Compliance Problems

How to Hide or Remove the Apply Label Option in SharePoint Lists

Phi Hung Vo Oct 14, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to remove or hide the "Apply label" field from a SharePoint or Microsoft Lists form.

How to Hide or Remove the Apply Label Option in SharePoint Lists

Product: SharePoint Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Customizing a SharePoint list form and attempting to remove unnecessary compliance and labeling options.
Observed behavior: The "Apply label" option is visible in the list form, but it cannot be found or hidden under standard "Edit Form" or "Edit Columns" settings.

Before you start

You will need Microsoft 365 Administrator or SharePoint Site Owner permissions, as the 'Apply label' field is typically enforced by organizational retention and sensitivity policies.

Solution 1Recommended

Modify Retention and Sensitivity Policies in the Admin Center

The 'Apply label' field is frequently forced onto forms by organization-wide compliance policies. A Microsoft 365 administrator must exclude the site from these policies to remove the label.

Because the 'Apply label' feature is system-managed for organizational compliance and data lifecycle management, standard site users cannot hide it from the basic list settings menu.

Log in to the Compliance portal

Sign in to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal (formerly the Microsoft 365 Compliance Admin Center) using administrator credentials.

Navigate to Retention policies

Go to 'Data lifecycle management' or 'Information governance' from the left sidebar, and click on the 'Retention policies' tab.

Edit the applicable policy

Select the policy that is actively applying to your SharePoint site or Microsoft 365 Group, and click 'Edit'.

Exclude the SharePoint site

In the locations section, edit the SharePoint sites or Microsoft 365 Groups location settings to specifically exclude the site where your list resides.

Save and sync

Submit the policy changes. Wait for the policy synchronization to complete across the tenant (this can take up to 24 hours), then verify that the label is removed from the form.

Modify Retention and Sensitivity Policies in the Admin Center

Administrator Privileges Required: If you do not have access to the Microsoft Purview compliance portal, you will need to contact your organization's IT department to request this change.

Solution 2

Deactivate Information Management Policy at the List Level

If the label is applied locally via list settings rather than a global Purview policy, site owners can disable it directly from the List Settings menu.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I see the 'Apply label' option in the Edit Columns menu?

The 'Apply label' field is a system-level compliance feature managed by Microsoft Purview. Because it is securely tied to organizational retention or sensitivity policies, it intentionally overrides standard list customizations and hides itself from the regular Edit Columns view.

Can a standard SharePoint user remove the Apply label field?

No. Removing or modifying the Apply label field requires elevated permissions. You must have SharePoint Site Owner permissions to adjust list-level information management policies, or Microsoft 365 Administrator privileges to adjust global retention policies.

How long does it take for the Apply label field to disappear after changing the policy?

If the change is made at the global Microsoft Purview policy level, it can take anywhere from a few hours up to 24 hours for the policy sync to complete and successfully remove the field from your SharePoint list forms.

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