Excel files you download from the web may contain malicious code or macros, so when you open such files, they open in Protected View and display a yellow ‘Protected View’ warning bar on top of the formula bar on the Ribbon.
In Protected View, Excel blocks macros from running to prevent the execution of any malicious code.
You cannot interact with or edit the macros while the file is in protected view. The file is in a ‘read-only’ mode with restricted functionality.
Protected View in Excel is a security feature that protects your computer from potentially harmful files.
When an Excel file is opened in Protected View, Excel disables macros and other potentially harmful features until you explicitly choose to enable editing and macros.
When you click the Enable Editing button on the yellow ‘Protected View’ warning bar, you can edit the Excel file, but macros remain disabled. This is indicated by the light red ‘Security Risk’ warning bar displayed below the Ribbon.
If you trust the source of the Excel files you downloaded from the web and want to restore their full functionality, you must unblock the macros.
I will show you ways to unblock macros in Excel files you download from sites you trust on the web.
Unblock Macros in a Single Excel File on Your Hard Drive
Windows blocks Excel files you download from the web, preventing you from editing the files or enabling macros. To remove these restrictions, you need to unblock the file first.
Use the steps below to unblock the macros in the file:
- Close the file if it is open.
- Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the file.
- Right-click the file and select ‘Unblock’ on the shortcut menu.
- Click Apply and OK.
- Open the file and click Enable Content when prompted on the yellow ‘Security Warning’ warning bar below the Ribbon.
Also read: Unprotect Excel Sheet Without Password
Unblock Macros in Multiple Excel Files on Your Hard Drive
You can unblock macros in multiple Excel files by moving them to a trusted location on the computer and opening them from there.
A trusted location in Excel is a folder on your computer that you’ve designated as safe.
Files stored in this location are automatically trusted by Excel, meaning Excel won’t prompt you to enable macros, when you open files from this folder.
This can be time-saving, especially if you regularly download Excel files with macros from the web.
Use the steps below to unblock macros in multiple downloaded Excel files:
- Move the downloaded Excel files to a folder you want to add to trusted locations in Excel. In this case, I have moved the Excel files I have downloaded to ‘Safe Folder’ on the C drive.
- Open Excel.
- Click Options on the left sidebar of the Welcome screen.
The above step opens the Excel Options dialog box.
- On the Excel Options dialog box, click ‘Trust Center’ on the left sidebar and ‘Trust Center Settings’ on the right.
The above step opens the Trust Center dialog box.
- On the Trust Center dialog box, click ‘Trust Center Locations’ on the left sidebar and ‘Add new location’ on the right.
The above step opens the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box.
- On the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box, click the Browse button.
The above step opens the Browse feature.
- On the Browse feature, navigate to and select the folder you want to add to trusted locations. In this case, I choose the ‘Safe Folder’ I created in Step #1 above.
- Click OK on the Browse feature.
- Click OK on the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box.
Note: Check the ‘Subfolders of this location are also trusted’ before clicking the OK button if you want subfolders of the folder you have added to trusted locations to be also trusted by Excel.
- Click OK on the ‘Trust Center’ dialog box.
- Click OK on the Excel Options dialog box.
You can now open files stored in the trusted folder without Excel prompting you to enable macros.
Note: Since macros are not blocked in files from the trusted location, managing the location carefully is critical. Ensure that you control who has permission to save files there.
Also read: Unlock VBA Project Password in Excel
Unblock Macros in All Excel Files From a Particular Trusted Website
If you frequently download or open files directly from a trusted cloud source, like your company’s website, you can add the site as a trusted site in Windows.
This ensures that Windows does not check or block macros from that location.
Note: By applying this setting, you’ll trust all macros from the target site, so only enable it if you’re confident that every file from the location is safe.
Use the steps below to add a website as a trusted site in Windows:
- Type ‘internet options’ on the Windows search box and click ‘Internet Options’ on the list that appears.
The above step opens the Internet Properties dialog box.
- On the Internet Properties dialog box, go to the Security tab, select the ‘Trusted sites’ zone, and click the Sites button.
The above step opens the ‘Trusted sites’ feature.
- On the ‘Trusted sites’ feature, enter the URL of the website containing the Excel files with the macros you want to execute in the ‘Add this website to the zone’ box, and uncheck ‘Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone,’ click Add and Close.
- Click OK on the Internet Properties dialog box.
From now on, Windows will not check or block macros from the website you have added to the trusted sites zone.
I have shown you how to unblock macros in Excel files you download from the web. I hope you found the tutorial helpful.
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