Microsoft has blocked macros from running because the source is untrusted

If you are reading this post,
probably you bumped into this message while opening an Excel Macro:

“Microsoft has blocked macros from running because the source is untrusted.”

Discover in this post,
step by step how to fix this error and use the Excel Macro normally.

Step by step on how to fix the error.

Step #1 Click on File (Top left corner)

Step #2 Click on Options (Bottom)

Step #3 Click on Trust Center

Step #4 Click on Trust Center Settings

Click on Trusted Locations (top left) and click on Add new location (bottom right)

Select the location where your Macro is located by clicking on Browse.

Select the path and click OK and OK at the end.

After following these steps,
you will be able to fix the macro and operate normally with your Excel File.

Why is this pop-up message appearing?
Before the update, when you were opening an Excel Macro file downloaded from the internet, there was just a simple warning message saying that said Macros have been disabled.

However, following the recent security update implemented by Microsoft (across all their systems included in their office package), the logic is that any Excel Macro File coming from the Internet will be automatically blocked.

With this new security update,
when you open a file that comes from the internet, such as an email attachment, and that file contains macros, the following message will be displayed:

The reasoning behind this is that Excel VBA macros are often used to deploy malware and ransomware across the Internet.

In a nutshell,
Microsoft is protecting you from getting any virus or malware into your laptop.

If you trust the file you downloaded,
following the steps explained in this post you will be able to use the Excel Macro normally.

How to read the code

What’s the future of Excel Macros and how to avoid blocking errors in the future?

The world is changing as we speak,
with the new developments of Artificial Intelligence, in the future instead of looking for already prepared Excel Macros from the Internet, we will be asking Artificial Intelligence (for example chatGPT4) to prepare the code for us.

This is a major milestone.

Thanks to Artificial Intelligence we mitigate massively the risk of running any Excel Macro file that contains some malware that could potentially harm your laptop.

If you wonder how to program your own Excel Macro – Discover here how to create your own Excel Macro using chatGPT

Learn the basic about Excel Macros

For programming your own Excel Macros,
you don’t need to be an expert programmer.

Instead,
you need to have a minimum understanding of how an Excel Macro works.

You don’t need to program the Excel Macro yourself; Artificial intelligence can do it for you;
however, you will need at least to learn some basics.

Learn Excel Macros basics in less than 20min for free here.

FAQ Error Excel Macro blocked

Some of the general questions asked about Excel Macros getting blocked

Are Excel macros blocked by default?

Yes, Excel Macros are blocked by default. There is an extra layer of security for blocking Macros downloaded from the internet. Prior using an Excel Macro downloaded from the Internet make sure you validate the code to avoid any potential harm into your laptop.

How do I make an Excel Macro a file trusted?

It is very simple, in your Excel file click on File (top left), click on Options (bottom left), later click on Trust Center and Trust Center Settings. Under the Trusted Locations section, select the location where the file is stored and click Modify and OK. Following these steps you will make your Excel Macro a file Trusted.

Can Macros in Excel contains virus?

Yes, they can. It is important when you are not sure about the origin of a Macro, you check the code prior running it. If you don’t know how to learn Macro excel code, you can learn the basics about Excel Macros here.

Do I need to be an expert programmer to fix the blocked Macros Excel error?

No, following the simple steps you can fix the error and work normally with your file. in your Excel file click on File (top left), click on Options (bottom left), later click on Trust Center and Trust Center Settings. Under the Trusted Locations section, select the location where the file is stored and click Modify and OK. Following these steps you will make your Excel Macro a file Trusted.