How do I turn off macros in Word?

When I have something that I use over and over I simply create a macro to make my life easier and save me time and keystrokes. You all know how I love to save time and keystrokes! And that is great, I’m all for it. Having said that, there can be and are bad macros out there and you need to be careful. It is very easy for some miscreants to add some malicious code to a macro and it can cause you untold grief. So be very, very careful of any Word document you download online or any that are sent to you via e-mail. It doesn’t matter how well you know the person, they may not be aware that they are sending you malicious code. So be very discerning about macros.

By default, macros are disabled in Word and as a matter of fact, when you open a document that has a macro in it, Microsoft will send you a warning letting you know.

But it is very easy to enable them when you would like to. Once you receive that warning, all you have to do is click Enable Content and you’re in business!

For disabling Microsoft Office macros via Active Directory / Domain Controller

This feature was highlighted in Microsoft Office 2016.

• Install the Office 2016 Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool on the Active Directory Domain Controller
• Upon completing the installation:
  • Click Start Menu > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools.
  • Open the Group Policy Management Console.
  • Right-click the Group Policy Object you want to configure and click Edit.
  • In the Group Policy Management Editor, go to User Configuration.
  • Click Administrative templates > Microsoft Word 2016 > Word options > Security Trust Center.
  • Open the Block macros from running in Office files from the Internet setting to configure and enable it.
  • Or if Macros are needed in your environment, open the Disable all macros except digitally signed macros.

For disabling Microsoft Office macros via the End-User

The below instructions are for Office 365 Subscriptions, Office Online, Office 2019, Office 2016, Office 2013, and Office 2010.

Macro settings are located in the Microsoft Office Trust Center, which can be accessed using any of the Microsoft Office programs. Note: Your organization may have changed the default settings via the Active Directory / Domain Controller to prevent anyone from changing these settings.

• Click the File
• Click
• Click Trust Center, and then click Trust Center Settings.
• In the Trust Center, click Macro Settings.
• Make the selections that you want.
• Select the macro setting that is appropriate for your organization (The MS-ISAC recommends one of the three settings below):
  • Disable all macros without notification
  • Disable all macros with notification
  • Disable all macros except digitally signed macros
• Click OK.
• Macros or all non-digitally signed macros are now disabled for the current End-User Profile.

For more information please visit Microsoft’s webpage on Blocking Macros and Enabling or Disabling Macros.

The MS-ISAC is the focal point for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for the nation’s state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. More information about this topic, as well as 24×7 cybersecurity assistance is available at 866-787-4722, [email protected]. The MS-ISAC is interested in your comments – an anonymous feedback survey is available.

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