Sensitivity Label Description Not Displayed Consistently Across Outlook Clients

The supported facts in the available documentation are:

• Outlook supports sensitivity labels, but for Outlook across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Outlook on the web, the mailbox must be hosted in Exchange Online. Sensitivity labels are not supported for on-premises mailboxes.
• When sensitivity labels are missing in Outlook or Outlook on the web, documented causes include unpublished labels, unsupported Outlook version, unsuccessful label policy distribution, or incorrect label or label policy configuration.
• For Outlook on the web specifically, Microsoft documents checking whether label policies are retrieved from the server by using a Fiddler or network trace, and then validating the label and label policy configuration.
• For Outlook desktop, Microsoft documents checking that the signed-in account is a Microsoft 365 subscriber, that labels are published, that the Outlook version supports built-in labeling, that label policy distribution succeeded, and that built-in labeling is enabled.

Corrective actions that are documented for Outlook and Outlook on the web are:

1. Run the Microsoft 365 admin center diagnostic for sensitivity labels. It analyzes the labels, identifies issues, and provides resolutions. This requires a Microsoft 365 global administrator.
2. For Outlook on the web, verify the label configuration:
   • Get-Label -Identity "Label_name" | fl
   • Confirm ContentType contains File and Email
   • Confirm Disabled is False
3. Verify the label policy configuration:
   • Get-LabelPolicy -Identity "Label_policy_name" | fl
   • Confirm Workload contains Exchange
   • Confirm Mode is Enforce
   • Confirm one of these is set: ExchangeLocation, ExchangeLocationException, ModernGroupLocation, or ModernGroupLocationException
   • If ExchangeLocation is a distribution list or group, or ModernGroupLocation is specified, confirm the affected user is a member of that group
4. For Outlook desktop, verify policy distribution succeeded by checking for:
   • DistributionStatus : Success
5. For Outlook desktop, verify built-in labeling is enabled in:
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Security\Labels
   • If UseOfficeForLabelling is 0, Outlook is using the AIP client instead of built-in labeling. Set it to 1 to use built-in labeling.
6. If needed, reset Office built-in labeling:
   • Exit Outlook and other Office apps
   • Go to %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\CLP
   • Rename the CLP folder, for example to CLP_old
   • Restart Outlook so labels and policies are downloaded again

The available documentation does not state whether label descriptions are expected to appear consistently across Outlook Classic, New Outlook, and Outlook on the web, and it does not identify a known limitation, known issue, or roadmap item specifically about label description display in those clients.

Because of that, the supported conclusion is:

• The context confirms how to validate whether labels and policies are correctly published and delivered.
• The context does not confirm that missing label descriptions in New Outlook or Outlook on the web are expected behavior.
• The context does not provide a documented Microsoft statement about support parity or roadmap for label descriptions across those Outlook clients.

• Sensitivity labels are missing in Outlook, Outlook on the web, and other Office apps
• Sensitivity labels are missing in Outlook, Outlook on the web, and other Office apps
• Sensitivity labels are missing in Outlook, Outlook on the web, and other Office apps
• Known issues with sensitivity labels in Office | Microsoft Support