Excel spreadsheet users know very well about Macros and their usage. People often enable Macros in Excel to avoid repetitive actions. Enabling macros makes your work easier by performing repetitive tasks automatically. According to a security viewpoint, it is riskier due to corruption of programs and damage to the system. There are different ways to activate macros in Excel.
By default, macros are disabled in Microsoft Excel but you can enable them as you wish. Macros are not needed for regular use. If you need it specifically for a workbook, you can activate the macros.
How to Activate Macros in Excel [Security Warning Bar]
[1] When you open the workbook with default macro settings, you’ll see a warning bar underneath the ribbon.
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[2] Click on the Enable Content promptly a pop-up window appears to make this a trusted document.
[3] Choose Yes in the pop-up.
[4] For the current file, the macros will be activated.
How to Activate Macros in Excel [Backstage view]
[1] Open the Excel file that you want to enable the macros.
[2] Click the File tab and hover to Info.
[3] Next, in the Security Warning section, click Enable Content > Enable All Content.
[4] After this, your file will become a trusted document and the macros will be enabled.
How to Activate Macros for One Session [Temporarily]
If you want to enable the macros just for one session or don’t want to mark the file as a trusted document, you can use this method.
[1] Click the File tab and click on Info.
[2] In the Security Warning area, click Enable Content > and then click on the Advanced Options.
[3] Now, the Microsoft Office Security Options dialog box will open.
[4] Select Enable content for this session and click OK.
This activation works for the current session. When you close the workbook, the macros will be deactivated.
How to Activate Macros for All Excel Workbooks
If your work totally depends upon macros, the above-mentioned method won’t be feasible for you. In this method, you can enable and activate the macros for all Excel files.
[1] Click on the File tab and head to the Options.
[2] Select Trust Center from the left pane, and then click Trust Center Settings.
[3] In the Trust Center dialog box, click on Macro Settings, select Enable all macros and click OK.
Remember, activating macros for all the workbooks can make your computer vulnerable to mess up data and occurs malicious problems further. If you want, you can add a trusted location on your PC and store all the Excel files that need Macros. To do so, click the Trusted Location option in the Trust Center and click Add new location. Create a new folder on your PC to store all the macros-enabled Excel files.
How to Deactivate or Disable Macros in Excel
Despite enabling macros on workbooks of Excel via different methods, you should also know how to disable it to prevent damage or corruption of programs.
[1] Launch Excel and go to the File tab. Then, head to the Options section.
[2] Hover to the Trust Center in the left pane and then click Trust Center Settings.
[3] Go to the Macro Settings and select Disable all macros without notification.
[4] Then, click OK to confirm.
Using the above methods, you can activate the macros in any version of Excel like 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, and Microsoft Office 365 suite.
FAQ
Using the Trusted Center settings, you can enable macros in Excel permanently.
No, by default, macros will be disabled in Microsoft Excel.
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