Azure DevOps Requirement Description Appears Black or Masked When Viewing

Hi KIRTIKA MITTAL,

The issue you're facing is most likely caused by a security tool used by your company, like Data Loss Prevention (DLP) or endpoint protection software. These tools are meant to protect sensitive information but sometimes they accidentally block fields like the description in Azure DevOps, making them appear blacked out.

Please try the following steps to resolve it.

• Clear the cache and cookies in your browser. If you’re using Chrome or Edge, go to Settings, find the Privacy section, and look for "Clear Browsing Data." Check the box for "Cookies and Cache," then hit clear. After that, open Azure DevOps again to see if it works.
• You can also try opening Azure DevOps in Incognito Mode on your browser. This helps rule out any weird browser issues. Just open a new Incognito window and check if the descriptions are still blacked out.
• Reach out to your IT or security team and check if they are using tools like Microsoft Purview, Symantec DLP, or Forcepoint. These tools can sometimes cause this kind of issue, and your team might need to adjust a setting to allow Azure DevOps content to show properly
• If your company allows it, try opening the same work item from a personal laptop or using mobile data instead of your work network. If the description shows up fine there, it's a clear sign that the issue is related to a company security or network policy
• As a temporary workaround, you can try going to the Queries section in Azure DevOps, run a query to find the requirements, and use the Export to CSV option. When you open the file in Excel, the descriptions might be visible there.
• You can also check the Azure DevOps mobile app if you have it on your phone. Sometimes the app displays the content properly even when the browser version doesn't.

This isn’t a known issue in Azure DevOps itself and since you’ve already tried switching browsers and turning off extensions, it’s safe to say the problem isn’t coming from your browser settings

I hope this helps! Please let me know if any assistance, I'll Happy to assist you further

Hi KIRTIKA MITTAL,

Following up to see if you have chance to check the previous response and help us with requested information to check and assist you further on this.