diff --git a/changes/42568-host-policy-empty-state b/changes/42568-host-policy-empty-state
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..263c17e975
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/42568-host-policy-empty-state
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+* Fleet UI: Improve host policy empty state
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/frontend/pages/hosts/details/DeviceUserPage/DeviceUserPage.tsx b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/DeviceUserPage/DeviceUserPage.tsx
index 78abefa8f9..fc1b244a8e 100644
--- a/frontend/pages/hosts/details/DeviceUserPage/DeviceUserPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/DeviceUserPage/DeviceUserPage.tsx
@@ -850,6 +850,7 @@ const DeviceUserPage = ({
           <PolicyDetailsModal
             onCancel={onCancelPolicyDetailsModal}
             policy={selectedPolicy}
+            isDeviceUser
             onResolveLater={
               globalConfig?.features?.enable_conditional_access &&
               globalConfig.features?.enable_conditional_access_bypass &&
diff --git a/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/PolicyDetailsModal.tests.tsx b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/PolicyDetailsModal.tests.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5c1f9e9d02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/PolicyDetailsModal.tests.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+import React from "react";
+import { screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { noop } from "lodash";
+import { renderWithSetup } from "test/test-utils";
+
+import { IHostPolicy } from "interfaces/policy";
+
+import PolicyDetailsModal from "./PolicyDetailsModal";
+
+const createMockPolicy = (
+  overrides: Partial<IHostPolicy> = {}
+): IHostPolicy => ({
+  id: 1,
+  name: "Test policy",
+  query: "SELECT 1;",
+  description: "",
+  author_id: 1,
+  author_name: "Admin",
+  author_email: "admin@fleet.co",
+  resolution: "",
+  platform: "",
+  team_id: null,
+  created_at: "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+  updated_at: "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+  critical: false,
+  calendar_events_enabled: false,
+  conditional_access_enabled: false,
+  type: "policy",
+  response: "fail",
+  ...overrides,
+});
+
+describe("PolicyDetailsModal", () => {
+  it("renders policy name, description, and resolution", () => {
+    renderWithSetup(
+      <PolicyDetailsModal
+        onCancel={noop}
+        policy={createMockPolicy({
+          name: "Disk encryption enabled",
+          description: "Checks that FileVault is enabled.",
+          resolution: "Enable FileVault in System Settings.",
+        })}
+      />
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText("Disk encryption enabled")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(
+      screen.getByText("Checks that FileVault is enabled.")
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("Resolve:")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(
+      screen.getByText("Enable FileVault in System Settings.")
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/missing description/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("renders only description or resolution without showing empty state", () => {
+    const { unmount } = renderWithSetup(
+      <PolicyDetailsModal
+        onCancel={noop}
+        policy={createMockPolicy({ description: "Some description" })}
+      />
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText("Some description")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Resolve:")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/missing description/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    unmount();
+
+    renderWithSetup(
+      <PolicyDetailsModal
+        onCancel={noop}
+        policy={createMockPolicy({ resolution: "Some resolution" })}
+      />
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText("Resolve:")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("Some resolution")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/missing description/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("renders empty state when no description or resolution", () => {
+    renderWithSetup(
+      <PolicyDetailsModal onCancel={noop} policy={createMockPolicy()} />
+    );
+
+    expect(
+      screen.getByText(
+        "This policy is missing description and resolution instructions."
+      )
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Resolve:")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(
+      screen.queryByText(/Please contact your IT admin/)
+    ).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("renders device user empty state with IT admin message", () => {
+    renderWithSetup(
+      <PolicyDetailsModal
+        onCancel={noop}
+        policy={createMockPolicy()}
+        isDeviceUser
+      />
+    );
+
+    expect(
+      screen.getByText(
+        /missing description and resolution instructions.*Please contact your IT admin/
+      )
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("renders 'Resolve later' button only for failing conditional access policies", () => {
+    const { unmount } = renderWithSetup(
+      <PolicyDetailsModal
+        onCancel={noop}
+        policy={createMockPolicy({
+          conditional_access_enabled: true,
+          response: "fail",
+          description: "Must comply",
+        })}
+        onResolveLater={jest.fn()}
+      />
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText("Resolve later")).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    unmount();
+
+    renderWithSetup(
+      <PolicyDetailsModal
+        onCancel={noop}
+        policy={createMockPolicy({
+          conditional_access_enabled: true,
+          response: "pass",
+          description: "All good",
+        })}
+        onResolveLater={jest.fn()}
+      />
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Resolve later")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/PolicyDetailsModal.tsx b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/PolicyDetailsModal.tsx
index 7a146f9122..34f47e4809 100644
--- a/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/PolicyDetailsModal.tsx
+++ b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/PolicyDetailsModal.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ interface IPolicyDetailsProps {
   onCancel: () => void;
   policy: IHostPolicy | null;
   onResolveLater?: () => void;
+  isDeviceUser?: boolean;
 }
 
 const baseClass = "policy-details-modal";
@@ -17,7 +18,11 @@ const PolicyDetailsModal = ({
   onCancel,
   policy,
   onResolveLater,
+  isDeviceUser = false,
 }: IPolicyDetailsProps): JSX.Element => {
+  const hasNoDescriptionOrResolution =
+    !policy?.description && !policy?.resolution;
+
   return (
     <Modal
       title={`${policy?.name || "Policy name"}`}
@@ -26,14 +31,27 @@ const PolicyDetailsModal = ({
       className={baseClass}
     >
       <div className={`${baseClass}__body`}>
-        <span className={`${baseClass}__description`}>
-          {policy?.description}
-        </span>
-        {policy?.resolution && (
-          <div className={`${baseClass}__resolution`}>
-            <span className={`${baseClass}__resolution-header`}>Resolve:</span>
-            {policy?.resolution && <ClickableUrls text={policy?.resolution} />}
-          </div>
+        {hasNoDescriptionOrResolution ? (
+          <span className={`${baseClass}__empty`}>
+            This policy is missing description and resolution instructions.
+            {isDeviceUser ? " Please contact your IT admin." : ""}
+          </span>
+        ) : (
+          <>
+            {policy?.description && (
+              <span className={`${baseClass}__description`}>
+                {policy.description}
+              </span>
+            )}
+            {policy?.resolution && (
+              <div className={`${baseClass}__resolution`}>
+                <span className={`${baseClass}__resolution-header`}>
+                  Resolve:
+                </span>
+                <ClickableUrls text={policy.resolution} />
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </>
         )}
         <div className="modal-cta-wrap">
           <Button onClick={onCancel}>Close</Button>
diff --git a/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/_styles.scss b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/_styles.scss
index 835644f9bb..3957743e9a 100644
--- a/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/_styles.scss
+++ b/frontend/pages/hosts/details/cards/Policies/HostPoliciesTable/PolicyDetailsModal/_styles.scss
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 .policy-details-modal {
   &__body {
+    @include vertical-modal-layout;
+
     white-space: pre-wrap;
   }
   &__resolution {
-    margin-top: $pad-small;
     overflow: hidden;
   }