A potentially dangerous macro has been
blocked
Macros can add a lot of functionality to Office, but they are often used by people with
bad intentions to distribute malware to unsuspecting victims.
Macros aren't required for everyday use like reading or editing a document in Word or
using Excel workbooks. In most cases you can do everything you need to do in Office
without allowing macros to run.
Note: If you're an IT pro looking to configure this setting, or if you just want more
advanced technical details, see Macros from the internet will be blocked by default in
Office.
What should I do now?
Still wondering if you should proceed?
❒ Were you expecting to receive a file with macros? Never open a file
attachment you weren't expecting, even if it appears to come from somebody
you trust. Phishing attacks often appear to come from a person or organization
you trust in an effort to get you to open them.
❒ Are you being encouraged to enable content by a stranger? A common
tactic of attackers is to create some pretense such as cancelling an order or
reading a legal document. They'll have you download a document and try to
persuade you to allow macros to run. No legitimate company will make you
open an Excel file to cancel an order and you don't need macros just to read a
document in Word.
❒ Are you being encouraged to enable content by a pop-up message? If you
downloaded the file from a website, you may see pop-ups or other messages
encouraging you to enable active content. Those are also common tactics of
attackers and should make you suspicious that the file is actually unsafe.
If a downloaded file from the internet or a file opened from a network share wants you
to allow macros, and you're not certain what those macros do, you should probably just
delete that file.
If you’re sure the file is safe and want to unblock
macros
There are a few different ways to do it, depending on your situation.
Unblock a single file
In most cases you can unblock macros by modifying the properties of the file as
follows:
1. Open Windows File Explorer and go to the folder where you saved the file.
2. Right-click the file and choose Properties from the context menu.
3. At the bottom of the General tab, select the Unblock checkbox and select OK.
If you don't see the Unblock checkbox in properties, then try one of the options below.
Unblock all files from a specific network share or website
If you often download files or directly open files from a trusted cloud location, such as
your company’s website or an internal file server, you can set the site as a trusted site in
Windows so macros from the site won’t be checked.
Important: You’ll trust all the macros from this site if you choose to apply this setting,
so only do this if you know that every file opened from this location is trustworthy.
1. Tap the start button or Windows key and type Internet Options.
2. Select Internet Options from the search results and the Internet
Properties dialog box will appear.
3. On the Security tab, select Trusted Sites, then select Sites.
4. Type the URL of the site or server that contains the Office files with the macros
you want to run, and then select Add.
Note: If you want to add URLs that begin with http:// or network shares,
uncheck Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone.
5. Select Close and then OK.
