How to Restore User Names Instead of Codes in Microsoft 365 Reports
Question details
The user needs to display actual user, group, and site names instead of anonymized codes in Microsoft 365 reports.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Viewing usage reports in the Microsoft 365 admin center where user information is automatically anonymized.
- Observed behavior
- Reports display alphanumeric user or member codes instead of identifiable names due to default organizational privacy settings.
Ensure you have Global Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 tenant, as standard users and lower-level admins cannot modify organization-wide reporting privacy settings.
Disable Concealed Names in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Modify the organization's reporting settings to stop concealing identifiable user data in usage reports.
By default, Microsoft 365 protects user privacy by anonymizing identifiable information. Disabling this feature requires global admin rights and will apply the changes to all reports generated within the admin center.
Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center using your global administrator credentials.
On the left navigation pane, expand 'Settings' and click on 'Org settings'.
Select the 'Services' tab at the top of the page, then scroll down the list and click on 'Reports'.
Uncheck the option labeled 'Display concealed user, group, and site names in all reports'.
Click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the pane to apply your new privacy configurations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Microsoft 365 hide user names in reports by default?
Microsoft 365 conceals identifiable user, group, and site information by default to help organizations comply with local data protection laws and maintain individual privacy during auditing.
Who has permission to reveal user names in Microsoft 365 reports?
Only users assigned the Global Administrator role in the Microsoft 365 admin center have the authority to change organizational reporting privacy settings.
Will disabling concealed names affect previously generated reports?
Yes, once the setting is updated and fully processed by the system, identifiable user names will retroactively appear in historical usage reports viewed within the admin center.
