Read Only Mode On Mac

Question

HI,

I have a mac and when I open a macro file that my professor assigned us in Excel it will only open in read mode. I have tried the whole disable and enable macros.....didnt work. I checked for updates....didnt work. I dont know what the deal is but need to know what to do so I can complete this assignment.

Answer 1

Hi Dylan,

There are two places Windows users can get sucked into open source Active-X controls.

The first is on the Developer Tab of the Ribbon. Here's a screen shot from Excel for Windows.

Notice the two sections on the Insert Menu show "Form Controls" and "Active-X" controls. The controls are very similar. "Form controls" are part of Excel and work on Mac and PC. "Active-X" controls do not work on Macs. There is a similar dialog when making UserForms in the Visual Basic editor. In old versions of Excel, there are Form Controls and Active-X controls. Microsoft removed the Active-X controls from current versions of Office, but they were there in old versions of Office. I wish they would get rid of them altogether.

In fact, I just added a feature request to have these removed from the Windows version of Excel. Please vote for the feature request and comment on it here:

https://excel.uservoice.com/forums/304921-excel-for-windows-desktop-application/suggestions/40090612-active-x

Answer 2

Hi Dylan,

Thanks for your patience and posting back, according to your screenshot of the error message, I have searched and here is a similar thread, if your file used with Active-X, it does not work on Mac but work for Windows, you may need to try minwai’s way(as he solved by this) to remove it and see if it works for you or not.

Besides, please try to open the problematic file in the Online and check whether it works there.

Appreciate you understanding and patience.

Best regards,

Gloria

Answer 3

So he created the excel document and it has opened for others on a PC but on MacBooks it will not open and give me the correct data. I keep getting this message

I don't know why its saying this. We are both using 365 I did everything I could think of in preferences. When I click enable this pops up. Yes I updated my excel software and my Mac. Everything is up to date.

Answer 4

Hi Dylan,

It's possible your professor has locked the workbook, which would explain why it is read-only.

Have you enabled the Developer Tab? If not, go to Excel > Preferences > Ribbon and Toolbar. Click the checkbox by Developer and then click the Save button.

You should be able to click the two left-most buttons to display either the Visual Basic Editor, or Macros to see a list of macros in the workbook.

Answer 5

Hi DylanConaway,

Per your description, your Excel worksheet read only mode with macro on Mac. If so, may I confirm your teacher has already given the edit permission? Please contact your teacher and have a check.

Besides, do you mean you cannot edit the mac ro or the whole worksheet?

To further troubleshoot it, does the issue happens on all files or a specific one your teacher shared with you? Please create a new worksheet and check whether you can edit it or not.

Most importantly, please notice that the shared file still persists in OneDrive or and SharePoint site, if your teacher didn’t give you the edit permission, please click Save as a copy and enable editing it to complete the assignment and see if it works or not.

And you can also launch your Mac  in safe mode to determine whether background programs are interfering with Word for Mac.

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

If I misunderstand your scenario, please point out with more details and I would like to further investigate.

Best regards,

Gloria