Microsoft keeps blocking macros in excel from egnyte

Question

Microsoft keeps blocking macros in excel from Egnyte. It is a trusted location and there are no settings I can find that should block the macros from running.

Answer 1

Hi @Dewald Johan Waso,

According to your concern, Egnyte is a cloud-based platform and files downloaded from there are automatically marked with Mark of the Web by Windows.

The previous response by Q&A Assist does provide basic troubleshooting steps for unblocking macros and I suggest you can try them to see if it helps. The guideline I provide below will have some steps as same as the previous reply but with some more detailed explanation: (Note: You need to do these steps in your personal/local device which has problem with blocking macros)

1- Remove the Mark of the Web (MOTW)  

• Open File Explorer, navigate to your Excel file that you need to enable macros 
• Right click on it and choose Properties 
• In General tab, check the Unblock box for the Security option. 

If the "Unlock" checkbox isn't available, you can use PowerShell to unlock your file's macro (if your device has permission to use PowerShell):

• In the search bar, type PowerShell and select "Run as administrator."
• Then, paste this script into PowerShell > Enter to unlock your file:

  Unblock-File -Path "C:\Path\YourFile.xlsm"

2- Double check whether the file location is configured as a trusted location  

• Open Excel and go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings

• Select Trusted Locations in the left bane > double check whether you add the file path as a trusted location
• If not, select Add new location > Browse and navigate to the folder where you keep the files need to enable macro 
• Press OK to close all the dialog boxes then try opening your macro-enabled excel file again 

3- Enable macros in Excel 

You can also adjust the trust center settings for macros by 

• Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings 
• Click Macro Settings and "Enable VBA macros" (only if you're sure the file is safe) 
• Then click OK to save the settings

For better visualization about the previous steps, you can watch this video Unblock macros downloaded from the internet | Excel Off The Grid | Microsoft macro security changes… 

(Note: This link is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. We can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there. Please review carefully and make sure you understand any potential risks before using it.)

4- Configure Egnyte as Trusted Site for future files

• Open Control Panel > Network and Internet > Internet Options
• In Internet Properties, go to Security tab > select Trusted sites > Sites
• Add Egnyte URL into the bar > Add > Close > OK

• When configured as trusted sites, macros won't be blocked in files from these locations.

Please understand that my initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, you can try these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to find a solution.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.    

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it.

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

Answer 2

Egnyte files are being treated as coming from the internet, so Excel is blocking VBA macros even though the location is considered trusted in Egnyte.

Key points from the macro-blocking behavior:

1. Mark of the Web (MOTW) drives the block
   • When a file is obtained from an untrusted location (internet, Restricted zone, many cloud storage URLs), Windows adds Mark of the Web (MOTW) to the file.
   • Office blocks macros in files with MOTW by default and shows the Security Risk banner.
   • This applies even if the file is on a network share, unless that share is in the Local intranet or Trusted sites zone.
2. Trusted Location in Office is not enough if MOTW is present
   • The macro decision flow checks: Trusted Location → Trusted Publisher → Policies → Trusted Document → MOTW.
   • If the file has MOTW and is not in a Windows security zone that is trusted, macros are blocked regardless of Egnyte’s own trust settings.
3. How to allow macros from a cloud or network location that is trusted Use one or more of these approaches (adapted from the OneDrive/SharePoint guidance, which applies similarly to Egnyte):
   1. Ensure the path is in a trusted Windows security zone
   • Add the Egnyte domain or file server path to Trusted sites or Local intranet in Internet Options:
     • Open Control Panel → Internet Options → Security tab.
     • Select Trusted sites (recommended over Local intranet for better isolation).
     • Click Sites and add the Egnyte URL or file server FQDN/IP.
     • If adding http:// URLs or UNC/network shares, clear Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone.
   • This prevents macros from being blocked for files from that location, so manage who can save files there.
   2. Use Group Policy for all users (Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise only)
   • Use the Site to Zone Assignment List policy under:
     Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Internet Control Panel\Security Page
     (under both Computer Configuration and User Configuration).
   • Assign the Egnyte domain to Trusted sites or Local intranet.
   • This centrally ensures files from Egnyte are not treated as Internet zone and do not get MOTW in a way that blocks macros.
   3. Use macro policies if needed
   • For Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, configure:
     • Block macros from running in Office files from the Internet (recommended) and/or
     • VBA Macro Notification Settings for Excel under:
       User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Excel 2016\Excel Options\Security\Trust Center.
   • Recommended baseline:
     • Enable Block macros from running in Office files from the Internet for most users.
     • For users who must run macros from Egnyte, combine that with placing Egnyte in Trusted sites/Local intranet so those files are not considered “from the Internet”.
4. Alternative user workflows (if applicable to Egnyte)
   • For OneDrive/SharePoint, opening via Open in Desktop App or syncing via the OneDrive client avoids MOTW. If Egnyte has an equivalent sync client that stores files in normal NTFS folders without MOTW, using that client instead of browser download can also avoid macro blocking.

In practice, to stop Excel from blocking macros from Egnyte:

1. Add the Egnyte domain or file server path to Trusted sites (or Local intranet) in Internet Options, or deploy this via Site to Zone Assignment List Group Policy.
2. Verify that newly downloaded/opened Egnyte files no longer carry MOTW.
3. Ensure Excel macro policies (Group Policy or Trust Center) are not set to “Disable all macros without notification” for users who need to run macros.

---

References:

• Macros from the internet are blocked by default in Office