How to turn on and off macros in Microsoft Office 365

Macros are used to automate tasks by mapping a series of keystrokes to perform a particular task. In Office, you can create macros without a development background, but macros are code. Legitimate macros save you time and effort by pressing the same keys, or repeatedly clicking the same buttons.

However, malicious actors can completely insert malicious code into Office documents through macros and use it as a source of malicious code infection on your computer and network. Therefore, always exercise caution when downloading Office documents from the web and never open any documents from untrusted sources.

Turn Macros for Office on or off on Windows 10

Macros are disabled by default, but you can easily enable them. If you open a file that contains a macro, Microsoft Office sends a security alert via the Message Bar located at the top of the document. To enable the macro in the file, click ' Enable Content ' in the Message Bar.

You can also enable macros in the ' Security Warning ' section. To do so, first, click the " File " tab .

Next, click on ' Info ' from the left pane.

If the Office document contains macros, you should see a yellow ' Security Warning ' section, click ' Enable Content '.

In the drop-down menu that appears, click ' Enable All Content '.

Macros will now be enabled for the duration of the session. If you want to disable the macro, just close the document and reopen it.

How to adjust Macro settings on Windows 10

While we recommend disabling macros by default, you can also manage macro settings in Trust Center. To do so, click ' File '.

Next, click ' Options '.

In the ' Options ' menu that appears (' Word Options ' in the example in the post), click ' Trust Center '.

In the ' Microsoft Trust Center ' section, click ' Trust Center Settings '.

You will now be in the ' Macro Settings ' tab of the Trust Center. Here, you have the following four options:

1. ' Disable All Macros Without Notification ': This setting will disable macros and related security alerts.
2. ' Disable All Macros with Notification ': Select this option to disable macros, but at the same time the system also sends security alerts so you know the document contains the macro.
3. ' Disable All Macros Except Digitally Signed Macros ': This option disables the macro, but sends a security warning so you know the document contains the macro. In addition, the system will also run macros that contain the digital signature of a trusted source. If not, you will receive an alert.
4. ' Enable All Macros (Not Recommended; Potentially Dangerous Code Can Run) ': If you choose this setting, all macros will run without warning.

Click the installation option you want, then click ' OK '.

Turn macros on or off for Office on Mac

When you try to open an Office file that contains a macro on your Mac, a security warning appears before the document opens. The message indicates that the macro may contain viruses, and that the macro should only be enabled if the document comes from a reliable source.

Click ' Enable Macros ' to enable them, ' Disable Macros ' to disable them, or ' Do Not Open ' to prevent Office from opening documents.

If you click ' Enable Macros ', the macros will be enabled throughout your session. If you want to disable macros, just close the document and reopen it.

How to adjust macro settings on a Mac

You should disable macros to get a tighter security state. In the event that you must enable it, you can set up some additional installation options.

First, open the Office file, then click on the program menu at the top (in the post using Word). From the menu that appears, click on ' Preferences '.

Under ' Personal Settings ', select ' Security & Privacy '.

Under ' Macro Security ' you can choose from the following three options:

1. ' Disable All Macros Without Notification' : Disables macros and related security alerts.
2. ' Disable All Macros with Notification ': Select this option to turn off macros, but you'll also get a security warning for the document containing the macro.
3. ' Enable All Macros (Not Recommended; Potentially Dangerous Code Can Run) ': Select this option if you want to run all macros without warning.