Word 2016 - Security Warning

Question

Hello Microsoft,

I have a Word document that I have been using for years.

The last time that I edited this document was in June, 2015 with the last version of Word in Office 365.

Today, I want to use this document in 2016 in 2016 Office 365.

I get the following:

• SECURITY WARNING Some active content has been disabled.  Click for more details.  Enable Content.  - All this in a yellow banner with a preceding exclamation point.
• Upon clicking for More Details, The following comes up

Security Warning

Active content might contain viruses and other security hazards.  The following content has been disabled: Macros.  You should enable content only if you trust the contents of the file.

Facts:

• I did not receive this SECURITY WARNING with the prior versions of Word in Office 365 and Office 2010.
• The document does NOT have macros.  Let Me Be Clear - The Macros window with Macro Name is blank.
• File Properties:
  • Size 75.5 KB
  • Pages: 5
  • Words 1111
  • Last Modified: 6/22/2015 3:03 PM

QUESTIONS:

But First,

1. If you cannot or will not answer the specific questions that I ask then do NOT respond.  My time is valuable.  I do not appreciate all MY time that Microsoft has wasted by not answering my very clear, very articulate, well-thought out, plain-English questions.
2. Do NOT use Microsoft jargon.  I am not supposed to be an IT professional.
3. Do NOT blame either me OR a third party.  Microsoft code produced this message but Microsoft code never produced this message in multiple, prior versions of Word AND the documents does NOT have macros.
4. Do NOT regale me with what YOU want to say.  The purpose of this Community is to answer questions of paying Microsoft customers.  Doing anything other than answering our questions wastes our time, and this is a core competency of Microsoft.

Question 1: What is Active Content?  (Microsoft has never volunteered this information to me and I do not have ESP and I do not have the luxury of time to wanter about aimlessly to find and answer to something that I should not have to deal with in the first place.) ANSWER:______________________________________________

Question 2: Why is Microsoft Code generating a SECURITY WARNING for a macros that, in fact, does not exist? Do Not Forget that no macros are listed in the Macro window YET Microsoft code is generating a security warning for macros.  Yes, there is a conflict here.  ANSWER:_______________

Please read into this message the high level of frustration that I have, yet again, for Microsoft code generating a faulty message.  I cannot understand how Microsoft code is generating a SECURITY WARNING for a macro that does NOT exist.

Answer 1

E H P,

Thank you for the follow-up through Private Message. Looking at the file has allowed us to identify more about what could be happening.

Your document has form controls which are implemented with ActiveX controls which is the checkboxes found in your document.  These controls will trigger a Security Warning dialog under certain circumstances (e.g. any document saved in .doc format). If you click ‘Enable Content’, a flag will be set that will remember this as a trusted document which will eliminate the appearance of the dialog on subsequent opens.

The reason you see it now is likely because at some point in the past, that document was opened with a version of Word before 2016, the ‘Enable Content’ was allowed and the document flagged as trusted. Which eliminated the appearance of the dialog. The location of that flag has changed with 2016, though, so the document needs to be trusted again.

I understand where this could generate confusion. The right team is engaged to evaluate this as feedback.

Paul...

Answer 2

Hi,

I have sent a private message asking for information. Please do respond in the private message section.

Thank you.

Answer 3

If it is .docx, then it cannot contain macros, and I have no idea (beyond what I mentioned) what "active content" might be referenced. I can escalate your post and try to get more information.       

One more question, however: Did this file originate from elsewhere in any way? I know you said it was your own file you'd been using for many years, but did you email it to yourself or save it to OneDrive or transfer it on a flash drive or the like?

Answer 4

Hello Ms. Barnhill,

Thank you for the response.

Windows Explorer says that the file Type is Microsoft Word Document and the file extension is docx.  Therefore, it is not  .doc or .docm

Given that you are a Community Moderator and Microsoft MVP (Word) since 1999, would you know how to find competent, professional staff in the Microsoft organization, the organization that has sold to me tens of thousands of dollars of its software only to create Microsoft technical issues du jour, such that they could authoritatively answer my two questions, which I should not be forced to pose in the first place given the enormous spend that I have made to Microsoft?

Congratulations on the national football title.

Answer 5

What is the file format of the document: .doc, .docm, or .docx? I assume it could not be .docx, since that format doesn't permit macros. If it is .doc or .docm, does it contain customized keyboard shortcuts? I have had the experience of that triggering a macro warning in a .doc file.

Also, please be aware that you are not addressing Microsoft here, just other users who volunteer to help. I don't think that anyone here could authoritatively answer your two questions.