Apply sensitivity labels to email messages in Outlook
Applies To
Outlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook on the web New Outlook for WindowsYou can apply sensitivity labels to your files and emails to keep them compliant with your organization's information protection policies.
Sensitivity labels are configured by your administrator and because they're published to users rather than locations such as sites and mailboxes, users in the same organization might see different sensitivity labels to apply. Sensitivity labels help classify and protect your organization's data without compromising productivity or collaboration. Administrators must have previously configured sensitivity labels and published them to you.
Note: This feature is only available to individuals with a work or school account and a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription. For more info, see Does my version of Office support sensitivity labels?
Select a tab option below for the version of Outlook you're using. What version of Outlook do I have?
Note: If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select Classic Outlook and follow those steps instead.
Apply a sensitivity label in new Outlook
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When composing an email in new Outlook, select
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Choose the sensitivity label that applies to your email.
To remove an existing sensitivity label, unselect it from the Sensitivity menu. You won't be able to remove a label if your organization requires labels on all email messages.
Note: Information Rights Management (IRM) protection can't be applied to a message that's already signed or encrypted using S/MIME. To apply IRM protection, S/MIME signature and encryption must be removed from the message. The same applies for IRM-protected messages; users can't sign or encrypt them by using S/MIME. For more information about S/MIME see, Encrypt emails with S/MIME or Microsoft 365 Message Encryption in Outlook.
How sensitivity labels appear to others in new Outlook
In new Outlook, you'll see the sensitivity button in the upper right on the message page.
When viewing a message, the sensitivity label appears on a line above the message.
Apply a sensitivity label in classic Outlook
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When composing an email in classic Outlook, select
-
Choose the sensitivity label that applies to your email.
To remove an existing sensitivity label, unselect it from the Sensitivity menu. You won't be able to remove a label if your organization requires labels on all email messages.
How sensitivity labels appear to others in classic Outlook
In classic Outlook nothing appears if no label was selected, or if you're composing an email and only the default label is applied.
If a label was selected, you'll see it at the end of the end of the Subject line when creating a message.
When viewing a message, the sensitivity label appears under the address block.
Apply a sensitivity label in Outlook on the web
-
When composing an email in Outlook on the web, select
-
Choose the sensitivity label that applies to your email.
To remove an existing sensitivity label, unselect it from the Sensitivity menu. You won't be able to remove a label if your organization requires labels on all email messages.
Note: Information Rights Management (IRM) protection can't be applied to a message that's already signed or encrypted using S/MIME. To apply IRM protection, S/MIME signature and encryption must be removed from the message. The same applies for IRM-protected messages; users can't sign or encrypt them by using S/MIME. For more information about S/MIME see, Encrypt emails with S/MIME or Microsoft 365 Message Encryption in Outlook.
How sensitivity labels appear to others in Outlook on the web
In Outlook on the web, you'll see the sensitivity button in the upper right on the message page.
When reading messages, the sensitivity label appears on a line above the message.
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