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Troubleshoot macro security and warnings
Restricted Access I can't change the macro security level.
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.
Macro Warnings Built-in wizards, templates, or custom commands no longer work, or I get a message that macros are disabled.
If some items — such as templates (template: A file or files that contain the structure and tools for shaping such elements as the style and page layout of finished files. For example, Word templates can shape a single document, and FrontPage templates can shape an entire Web site.), wizards, or custom commands — do not function the way you expect, you may be running a Microsoft Office program with the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) (Visual Basic for Applications (VBA): A macro-language version of Microsoft Visual Basic that is used to program Microsoft Windows–based applications and is included with several Microsoft programs.) shared feature disabled. Many features in Office are created in VBA or depend on VBA support to function correctly. If you choose not to install the VBA feature, these dependent applications and features will be disabled or not installed.
For additional information about the effects of disabling VBA, see the Microsoft Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit Web site.
To re-enable VBA, follow these steps:
- Run the Office Setup program again.
How?
- Quit all programs.
- Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
- In the Currently installed programs box, click Microsoft Office 2003 or Microsoft Office Word 2003, depending on whether you installed Word as part of Office or as an individual program, and then click Change.
- On the Maintenance Mode Options screen, click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
- On the Custom Setup screen, select the Choose advanced customization of applications check box, and then click Next.
- On the Advanced Customization screen, click the expand indicator
next to Office Shared Features.
- Click the arrow next to Visual Basic for Applications, and then click Run from My Computer.
If someone else set up your Office installation for you, contact your system administrator or Information Technology (IT) professional to see whether you are running Office with VBA disabled.
When I start Microsoft Word, I receive a warning about macros, or macros that used to work can't be run anymore.
You may have cleared the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box. To avoid these messages, re-select the check box or digitally sign (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.) the macros in your Normal.dot template (template: A file or files that contain the structure and tools for shaping such elements as the style and page layout of finished files. For example, Word templates can shape a single document, and FrontPage templates can shape an entire Web site.) and trust the certificate used to sign them. After you sign Normal.dot, any further macros you add to the file will be automatically signed if the certificate used to sign them originally is installed on your computer.
Select the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box.
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On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Security tab.
- Under Macro security, click Macro Security.
- Click the Trusted Sources tab.
- Select the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box.
Note All templates, add-ins, and macros shipped with Microsoft Office 2003 are digitally signed by Microsoft. After you add Microsoft to your list of trusted sources for one of these installed files, all subsequent interaction with these files will not generate messages.
Digitally sign the Normal.dot template.
You digitally sign (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.) a file or a macro project (macro project: A collection of components, including forms, code, and class modules, that make up a macro. Macro projects created in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications can be included in add-ins and in most Microsoft Office programs.) by using a digital certificate (digital certificate: Attachment for a file, macro project, or e-mail message that vouches for authenticity, provides secure encryption, or supplies a verifiable signature. To digitally sign macro projects, you must install a digital certificate.).
- If you don't already have a digital certificate, you must obtain one.
How?
You can obtain a digital certificate from a commercial certification authority, such as VeriSign, Inc., or from your internal security administrator or Information Technology (IT) professional. Or, you can create a digital signature yourself by using the Selfcert.exe tool.
To learn more about certification authorities that offer services for Microsoft products, see the Microsoft Security Advisor Web site. Note Because a digital certificate you create yourself isn't issued by a formal certification authority, macro projects signed by using such a certificate are referred to as self-signed projects. Depending on how Microsoft Office digital-signature features are being used in your organization, you might be prevented from using such a certificate, and other users might not be able to run self-signed macros for security reasons.
- Do one of the following:
Sign a file
- On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Security tab.
- Click Digital Signatures.
- Click Add.
- Select the certificate you want to add, and then click OK.
Sign a macro project
- Open the file that contains the macro project you want to sign.
- On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Visual Basic Editor.
- In the Project Explorer, select the project you want to sign.
- On the Tools menu, click Digital Signature.
- Do one of the following:
- If you haven't previously selected a digital certificate or want to use another one, click Choose, select the certificate, and then click OK twice.
- To use the current certificate, click OK.
I don't want to be warned about any macros.
To avoid macro warnings, attach a digital signature to each macro project and add 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 whether the certificate is current.
I don't see a warning when I open a file or load an add-in that contains macros.
- The security level might be set to Low To receive a warning that a file or add-in contains macros, change the security level to Medium.
- The security level might be set to High and the macros are not digitally signed To receive a warning that a file or add-in contains macros that have not been digitally signed (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.), change the security level to Medium.
- You or someone you have designated as a trusted source might have developed the macros If so, the file is opened and macros are enabled. If you no longer trust the macro developer, you can remove the developer from the list of trusted publishers.
-
To be prompted every time you open a file or load an add-in that contains macros, remove every source from the list of trusted publishers.
To confirm that the macros in the file were signed and to see the name of the source of this file, point to Options on the Tools menu, and then click Security. Under Macro security, click Macro Security, and then click the Trusted Publishers tab.
I keep getting a warning about macros.
- The macro you want to run might not be from a trusted source If the security level is set to Medium or High, and you open a file or load an add-in that contains digitally signed (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.) macros that are not from a trusted source, you receive a macro warning. If you are sure you trust the macro developer, add the name to the list of trusted publishers.
- The file might contain a macro virus If you don't expect the file to contain a macro, you might have a virus that is adding a macro virus to the file. Check your computer for viruses, and try to get an uninfected copy of the file from the source.
- The macro might be in a file you downloaded as an HTML page from a Web site and opened as a temporary file If your virus scanner tells you it cleaned out a virus in this file every time you open it, you are removing the virus from the temporary file only, not from the original file on the Web server. Check your computer for viruses, and notify the source about problems with the original file.
- The file contains legitimate macros If you know these are legitimate and safe macros, you might want to digitally sign those macros and then add your name to the list of trusted publishers.
The Security Warning box tells me the source has not been authenticated.
This warning appears in the Security Warning box if the security level is set to High or Medium and if you open a file or load an add-in that contains digitally signed (digital signature: An electronic, encryption-based, secure stamp of authentication on a macro or document. This signature confirms that the macro or document originated from the signer and has not been altered.) macros but the digital certificate (digital certificate: Attachment for a file, macro project, or e-mail message that vouches for authenticity, provides secure encryption, or supplies a verifiable signature. To digitally sign macro projects, you must install a digital certificate.) has not been authenticated (authenticate: The process of verifying that people and products are who and what they claim to be. For example, confirming the source and integrity of a software publisher’s code by verifying the digital signature used to sign the code.). For example, if the macro developer has created his or her own digital certificate, you receive this warning. If the security setting is set to High, Microsoft Office Word 2003 will not allow you to run macros from an unauthenticated source. In addition, you will be unable to add the source to your list of trusted publishers.
This type of unauthenticated certificate can be forged by malicious users to claim that it is anyone's certificate. For example, a malicious user can create a certificate named "Microsoft Corporation." The only warning you have that the certificate is false is this warning. You should not expect professional software developers to sign with an unauthenticated certificate. You should expect this type of certificate only from individual co-workers or friends.
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