Protect M-Files Business-Critical Content with Microsoft Defender

Extend Microsoft Defender malware protection to your business-critical content managed in M-Files. Block access to malicious files while strengthening Microsoft 365 security with governance, permissions, metadata, and business context.

Help protect business-critical content without disrupting the way users work.

M-Files for Microsoft Defender showing a security alert blocking the download of a malicious document.
M-Files for Microsoft Defender showing a hidden document preview after Microsoft Defender identifies a malicious file.

Why It Matters

Microsoft Defender and M-Files help you securely scale Microsoft 365 and AI across your organization by reducing malware risk, strengthening compliance, and protecting the business-critical content your employees and AI rely on every day.

M-Files extends Microsoft Defender malware protection to your governed content managed natively in Microsoft 365. When Microsoft Defender identifies a malicious file, M-Files restricts access while maintaining the governance, permissions, metadata, and business context that make your business information useful, secure, and compliant throughout its lifecycle.

How Microsoft Defender Protects Content Managed in M-Files

Microsoft provides built-in malware protection for files stored in Microsoft 365 Storage. M-Files uses the malware status provided by Microsoft to restrict access to files Microsoft has identified as malicious.

Business-critical content is added and managed through the M-Files experience.

See How M-Files for Microsoft Defender Works
M-Files for Microsoft Defender security shield surrounded by Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Copilot icons.

Protects Content

Why Organizations Use M-Files for Microsoft Defender

Extend Microsoft-native malware protection to important business documents while preserving the governed M-Files experience employees use every day.

Extend malware protection

Extend Microsoft 365 malware protection to business-critical content managed in M-Files.

Reduce risk

Reduce the risk of users accessing malicious files Microsoft has identified.

Control file access

Enforce file preview and download restrictions at the point of access.

Preserve governance and context

Preserve M-Files governance, permissions, workflows, metadata, and business context.

Build on your Microsoft investment

Build on existing Microsoft security investments.

Keep security operations in Microsoft Defender

Keep threat investigation, security event history, and remediation within Microsoft Defender.

Microsoft-Native Malware Protection with M-Files Governance

Bring Microsoft malware identification into your governed M-Files experience. Microsoft Defender scans for malware and identifies malicious files, while M-Files enforces access restrictions, governance, permissions, workflows, and business context.

Microsoft Defender Malware Protection for M-Files Content

Microsoft Defender scans files stored in Microsoft 365 Storage, identifies malicious content, and provides investigation capabilities. Threat investigation, security event history, and remediation remain within the Microsoft Defender portal.

Download the Solution Brief

Protection at the Point of Access

Before serving content for preview or download, M-Files checks the malware status provided by Microsoft. When Microsoft Defender identifies a malicious file, M-Files blocks its preview and download and displays a clear message to the user.

See How It Works

Governed Business Content

M-Files uses metadata to connect content to your customers, projects, contracts, workflows, and business processes. Extend Microsoft-native malware protection while preserving permissions, metadata, lifecycle controls, and business context within M-Files.

Explore Information Governance

Requirements and Availability

M-Files for Microsoft Defender is available for eligible M-Files Cloud environments using Microsoft 365 Storage. Review the platform requirements and expected behavior before activation.

M-Files Cloud

The capability is available for M-Files Cloud customers. It is not available for M-Files Server or cloud vaults that do not use Microsoft 365 Storage.

Desktop and Web Experiences

M-Files blocks preview and download of files Microsoft has identified as malicious within M-Files Desktop and Web.

Microsoft 365 Storage

Content must be stored in Microsoft 365 Storage for Microsoft malware scanning results to be available to M-Files.

Microsoft Defender Portal

Scan status, threat investigation details, historical security events, and remediation remain within the Microsoft Defender portal. M-Files enforces access restrictions rather than displaying malware scan status.

Microsoft Malware Protection

Microsoft 365 built-in malware protection must be available in the customer’s Microsoft 365 tenant. No separate M-Files add-on is required.

Asynchronous Scanning

Microsoft performs malware scanning asynchronously. Newly uploaded files may be briefly accessible before scanning is complete.

Protect the Content Your Business Depends On

Apply Microsoft-native Defender malware protection to the customer, project, operational, and financial content your employees use to support customers, execute projects, manage contracts, and make important decisions.

Contracts and Agreements

Reduce the risk of your users previewing or downloading contracts, agreements, and supporting files after Microsoft Defender has identified them as malicious, while preserving permissions, workflows, and lifecycle controls.

Customer and Project Content

Protect files connected to customers, cases, projects, and engagements without losing the business context employees need to find and use the right information.

Operational and Process Documentation

Extend Microsoft-native malware protection to the documents that support controlled workflows, approvals, quality processes, and day-to-day operations.

Executive and Financial Documents

Reduce the risk of your users accessing malicious files connected to sensitive reports, financial records, board materials, and other high-value business information while preserving permissions, governance, and lifecycle controls.

M-Files interface showing Microsoft 365 integration and document sharing.

Extend Microsoft Security to Content Managed in M-Files

Microsoft provides malware detection for files stored in Microsoft 365 Storage. M-Files uses the status provided by Microsoft to help prevent users from accessing files identified as malicious while preserving governance, permissions, workflows, and business context.

Build on Your Microsoft 365 Security Investments

Microsoft Defender provides malware protection for files stored in Microsoft 365 Storage. M-Files extends that protection to eligible business-critical content managed in M-Files, blocking preview and download when Microsoft identifies a file as malicious while preserving M-Files permissions, workflows, governance, and business context.

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