Downgrading of encrypted label (User defined permission) in SPO to Desktop app
Hi
I have a file stored in SharePoint that was originally labeled Restricted with user-defined encryption. When I open the word file from SharePoint using a desktop Office application and downgrade the label to Internal, the original encryption and permissions are still retained. This issue occurs only when opening the file from SharePoint into the desktop app—the previous protection settings persist even though the sensitivity label correctly updates to Internal.
I’ve attached a screenshot for reference.
Is there any official Microsoft documentation that explains why this behavior occurs and the underlying reason for it? Additionally, what is the recommended workaround if I want to fully remove user-defined permissions when downgrading the label? I have already tried reapplying the Internal label, but the file remains encrypted with the prior permissions.
1 Reply
Prathista IlangoMicrosoft
Hello Manu2360,
Please refer to: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/sensitivity-labels-sharepoint-onedrive-files#support-for-labels-configured-for-user-defined-permissions
Guess the following might help in your case,
- If users need to change labels configured for user-defined permissions, make sure you've enabled co-authoring for files encrypted with sensitivity labels.
Hope this helps!
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