OneDrive sync on Windows now supports IRM protected SharePoint document libraries

[Stephen Rose]

OneDrive logo

Information Rights Management (IRM) lets people set access permissions to help prevent sensitive information from being printed, forwarded, or copied by unauthorized people. When permission for a file is restricted by using IRM, the access and usage restrictions are enforced even if the file reaches unintended recipients. This is because the access permissions are stored in the document, workbook, presentation, or e-mail message itself, and these must be authenticated against the IRM server.

In SharePoint, IRM lets you protect your files when downloaded and control who can access downloaded files. Downloaded files are encrypted and can only be opened by users that meet the requirements of the IRM policy set on the SharePoint library.

We are currently rolling out an update to the OneDrive sync client that supports syncing IRM protected SharePoint libraries and will hit all users by the end of January. If you want to try this out now, you can find a direct installer link below.

Follow these steps to allow your users to sync IRM libraries:

1. Deploy and install the RMS (Rights Management Service) client to your users’ machines.
2. Make sure the OneDrive sync client is up to date. The minimum version required for IRM sync is 17.3.7294.0108 and you can download it here. To check your version: Right click on OneDrive in the taskbar > Settings > About.
3. Have your users navigate to any IRM protected SharePoint document library and click ‘Sync’.

If you haven’t activated IRM in your SharePoint environment, click here to learn more about how to configure this.

For more information, check out the detailed documentation on how to setup OneDrive to sync IRM libraries.

If you have feedback, please share it with us by right-clicking the blue OneDrive icon in the taskbar and choose "Report a problem" and as always, we want to hear from you, please visit our OneDrive UserVoice page to suggest new features or upvote feature requests.

[Petr Vlk]

Great message! Small question. Is Rights Management Service Client contained already, if customer deployed full Azure Information Protection Client?

[Neil Hobson]

@Petr Vlk from RMS client deployment notes: "In addition to shipping with the Azure Information Protection client for Windows, the RMS client is available as an optional download"

[Matthias Vandenberghe]

I read in the detailed information, there is following issue with this IRM syncing:

"This feature doesn't support the IRM setting that expires document access rights."

Source:  "https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Enable-users-to-sync-IRM-protected-files-with-the-OneDrive-..."  

Is this still the case? or is this resolved?

[Sara Jardim Barbosa]

@Matthias VandenbergheI have the same question. I did some test and it works fine, I have expires document policy in the SharePoint Library with IRM. The new OneDrive client with RMS Sync work well. 

@Stephen Rosedo you think this https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Enable-users-to-sync-IRM-protected-files-with-the-OneDrive-... needs some update? or the message is right?

[Severin Hotz]

Is the RMS client also part of the AIP viewer?

Or only part of AIP client?