Data Protection Issues

How to Fix Azure Information Protection Scanner Not Classifying Files

Emma Brown Oct 15, 2026 869 views

Question details

The Azure Information Protection scanner scans file shares successfully but does not apply automatic classifications or labels to the files.

Product: Azure Information Protection Scanner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Running the AIP scanner on a server to automatically classify and label documents across network file shares.
Observed behavior: The file scan completes without errors, but the expected classification labels are not applied to the targeted documents.

Before you start

Ensure that your classification labels are properly configured and published in the Azure portal, and verify that the scanner server has an active connection to Azure services.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable the SuperUser Feature on the Scanner Server

Activating the SuperUser feature grants the scanner service account the necessary permissions to modify files and apply classifications, bypassing local file ownership restrictions.

When the scanner runs without SuperUser permissions, it might read the files but lack the rights to embed the classification label into the file's metadata. Enabling this feature ensures the scanner has full access to process and label the data.

Open Windows PowerShell

Log into your scanner server using an administrator account. Right-click the Windows Start menu and select 'Windows PowerShell (Admin)' to run it with elevated privileges.

Enable the SuperUser Feature

Execute the required Azure Information Protection cmdlets (such as Enable-AipServiceSuperUserFeature) according to the official Microsoft documentation to grant the scanner service account SuperUser rights.

Run a Complete Scan

Once the SuperUser feature is successfully enabled, initiate a full scan on your file shares to force the scanner to evaluate and apply the missing classifications.

Enable the SuperUser Feature on the Scanner Server

Further Troubleshooting: If classification still fails after enabling the SuperUser feature, post your issue in the official Azure Information Protection forum so the technical support team can investigate specialized server or configuration errors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the AIP scanner fail to classify files despite a successful scan?

This typically occurs when the scanner service account lacks the necessary permissions to write changes to the files. Enabling the SuperUser feature allows the scanner to bypass these restrictions and apply the labels.

How do I check the Azure Information Protection scanner logs?

You can review the scanner logs and reports located in the %localappdata%\Microsoft\MSIP\Scanner\Reports directory on your scanner server to identify specific file errors or permission issues.

What is the SuperUser feature in Azure Information Protection?

The SuperUser feature is a tenant-level setting that ensures authorized accounts, such as the scanner service or data recovery administrators, have full access to all documents protected by the organization's Azure Rights Management service.

Does WPS Office support opening documents protected by Azure Information Protection?

WPS Office can open standard Microsoft Office formats securely. However, files that are strictly encrypted by Azure RMS may require the native Microsoft AIP viewer or authorized Microsoft applications to authenticate the user and decrypt the content.

Microsoft Office Security Issues