How To Enable And Disable Macros In Excel?

The macro feature in Excel is a powerful tool for streamlining repetitive tasks and cutting down on wasteful time as well as for boosting productivity.

However, macros might be harmful if they are created by malicious actors or a suspicious source.

Excel macros are by default disabled and a warning appears before you can activate them because of this. You must manually activate macros before using them.

What Are Excel Macro Security?

Before enabling macros in your worksheets, you should be aware of their potential for harm. VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) scripts are very good at automating tedious and complicated processes, but they come with a high security risk.

Unintentionally launching a rogue macro can corrupt your data, delete or severely harm files on your hard drive, and even break your Microsoft Office installation. As a result, all macros with notifications are disabled by default in Excel.

Steps To Enable And Disable Macros In Excel For Windows

The security warning bar and the Backstage view are the two areas in Excel for Windows where you can turn macros on and off.

1. Directly Enable Macros Using The Security Warning

• The yellow security warning bar is present at the top of the sheet, directly under the ribbon, when you first open a spreadsheet using macros with the default macro settings.
• If the Visual Basic Editor is open when you open the file with macros, the Microsoft Excel Security Notice will be shown.
• Click the Enable Content or Enable Macros button if you are certain of the file’s origin and that all macros are secure. This makes the file a trustworthy document and triggers the macros.

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2. Enable Macros In The Backstage View

• Go to the File tab on the ribbon.
• Choose “Info” in the sidebar.
• If macros are turned on, a Security Warning section and either an Enable Content or Disable Content option will show up in the right pane.
• Click that button to enable or disable macros for the selected worksheet.
• Edit In any case, is used to modify the worksheet without enabling or disabling macros.

How To Activate And Deactivate Mac Excel Macros?

With a few important exceptions, the macro enable/disable process in Excel for Mac is essentially identical to that on Windows.

1. Utilize A Security Prompt To Activate Or Deactivate Macros

• Double-click the file you want to open after choosing it.
• A pop-up window stating “This worksheet contains macros” will display. The “Do you want to enable macros?” option allows you to enable or disable macros.
• If you are familiar with the worksheet’s design and want to use the macros, click Enable Macros. The workbook’s macros will turn on and it will be marked as a secure file if you do this. The dialogue box won’t appear when you open it again.
• If you don’t know who produced the worksheet or don’t want to run the macros, choose Disable Macros. The macros will continue to be inactive and useless in this way.

2. In The Editing Menu, Macros Can Be Turned On And Off

• Choose File from the main menu to get started.
• Select Properties from the left sidebar by navigating there.
• Go to the Security section on the right side of the window and select the appropriate option to enable or disable macros.
• Click that button to enable or disable macros for the selected worksheet.
• Edit To edit the spreadsheet without enabling or disabling macros, however, use is.

What You Need To Know About Excel’s Trustworthy Documents

The file becomes a trusted document once macros are enabled through either a message bar or Backstage view. Some Excel files, however, cannot be turned into trustworthy papers.

For instance, if the system administrator in your company has configured the security policy to automatically disable all macros, files opened from risky locations like the Temp Folder. The macros are only ever activated once in these circumstances.

Excel will ask you to activate the content once more when you open the file again. You can either alter your Trust Centre settings or save the file in a trusted location to prevent this.

There is no way to untrust a workbook once it has been designated as a trusted document. Only the Trusted Documents list can be cleared. Follow these steps to achieve this:

• Click File > Options.
• On the left side, select Trust Center, and then click Trust Center Settings.
• In the Trust Center Dialog Box, select Trusted Documents on the left.
• Click Clear, and then click OK.

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