Microsoft Word - Enabling Macro Protection

This document explains how to enable macro protection in older versions of Office so that macros do not run automatically when a document is opened. (This occurs when the lowest level of security has been selected).
To view instructions specific to the version of Word you are using click on one of the following links:

Windows

Macintosh

Word 2000  
Word 2002 (XP) / 2003 Word 2004
Word 2007 / 2010 Word 2008


Instructions for Word running on a Windows machine:

Word 2000

  1. Start Word
  2. Click on Tools, highlight Macro and click on Security
  3. Click on either Medium or High to select it
  4. Click on OK
  5. Click on OK again to close out of the options menu

Word 2002 (XP) / 2003

  1. Start Word
  2. Click on Tools and select Options
  3. Select the Security tab and click on the Macro Security button
  4. Click on either Medium or High to select it
  5. Click on OK
  6. Click on OK again to close out of the options menu

Word 2007 / 2010

  1. Start Word
  2. Click on Office Button and select Word Options
  3. Select the Trust Center option and click on the Trust Center Settings... button
  4. Click on either Disable All Macros With Notification or Disable All Macros With Notification to select it
  5. Click on OK
  6. Click on OK again to close out of the Word Options menu


Instructions for Word running on a Macintosh system:

Word 2004

  1. Start Word
  2. Click on Word and select Preferences
  3. Click once on the Security category listed on the left-hand side of the window to highlight it
  4. Place a check in the box next to Warn before opening a file that contains macros

Word 2008

  • Currently, macro protection can only be configured for Excel in Office 2008.

Note: Enabling macro protection in Microsoft Word and/or Access (aka: macro virus protection) will not detect specific macro viruses for you but will inform you if a macro exists on a document you are trying to open. Macros detected by macro virus protection are not necessarily viruses. However, if you are alterted to a macro attached to a document, you should be cautious as most users do not have macros in their documents.



Keywords:
word windows macos office 2001 2002 xp 2003 enable disable macro protection microsoft 2007 2008 2010 
Doc ID:
2371
Owned by:
Jeff W. in DoIT Help Desk
Created:
2003-10-22
Updated:
2018-01-09
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk