Summary
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is retiring File policies, and Microsoft is phasing out File policy management capabilities.
- After the cutoff, disabled File policies cannot be re-enabled; existing enabled policies will keep enforcing until retirement.
- Organizations that rely on File policies should migrate retained policy logic to Microsoft Purview, with SharePoint and OneDrive equivalents available there.
- Admins managing governance, DLP, and file policy enforcement in Defender for Cloud Apps and Purview should review current policies and validate migrated replacements.
- If your organization does not use File policies in Defender for Cloud Apps, no action is required.
Primary Service: Defender XDR
Admin Impact: High
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 09 Oct 2026
Release End: 06 Jan 2027
Services: Defender XDR, OneDrive, Purview, SharePoint
Category: Prevent or fix issues
Tags: Admin Action, Retirement
History
9/30/2026 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is retiring File policies on January 6, 2027. As part of this retirement, Microsoft is beginning to phase out File policy management capabilities.
Starting October 9, 2026, disabled File policies can no longer be re-enabled in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. Once a File policy is disabled after this date, it will remain disabled. Existing enabled File policies will continue to be supported and enforced until January 6, 2027.
Microsoft recommends migrating File policies that you want to retain to Microsoft Purview. Equivalent capabilities for SharePoint and OneDrive are available in Microsoft Purview, with support for additional non-Microsoft SaaS applications continuing to expand.
Rollout Schedule
General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in early October 2026 and expect to complete by early October 2026.
- October 9, 2026: Support for enabling disabled File policies ends.
- January 6, 2027: File policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps are retired and existing policies stop enforcing.
Impact on Your Organization
Who is affected
- Organizations that use File policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.
- Admins who manage file governance and policy enforcement in Defender for Cloud Apps and Microsoft Purview.
Platforms/Services
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
- Microsoft Purview
- SharePoint and OneDrive policy scenarios
What will happen
- Disabled File policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps cannot be re-enabled after October 9, 2026.
- Existing enabled File policies will continue to be supported and enforced until January 6, 2027.
- File policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps will stop enforcing after retirement on January 6, 2027.
- Organizations should migrate File policies they want to retain to Microsoft Purview.
- If your organization does not use File policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, no action is required.
Action Required/Recommendations
Review your existing File policies and identify the policies that need to be retained.
Before January 6, 2027:
- Avoid disabling File policies that you may need to continue using before migration.
- Begin migrating File policies that you want to retain to Microsoft Purview.
- Validate the corresponding Microsoft Purview policies before disabling Defender for Cloud Apps policies.
For migration guidance, see Migrate file policies to Microsoft Purview.
Compliance considerations
Does the change modify, interrupt, or disable Purview capabilities such as DLP, labels, Conditional Access, audit, eDiscovery, encryption, retention, holds, or deletion workflows?
Organizations that use File policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps should migrate policies they want to retain to Microsoft Purview before retirement.
Does the change alter how admins can monitor, report on, or demonstrate compliance activities?
Admins may need to validate migrated policies in Microsoft Purview to maintain intended governance and reporting workflows.