Unblock macro file

Question

Unblock macro file which I received from my son who helped me to generate sums

Answer 1

Hello @Sharne Bresler,

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A forum! 

If you receive an Excel file with macros (.xlsm file) and it's blocked from running, I’ll show you how to safely unblock and enable macros. Here are steps you can try:

Step 1: Unblock the File (if downloaded):

If you downloaded the Excel file from the internet or received it via email, Windows may block it:

• You can right-click the Excel file in File Explorer and select Properties.

• At the bottom of the General tab, check if there’s a message like:

“This file came from another computer and might be blocked.”

• If so, you can heck the box Unblock, then click Apply and OK.

Step 2: Enable Macros When Opening the File:

When you open an Excel file that contains macros, you may see a yellow warning bar at the top of the sheet: 

"Security Warning: Macros have been disabled. "

To enable them: 

• You click Enable Content or Enable Macros on the warning bar. 
• The macros will now be active for that session. 

For reference: Enable or disable macros in Microsoft 365 files - Microsoft Support 

Besides that, you also change Macro settings in Trust Center:

• Open Excel. 
• You can go to File => Options and select Trust Center from the left menu. 
• Then, you click Trust Center Settings and choose Macro Settings:  

Disable all macros without notification (safest) but you won’t be notified. 

Disable all macros with notification (recommended) lets you choose each time. 

Disable all except digitally signed macros allows only trusted macros. 

Enable all macros not recommended due to security risks. 

• You click OK to save your settings. 

Note: 

For optional: If you frequently use macros from specific folders, you can add those folders as Trusted Locations, so Excel won’t block content from them.

You can infer full guide from this article: Add, remove, or change a trusted location in Microsoft Office - Microsoft Support

If what you're seeing doesn't match the behavior I've described, please feel free to reply here with a screenshot so I can better assist you.

Also, could you please confirm whether you're using a school account, or a personal Microsoft account?

Look forward to hearing from you!

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.