how to unblock macros from running

Question

A professor sent me a spreadsheet to download with macros. Excel blocked macros because it came from an untrusted source. How do I unblock macros? I have already tried using the Trust Center and File Explorer.

Answer 1

Dear @Masamery,Kira Gabriela,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.  

I understand that technical issues can be frustrating, and I’d love to help you resolve this. Before giving you the best solution, could you please confirm these questions below to help me diagnose the issue more effectively: 

• To help me assist you, please provide your Excel version by going to File > Account > About Excel and sending me the information displayed there (e.g., Microsoft 365, Excel 2021, Excel 2019)?
• File Location: Is the spreadsheet stored on your local drive, a network share, or a synced folder like OneDrive/SharePoint?
• Unblock Option: When you checked the file’s Properties, did you see and select the Unblock checkbox? Or was it missing?
• Protected View Settings: Have you already tried disabling Protected View in Trust Center → Protected View?
• IT Policies: Are you on a managed device (university or corporate)? If yes, do you know if there are group policies restricting macros?
• Does this happen with all downloaded macro-enabled files or just this one spreadsheet?

After that, please help me review and check these steps to narrow down the problem: 

Unblock the file: 

• Navigate to the location where the Excel workbook is saved. 
• Right-click on the file and select Properties from the menu. 
• In the General tab, if there's an Unblock checkbox, make sure to check it, then click OK. 

Add the Folder to Trusted Locations: 

• This step helps ensure that Excel files saved in this folder bypass macro security checks. If a folder isn't trusted, Excel will continue to block macros - even if you've clicked "Unblock" in the file's properties. 
• Go to: File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations. 
• If your file is stored on a network drive or a cloud location, you may need to check the box for "Allow Trusted Locations on my network" in the Trusted Locations section. 

Enable Macros: 

• Go to: File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings. 

Disable Protected View: 

• In Trust Center Settings, check the Protected View section and try disabling any options that might be interfering. 

Check organizational IT policies (If applicable to your organization): Since you are using education account, I highly recommend you contact your school IT Admin to check this. For reference: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin?

• Please make sure the policy "Block macros from running in Office files from the Internet" is not enabled in the Group Policy Management Console under: .User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Excel 2016 (Or your Excel version)\Excel Options\Security\Trust Center. 
• Also, no policy about bock macros in Intune Admin Center > Apps > Policies for Microsoft 365. Look for macro-related settings like: Enable VBA macros and Block macros from running in Office files from the Internet.

• Ensure your organization IT did not enable "Block macros from running in Office files from the internet" for Excel in https://config.office.comMicrosoft 365 Apps Admin Center > Customization > Policy Management.

In the meantime, if the issue still persists, since you are using an education account, I highly recommend that you contact your school IT admin directly. They may know of ongoing outages or account-specific issues.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

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