Microsoft Excel Macro Disabled Issues

Question

Microsoft Excel Macro Disabled Issues

Yankuba Singhateh 0

I have been using a tool in excel but it is now indicating that Macros have been disabled and I am not able to use it anymore despite trying several remedies

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Sorry for the late reply. Below are answers to your questions (In Bold)

To ensure I provide the correct troubleshooting steps, could you please let me know whether you're using Excel on a Windows PC or a Mac? - PC
What is the exact error message you receive when opening the workbook? Could you please provide me with the full text or a screenshot so that I could have a visual reference and more information on this? -
Which version of Microsoft Excel are you using? - Excel for Microsoft 365, Version 16.0
Is the issue occurring with one workbook or all macro-enabled workbooks? This one workbook
Where is the file stored (local drive, network drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, etc.)? - Desktop, Documents
Have there been any recent Office, Windows, or macOS updates before the issue started? - Yes, the laptop had a boothing problem

Answer 2

Julie Huynh 2,900 Independent Advisor

Dear @Yankuba Singhateh,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that you have been using an Excel tool successfully, but it is now showing a message indicating that macros have been disabled. Despite attempting several troubleshooting steps, you are still unable to enable the macros or use the tool, and you are looking for assistance in restoring its functionality.

To understand the situation better and provide you with the most suitable support, could you confirm the following information:

To ensure I provide the correct troubleshooting steps, could you please let me know whether you're using Excel on a Windows PC or a Mac?
What is the exact error message you receive when opening the workbook? Could you please provide me with the full text or a screenshot so that I could have a visual reference and more information on this?
Which version of Microsoft Excel are you using?
Is the issue occurring with one workbook or all macro-enabled workbooks?
Where is the file stored (local drive, network drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, etc.)?
Have there been any recent Office, Windows, or macOS updates before the issue started?

Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!

If you’re able to share a bit more about your situation, I might be able to suggest some helpful next steps.

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going!

Thank you for your time and patience.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Julie Huynh 2,900 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-24T12:54:20.08+00:00

Dear @Yankuba Singhateh,

Good day! I hope everything is going well on your end.

It’s been a little while, so I just wanted to follow up and see how things are progressing with your concern. If you've run into any challenges or if there's anything further that I can help with, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Any updates you’re able to share would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for your time and attention! I look forward to hearing from you.
Yankuba Singhateh 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T09:29:32.2366667+00:00
Sorry for the late reply. Below are answers to your questions (In Bold)

To ensure I provide the correct troubleshooting steps, could you please let me know whether you're using Excel on a Windows PC or a Mac? - PC

What is the exact error message you receive when opening the workbook? Could you please provide me with the full text or a screenshot so that I could have a visual reference and more information on this? -

Which version of Microsoft Excel are you using? - Excel for Microsoft 365, Version 16.0

Is the issue occurring with one workbook or all macro-enabled workbooks? This one workbook

Where is the file stored (local drive, network drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, etc.)? - Desktop, Documents

Have there been any recent Office, Windows, or macOS updates before the issue started? - Yes, the laptop had a boothing problem
Yankuba Singhateh 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T12:29:05.0966667+00:00

It is now working only on downloads
Julie Huynh 2,900 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-04T13:21:23.42+00:00
Dear @Yankuba Singhateh,

Thank you for your update!

Regarding your situation, kindly try the following suggestions to check what might have caused the issue:

Check if the file is blocked by Windows: Sometimes, Windows marks files downloaded from external sources as blocked

First, please close Excel and go to where the file is located on your computer

Right‑click the Excel file

Select Properties

Under the General tab, look for an Unblock checkbox, click 'Unblock' and 'OK'

Add your file location as a trusted location:

Select Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations

Select Add new location

Select Browse to find the folder, select a folder, and then select OK

After you have added your file location as a trusted location, could you please test with a new macro file to check the behavior:

You can create a simple new macro‑enabled Excel file

Save it to the same trusted location

Add a basic macro and reopen it to see if the macros are also disabled and let me know the result

Test the same file on another device: To help determine whether this issue is specific to your device or related to the file itself, I recommend testing the same Excel file on another computer.

Copy the exact same macro‑enabled file to another device

Open the file using the desktop version of Excel

Kindly observe whether the macros are blocked or allowed to run

For reference: A potentially dangerous macro has been blocked

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 understanding!
Yankuba Singhateh 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T14:24:37.54+00:00
Dear Julie,

Thanks so much for the elaborative steps given. I followed the steps but none worked unfortunately:

The "Unblock" option did not appear as shown in the screenshot below:

After adding the file location to the trusted sites, I still got the same message in the screenshot below:
Julie Huynh 2,900 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-05T14:45:34.4233333+00:00
Dear @Yankuba Singhateh,

Thank you for the information and for your patience.

Since you mentioned the issue started after the laptop experienced a booting problem and that it only affects this specific workbook, I'd like to better understand the behavior you're seeing.

Could you please clarify whether:

The macros in this workbook were working previously on the same device and stopped working only after the boot issue occurred?

Or have the macros never been able to run on this particular machine?

Also, could you let me know where this workbook originally came from? For example, was it downloaded from an email attachment, a website, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, or another source? Files downloaded from external sources can sometimes be blocked by Windows, which may prevent macros from running.

As an additional test, could you please share the workbook with another user or open it on a different PC with Excel installed to see whether the macros work there? This will help us determine whether the issue is related to the workbook itself or something specific to the affected device.

I appreciate your help with these checks, and I look forward to your update.
Yankuba Singhateh 0 Reputation points

2026-08-05T16:19:30.9933333+00:00

Dear Julie,

Thanks so much for this.

The tool's macros had been working on this laptop when I added its location to the "Trusted Sites". It stopped working after the booting problem. The tool is a Measles Risk Assessment tool downloaded from an online World Health Organization (WHO) site. It is working well in other PCs. The issue is with the device.

A version of it is now only working when in the "Downloads".
Yankuba Singhateh 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T11:22:45.1633333+00:00

Dear Julie,

I have noticed the same problem with some other excel workbooks
Julie Huynh 2,900 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-06T15:54:12.0066667+00:00

Dear @Yankuba Singhateh,Thank you for letting me know.

The fact that you are now seeing the same behavior with other Excel workbooks is very helpful. This suggests the issue may not be limited to the WHO Measles Risk Assessment tool itself, but rather to an Excel, Windows, or file trust/security setting on the affected device that may have changed after the boot issue.

As an additional troubleshooting step, could you please try opening the affected workbooks on a different PC with Excel installed, or ask a colleague to test it on their device? This will help me know whether the issue is related to the workbook itself or is specific to the affected laptop.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as this is being investigated.
Yankuba Singhateh 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T17:01:37.1633333+00:00

Dear Julie,

It is working on different PCs as long as it is saved in "Trusted Locations"
Julie Huynh 2,900 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-07T14:47:55.5866667+00:00

Dear @Yankuba Singhateh,

Thank you for the update.

It's helpful to know that the workbook functions correctly on other PCs when it is stored in a Trusted Location. This further suggests that the workbook itself is not the issue and that the behavior may be related to how Windows or Excel is handling the file on the affected device.

As a troubleshooting step, could you please upload the workbook to OneDrive (or another cloud storage location), then download a fresh copy back to the affected laptop and test it again?

After downloading the file, please right-click the workbook, select Properties, and check whether there is an "Unblock" option on the General tab. If the option is present, please select it, click Apply, and then test the workbook again.

Please let me know the results, including whether the Unblock option was available and if it made any difference to the workbook's behavior.

Thank you for your time and patience.
Yankuba Singhateh 0 Reputation points

2026-08-08T12:02:54.23+00:00

Dear Julie,

Thanks for your patience and guidance.

I uploaded the file on Google Drive, downloaded and saved it on my desktop but still the "Unblock" option did not appear. Below is the screenshot I got:
Julie Huynh 2,900 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-08T12:58:41.1133333+00:00

Dear @Yankuba Singhateh,

I sincerely apologize that my previous suggestions did not resolve your issue. In the meantime, as a temporary workaround, please try using the file on a different computer. Additionally, could you review the method outlined in this article to see if it might be suitable for your situation? Please note that this is not an official Microsoft article, so review it carefully before following the instructions. Thank you for your patience, and have a pleasant day.