Your network administrator might have enforced a security level for your workgroup or corporation to ensure that you use only macros that have been determined to be virus-free. For more information, see your network administrator.

The only way to avoid macro warnings when you open a database in medium or high security is by ensuring that the database has a valid digital signature, and then adding that signature to your list of trusted sources.

If the macros are already signed and if you are willing to trust all macros signed with that certificate, add the signer to your list of trusted sources. This will stop macro warnings when your Security setting is set to High or Medium.

Note  The presence of a certificate does not guarantee that a macro is safe. Always review the details of the certificate—for example, look at the Issued to and Issued by fields to determine whether you trust its publisher, and look at the Valid from field to determine if the certificate is current.

A less secure option is to change the security level to Low. When your macro security level is set to Low, Microsoft Access will not provide warnings about macros. To reduce your risk of getting a macro virus infection on your computer, run specialized antivirus software that is up to date and that can check files and add-ins for macro viruses, and use macros only from trusted sources.

• The database might not be from a trusted source   If the security level is set to Medium or High, and you open a database that contains digitally signed macros that are not from a trusted source, you receive a security warning. If you are sure you trust the macro developer, add the name to the list of trusted publishers on the Trusted Publishers tab in the Security dialog box (on the Tools menu, point to Macro, and click Security). If you do not see the Macro menu item under the Tools menu, or the Security menu item under the Macro menu, click the arrows at the bottom of a drop-down menu to display the hidden menu items.

  Tip  If you want to see all menu items by default, on the Tools menu, click Customize, click the Options tab, and select the Always show full menus check box.

  I still can't see the Security command under the Macro menu

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Commands tab.
  2. Click Rearrange Commands, select Menu Bar, and in the Menu Bar box, click Tools | Macro.
  3. In the Controls section, click Add.

     The Add command dialog box will appear.

  4. In the Categories box, click Tools, and then in the Commands box, click Security.

     The Security command will appear in the Controls box.

  5. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to position the Security command where you want.

     If you'd like to position the Security command in its own group (between horizontal lines), with Security selected, click Modify Selection and click Begin a Group. Select the menu item below the Security command, and repeat.

  6. Click Close twice.
• The database might contain a macro virus   If you don't expect the database to contain a macro (macro: An action or set of actions that you can use to automate tasks.), Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code, a form (form: An Access database object on which you place controls for taking actions or for entering, displaying, and editing data in fields.) that contains an ActiveX control (ActiveX control: A control, such as a check box or button that offers options to users or runs macros or scripts that automate a task. You can write macros for the control in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications or scripts in Microsoft Script Editor.), a report (report: An Access database object that prints information that is formatted and organized according to your specifications. Examples of reports are sales summaries, phone lists, and mailing labels.) that contains an ActiveX control, action query (action query: A query that copies or changes data. Action queries include append, delete, make-table, and update queries. They are identified by an exclamation point (!) next to their names in the Database window.), data-definition query (data-definition query: An SQL-specific query that contains data definition language (DDL) statements. These statements allow you to create or alter objects in the database.), pass-through query (pass-through query: An SQL-specific query you use to send commands directly to an ODBC database server. By using pass-through queries, you work directly with the tables on the server instead of having the Microsoft Jet database engine process the data.), or update query (update query: An action query (SQL statement) that changes a set of records according to criteria (search conditions) that you specify.) you might have a virus that is adding a macro virus to the database. Check your computer for viruses, and try to get an uninfected copy of the database from the source.
• The macro might be in a temporary file that you downloaded from a Web site   If your virus scanner tells you that it has removed a virus in this file every time you open it, you are removing the virus from the temporary file only and not from the original file on the Web server. Check your computer for viruses and then notify the publisher about problems with the original file.
• The database is a replica  Often, replicas lose the signature during synchronization. Check with the publisher of the database.
• The database does not allow Access to read the definition of tables and queries  If the publisher of the database has revoked the right to read table and query definitions, Access will not be able to verify whether the database is safe. In such a situation, the database will treated as an unsigned database.
• The database is opened from Microsoft Visual Source Safe  If you are using Visual Source safe to manage files, then attempting to open a signed database from Visual Source Safe will display warnings. This is because Visual Source Safe disables digital signatures and the database is treated like an unsigned database.
• The database contains legitimate macros  If you know these are legitimate and safe, you might want to digitally sign the database and then add your name to the list of trusted publishers on the Trusted Publishers tab in the Security dialog box (on the Tools menu, point to Macro, and click Security). If you do not see the Macro menu item under the Tools menu, or the Security menu item under the Macro menu, click the arrows at the bottom of a drop-down menu to display the hidden menu items.

  Tip  If you want to see all menu items by default, on the Tools menu, click Customize, click the Options tab, and select the Always show full menus check box.

  I still can't see the Security command under the Macro menu

  1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Commands tab.
  2. Click Rearrange Commands, select Menu Bar, and in the Menu Bar box, click Tools | Macro.
  3. In the Controls section, click Add.

     The Add command dialog box will appear.

  4. In the Categories box, click Tools, and then in the Commands box, click Security.

     The Security command will appear in the Controls box.

  5. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to position the Security command where you want.

     If you'd like to position the Security command in its own group (between horizontal lines), with Security selected, click Modify Selection and click Begin a Group. Select the menu item below the Security command, and repeat.

  6. Click Close twice.

Important  The only way to avoid macro warnings when you open a database in medium or high security is by ensuring that the database has a valid digital signature, and then adding that signature to your list of trusted sources.