The list of which licences contains which defender plans is found on this page https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/licensing/product-licensing/microsoft-365-enterprise?SilentAuth=1&wa=wsignin1.0&rtc=1&activetab=m365-enterprise%3aprimaryr5#primaryR3 with the PDF comparison sheet here
Answer from Alistair Ross on learn.microsoft.comMicrosoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-xdr › prerequisites
Microsoft Defender XDR prerequisites - Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn
April 3, 2025 - Microsoft Defender for IoT - Enterprise IoT protection (includes protection for enterprise IoT devices with the Microsoft 365 E5 (ME5) or E5 Security license) ... For more information, view the Microsoft 365 Enterprise service plans. ... Automatic attack disruption requires Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2. For more information, see Configure automatic attack disruption capabilities. Threat analytics also requires Defender for Endpoint Plan 2. For more information, see Threat analytics in Microsoft Defender XDR.
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-xdr › m365d-enable
Turn on Microsoft Defender XDR - Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn
August 12, 2024 - Read this article to understand various prerequisites and how Microsoft Defender XDR is provisioned. A license to a Microsoft 365 security product generally entitles you to use Microsoft Defender XDR without additional licensing cost.
Is Microsoft Defender XDR included in Microsoft 365 licenses?
Yes, it is included in several Microsoft licenses, such as Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Office 365 E5, and other plans that include Microsoft security components. Not all features are available with every plan, but those with advanced licenses can access the full suite directly from the Microsoft Defender portal at no additional cost.
dev4side.com
dev4side.com › en › blog › microsoft-defender-xdr
Microsoft Defender XDR: the suite to defend your digital assets
Which areas does Microsoft Defender XDR cover?
Microsoft Defender XDR provides protection across five key areas: email and documents, endpoints, applications, network, and identities. In each of these areas, it detects, analyzes, and responds to anomalous or malicious behavior, helping contain threats before they can cause widespread damage.
dev4side.com
dev4side.com › en › blog › microsoft-defender-xdr
Microsoft Defender XDR: the suite to defend your digital assets
Is Microsoft Defender XDR only suitable for large enterprises?
No, the platform is designed to be scalable and adaptable even for smaller or more dynamic environments. It can be configured to meet the specific needs of companies of any size and sector, with a level of management complexity appropriate to the business reality.
dev4side.com
dev4side.com › en › blog › microsoft-defender-xdr
Microsoft Defender XDR: the suite to defend your digital assets
Videos
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The list of which licences contains which defender plans is found on this page https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/licensing/product-licensing/microsoft-365-enterprise?SilentAuth=1&wa=wsignin1.0&rtc=1&activetab=m365-enterprise%3aprimaryr5#primaryR3 with the PDF comparison sheet here
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The following page by far gives the best details regarding features, pricing etc. of Microsoft 365 Defender suite. There are details regarding the combined license for the suite as well as license for each individual product in the suite(viz. Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365 etc.)
https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/security/business/threat-protection/microsoft-365-defender
IRONSCALES
ironscales.com › guides › microsoft-365-defender › microsoft-defender-licenses
Microsoft Defender Licenses
September 22, 2025 - Learn about Microsoft's advanced threat protection platform, Defender XDR, and its various components and licensing models to enhance your overall security
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-xdr › m365d-enable-faq
Microsoft Defender XDR frequently asked questions - Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn
January 20, 2025 - For instructions on how to turn on the service, read Turn on Microsoft Defender XDR. Customers with the following non-E5 licenses can use Microsoft Defender XDR:
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-xdr › before-you-begin-xdr
Before you begin using the Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR service - Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn
August 1, 2025 - Service coverage: At least one Microsoft Defender product (Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 P2, Microsoft Defender for Identity, or Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps) or Microsoft Entra ID P2 must be licensed and deployed in active mode. ... Customers who wish to have Defender Experts coverage for Microsoft Defender for Cloud servers must have the following: ... Defender Experts for XDR provides managed detection and response across any combination of the following Microsoft Defender products:
Dev4Side
dev4side.com › en › blog › microsoft-defender-xdr
Microsoft Defender XDR: the suite to defend your digital assets
Yes, it is included in several Microsoft licenses, including Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Office 365 E5, and other configurations that include Microsoft security components.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/office365 › pricing guide for microsoft defender xdr and updated m365 comparison chart
r/Office365 on Reddit: Pricing Guide for Microsoft Defender XDR and Updated M365 Comparison Chart
January 4, 2021 -
With the recent supply chain attacks, many organizations have been asked to review their cybersecurity stack. To assist with budgeting and feature comparisons, I have put together a pricing guide for Microsoft Defender XDR and several ways to purchase just a portion of the suite.
I have also updated the complete Microsoft 365 Licensing comparison with new product names and several additional features.
Happy New Year!
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Hi Dan, first of all I would like to sincerely thank you for all the effort you've put into creating such an elaborate license comparison table. You have no idea how much this helps. However, it would be great if you could provide a legend. For example, on the Exchange Online portion, you've marked P1 & P2, but marked an X for Business Basic. What does the X mean? If I'm not mistaken, business basic provides an EXO Plan 1. Also, you've put Business Basic & Standard under Office 365, and only Business premium under Microsoft 365. I believe even business basic and standard are also Microsoft 365. Would be great if you can clarify
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Nice compilation. I believe AIP P2 is included in E5 Security though? (Source https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/information-protection/ )
Microsoft
microsoft.com › en-us › security › business › siem-and-xdr › microsoft-defender-xdr
Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Security
Microsoft Defender XDR is the unified portal experience encompassing various security solutions. Access the Microsoft Defender XDR portal and XDR features with any of these licenses:
LicenseVerse
licensingschool.co.uk › home
Microsoft Defender XDR - LicenseVerse
February 25, 2025 - The licensing information for all of these different products and agreements is spread across many documents and websites, and this makes it really difficult to learn the rules or even find them when you need them. All this is why we created our Microsoft Licensing Body of Knowledge – to gather together licensing information across all of the products across all of the ways to buy them.
Jaqto
jaqto.wordpress.com › 2024 › 09 › 11 › microsoft-xdr-and-prerequests
Understanding Microsoft Defender XDR Licensing & Roles – Jaqto
December 5, 2024 - Access to Microsoft Defender XDR features via the Microsoft Defender portal is included at no additional cost with any of the following licenses:
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-xdr › microsoft-365-defender
What is Microsoft Defender XDR? - Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Defender XDR licensing requirements must be met before you can enable the service in the Microsoft Defender portal at https://security.microsoft.com For more information, see:
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-xdr › usgov
Microsoft Defender XDR for US Government customers - Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn
May 15, 2025 - If you are a GCC customer using Defender for Cloud Apps, Defender for Endpoint, or Defender for Identity in Commercial, you need to transition those services to their GCC versions to be eligible for Microsoft Defender XDR GCC.
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-xdr › before-you-begin-defender-experts
Before you begin using the Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting service - Microsoft Defender XDR | Microsoft Learn
September 18, 2025 - Defender Experts for Hunting - XDR relies on event signals from Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365, Defender for Cloud Apps, Defender for Identity. It also relies on proprietary Microsoft Threat Intelligence sources. This service also covers servers that have Defender for Endpoint deployed on them with a Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for Servers license.
IRONSCALES
ironscales.com › guides › office-365-email-security › microsoft-defender-licenses
Microsoft Defender Licenses - A Guide to Licensing
September 22, 2025 - By integrating several Defender products, such as MDE, MDO, MDI, and MDCA, Microsoft Defender XDR provides a single portal that gathers, filters, analyzes, and reacts to threats all across the organization’s digital estate. ... In the sections below, we look at what these products provide and how they are licensed.
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › microsoft-365 › security › defender › m365d-enable-faq
Frequently asked questions when turning on ...
July 14, 2023 - For instructions on how to turn on the service, read Turn on Microsoft Defender XDR. Customers with the following non-E5 licenses can use Microsoft Defender XDR:
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › defender-endpoint › minimum-requirements
Minimum requirements for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint - Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | Microsoft Learn
November 17, 2025 - There are some minimum requirements for onboarding devices to Defender for Endpoint. This article describes licensing, hardware and software requirements, and other configuration settings needed to onboard devices.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Demystifying Microsoft Defender XDR licensing - YouTube
Demystifying Microsoft Defender XDR licensing
Published February 27, 2024
TrustRadius
trustradius.com › home › extended detection and response (xdr) platforms › microsoft defender xdr › pricing
Microsoft Defender XDR Pricing 2025
included with our MS365 Business Pro licenses, so the value is good as its essentially at no extra cost on top of the Office software and Azure AD we are using ... Project Manager in Information TechnologyInformation Technology & Services Company, ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/sysadmin › license(s) required for microsoft defender
r/sysadmin on Reddit: License(s) required for Microsoft Defender
August 20, 2024 -
We would like to examine what licenses are needed for Microsoft Defender. We currently use third-party solutions for anti-malware, web content filtering, and vulnerability management. Users with computers normally have O365 E3 and EMS E3 licenses, while users without a PC are given an Exchange P1 and EMS E3 license. What licenses and/or add-ons would be needed to move these services to the Microsoft equivalent? I am hoping the answer is not MS365 E5 because that is cost-prohibitive.
Thank you!