October 28, 2025 – Microsoft announced that its AI-powered content management service Microsoft Syntex has been renamed to Document Processing for Microsoft 365. Despite the new name, the service’s features and functionality remain the same as before. Document Processing for Microsoft 365 supplements SharePoint with advanced content processing capabilities and continues to use a pay-as-you-go billing model through Microsoft Azure. If you set up pay-as-you-go billing for this service, Microsoft provides a limited amount of capacity each month for free until the end of December 2025. This allows organizations to try out Document Processing features at no cost during the promotional period.
What is Document Processing for Microsoft 365?
Document Processing for Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Syntex) is a suite of AI powered content management services within the Microsoft 365 cloud ecosystem. It is built on SharePoint and uses AI to read, tag, and organize documents, effectively turning unstructured files into structured, searchable information.
In practice, this means the service can automatically understand the content of your documents and enhance them with metadata and labels. By integrating machine learning into everyday workflows, Document Processing for Microsoft 365 helps reduce manual effort in managing documents. It amplifies your ability to find information quickly and to automate routine document-centric tasks.
Importantly, the recent name change is in name only – the product’s capabilities and how you use it remain unchanged from what was offered under the name Microsoft Syntex. This rebranding aligns the product name more closely with its function (document processing services within Microsoft 365) while continuing to provide the same AI-driven features that existing users are familiar with.
Key Features
Document Processing for Microsoft 365 offers a range of intelligent features to streamline document management and processing:
- Intelligent classification and data extraction: The service can automatically classify different types of documents and extract important data from them. It provides prebuilt AI models for common document types (like contracts, invoices, or receipts) and also allows training custom models for your specific content needs. This means it can recognize a document’s type and pull out key information without manual input.
- Content Assembly (automatic document generation): It can generate standard business documents from templates, such as contracts, letters, or forms, by plugging in relevant data automatically. This feature saves time on creating repetitive documents and ensures consistency across all generated files.
- Text recognition from images (OCR): Document Processing uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to read printed or handwritten text from images and scanned PDFs. This makes previously unsearchable content (for example, a scanned paper document) digitally accessible and searchable.
- Document translation: It can automatically create a translated copy of a document in another language while preserving the original layout and format. This feature supports all languages and dialects available in Microsoft 365, helping organizations overcome language barriers in their documents.
- E-signature integration: The service is integrated with electronic signature workflows. You can send documents for electronic signing directly within your Microsoft 365 environment, keeping the content in SharePoint while it is reviewed and signed. This streamlines getting contracts or approvals signed without needing third-party apps.
- Automatic tagging and metadata: Document Processing for Microsoft 365 can automatically tag images and apply taxonomy tags (managed metadata terms) to documents in SharePoint libraries. By adding useful tags and keywords, it makes files easier to search, filter, and organize. This helps users quickly find the information they need and enforces consistent categorization across the organization.
All these features work together within your Microsoft 365 environment to save time, reduce manual work, and enhance compliance (for example, through consistent labeling of sensitive information). Because the service is deeply integrated with SharePoint and other Microsoft 365 apps, users can benefit from these AI capabilities without leaving their familiar workflow tools.
Licensing
Document Processing for Microsoft 365 is offered through a pay-as-you-go model rather than a traditional per-user licensing plan. In practice, this means there is no upfront license purchase required to use the service – instead, your usage is metered and billed via an Azure subscription (the same way other Azure services are billed). You only pay for the Document Processing services when they are used. For example, if your organization processes a number of documents in a month, those actions incur charges according to Microsoft’s metered rates (with no charges when the service is not used). Through December 2025, Microsoft is including a free monthly allowance of Document Processing capacity for those with pay-as-you-go billing enabled. This free capacity lets you try features like document analysis, translation, or content assembly without incurring costs, up to certain usage limits each month. It’s an opportunity to pilot the capabilities in your environment. For detailed guidance on how to set up pay-as-you-go billing and to make the most of this model, it’s wise to seek expert advice. SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT provides professional guidance on licensing to ensure your organization uses Document Processing for Microsoft 365 in the most cost-effective and compliant way. We help assess your needs and assist with configuring the Azure billing and services optimally for your scenario.
More information
For more details about Document Processing for Microsoft 365 and its pricing:
- Official Microsoft documentation – Overview of Document Processing for Microsoft 365: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/documentprocessing/syntex-overview?view=o365-worldwide
- Microsoft documentation – Pay-as-you-go pricing details: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/documentprocessing/syntex-pay-as-you-go-services?view=o365-worldwide
These resources provide the original detailed descriptions of the service’s capabilities and the current pricing model.
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