Is Defender for Endpoint included in Microsoft 365 E3?
No. Microsoft 365 E3 does not include Defender for Endpoint. It is included in Microsoft 365 E5, in the E5 Security add-on that sits on top of E3, or as a Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 or Plan 2 standalone per-user licence.
What E3 does include on the endpoint side
- Microsoft Intune for MDM and app protection.
- Windows Enterprise E3 use rights.
- BitLocker management and Windows Defender Antivirus (the built-in AV, not the Defender for Endpoint EDR).
How to add Defender for Endpoint
- Microsoft 365 E5 — bundles Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 alongside every other E5 workload.
- Microsoft 365 E5 Security add-on on E3 — cheaper than jumping to full E5 if only the security stack is needed.
- Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 — reduced feature set (AV, ASR, web protection, some device control), for lighter deployments.
- Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 standalone — full EDR, advanced hunting, threat and vulnerability management.
- Defender for Business — included in Business Premium up to 300 seats; not available above the cap.
Read next
- Microsoft 365 E3 vs E5 — what's worth the upgrade— A practical comparison of Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 plans — what E5 adds, where the value sits, and step-up patterns.
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint explained— Defender for Endpoint is Microsoft's EDR/XDR platform for laptops, servers, and mobile. Here's what it does.
- Defender for Endpoint vs CrowdStrike— Defender for Endpoint vs CrowdStrike Falcon: detection quality, platform coverage, the SOC experience, licensing, and what the July 2024 outage changed.