Decrypt pfiles

Thank you for the screenshots.

Your files have the .PFILE extension, for example alina3.xlsx.PFILE. This means they were protected using Microsoft Information Protection / Rights Management, rather than BitLocker or Windows EFS.

This also explains why Encrypt contents to secure data is unchecked and why the Details button is unavailable.

Please do not try to open the .PFILE files directly with Excel or Paint and do not rename or remove the .PFILE extension. Excel's import screen and Paint's error are expected because those programs cannot directly read the encrypted file.

Please make sure the Microsoft Purview Information Protection Viewer is installed > Right-click one of the .PFILE files > Select Open with > Information Protection Viewer > When prompted, sign in using the exact Microsoft account or email address that was used when the files were originally protected.

Since you mentioned that the Viewer does not allow you to sign in with your personal Microsoft account, could you please send me a screenshot of the exact sign-in error message you receive? Please hide your email or any other personal information if it appears.

Thank you Dyari,

Please see below screenshot of the error. Let me know what else I can do to sort it out.

Many thanks,

Alina

Thank you for the screenshot.

The Viewer is detecting the account you entered as a personal Microsoft account. The protection appears to be associated with an organization/work or school account.

Could you please confirm whether, before reinstalling Windows, you ever used a work or school Microsoft 365 account on this computer?

If yes,sign out of the Information Protection Viewer > Open one of the .PFILE files again > Choose Use another account if available > Sign in using the same work or school account that you used on the old Windows installation.

If the same email address existed as both a personal and work/school Microsoft account, please make sure you select the Work or school account option.

Personal accounts can open protected files when that personal email address was actually given permission to the file. Therefore, this error may mean that a different organizational account was originally used or that your personal account does not currently have permission.

If you never had a work or school Microsoft account, please let me know. Also let me know whether these files were originally protected by an employer, school, or another organization.

Hi Dyari,

I have never used another account on this machine, either work or school related.

Also, there are no files protected by another person / organisation, they have all been created by myself and not been transferred from another source.

When I googled the issue, it says ' The classic Azure Information Protection (AIP) / Purview viewer has strict rules regarding personal versus organizational credentials, and certain protected file types do not support personal Microsoft accounts natively in the viewer app'.

I assume there should be a way to unlock this and allow the Information Protection Viewer to recognise the original account.