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Microsoft Defender for Office 365 service description

All Microsoft 365 subscriptions come with built-in security features. For enhanced email protection, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (MDO) provides advanced security services for Office 365 services and is the primary email security solution. MDO is offered in two plans, Plan 1 and Plan 2, to protect organizations of various sizes.

Defender for Office 365 Plan 1: Available in certain Microsoft 365 subscriptions for small to medium-sized businesses, such as Microsoft 365 Business Premium. This plan provides protection against advanced and zero-day phishing, malware, and other email-based threats, including features like Safe Links, Safe Attachments, and real-time threat detection.

Defender for Office 365 Plan 2: Included in enterprise-level Microsoft 365 subscriptions, such as Microsoft 365 E5, A5, and GCC G5. This plan offers all the capabilities of Plan 1, plus AST and SOC capabilities such as advanced threat hunting, automation, and investigation tools. It is designed for organizations needing greater visibility, response capabilities, and support for compliance.

Available plans

For the purposes of this article, a tenant-level service is an online service that is activated in part or in full for all users in the tenant (standalone license and/or as part of a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 plan). Though some tenant services are currently not capable of limiting benefits to specific users, appropriate subscription licenses are required for use of each online service. To review the terms and conditions governing the use of Microsoft products and Professional Services acquired through Microsoft Licensing programs, see the Product Terms.

To view how users benefit from Microsoft 365 features, download the Microsoft 365 Comparison table for Enterprise and Frontline Workers Plans or the Microsoft 365 Comparison table for Small and Medium Business Plans.

Feature availability

The following table lists the major Microsoft Defender for Office 365 features available across plans. Certain caveats apply. See the footnotes for further information. This table may change without notice. For the most up-to-date, complete list of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 features across plans, see Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Features service description.

Feature Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 Microsoft Defender Suite/EDU/GOV/FLW
Configuration, protection, and detection
Preset security policies and Configuration Analyzer Yes Yes Yes
Safe Attachments Yes Yes Yes
Safe Attachments in Teams Yes Yes Yes
Safe Links Yes Yes Yes
Safe Documents No No Yes
Safe Links in Teams Yes Yes Yes
Report Message Add-In Yes Yes Yes
Protection for SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams Yes Yes Yes
Anti-phishing policies Yes Yes Yes
Real-time reports Yes Yes Yes
Advanced protection for internal mail Yes Yes Yes
Automation, investigation, remediation, and education
Threat Trackers No Yes Yes
Campaign Views No Yes Yes
Threat investigation (advanced threat investigation) Real-time detections Explorer Explorer
Automated investigation & response  No Yes Yes
Attack simulation training No Yes Yes
Integration with Microsoft Defender XDR No Yes Yes

Note

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a component of Microsoft Defender XDR. For more information on automated cross-domain security with Microsoft Defender XDR, see Microsoft Defender XDR requirements.

Learn more

For more information about Microsoft Defender for Office 365, check out the following resources:

Licensing terms

For licensing terms and conditions see Microsoft 365 guidance for security & compliance - Service Descriptions.

For licensing terms and conditions for products and services purchased through Microsoft Commercial Volume Licensing Programs, see the Product Terms site.

Messaging

To stay informed of upcoming changes, including new and changed features, planned maintenance, or other important announcements, visit the Message Center. For more information, see Message center.

Accessibility

Microsoft remains committed to the security of your data and the accessibility of our services. For more information, see the Microsoft Trust Center and the Office Accessibility Center.