Restricted SharePoint Search Limits Copilot Results

Update: Restricted SharePoint Search (RSS) in SharePoint Online will retire by Jan. 31, 2027, and new implementations are blocked as of July 31, 2026. Organizations must transition to Restricted Content Discovery (RCD) in SharePoint Advanced Management to manage content discoverability. There is no migration path.

Restricted SharePoint Search is a feature of Copilot for Microsoft 365 that allows administrators to reduce data leakage while their companies update their governance. Some organizations have found that Copilot for Microsoft 365, which leverages SharePoint search, returns sensitive information for which sharing has not been properly limited. The restricted search feature, which is off by default, lets administrators disable organization-wide search and create a list of up to 100 curated sites (“whitelisting”) that will be returned by searches. Copilot users will still receive results including their own content and files that have been shared directly with them. The feature is meant to help customers continue their Copilot rollout while improving their data security in Microsoft Purview and SharePoint Advanced Management. The feature, which will roll out to Copilot customers in Apr. 2024, can be configured through the SharePoint Admin center. More information on Restricted SharePoint Search is available at https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/copilot-for-microsoft-365/introducing-restricted-sharepoint-search-to-help-you-get-started/ba-p/4071060.