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Before you enable an old macro sheet
Only proceed if you can establish why you received the workbook and have a sound reason to trust its contents. If you do not know its source or cannot assess what its macros do, leave them disabled. Microsoft warns that enabling all macros can allow potentially dangerous code to run.
Excel still supports XLM macros in the Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021 desktop versions listed in Microsoft’s XLM guidance. Microsoft recommends migrating legacy XLM macros to VBA for long-term use.
Allow Excel 4.0 macro sheets to open
- In Excel, go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > File Block Settings.
- Find Excel 4 MacroSheets and make sure Open is checked.
- Microsoft’s XLM instructions say to set the selected file types’ open behavior to Open selected file types in Protected View and allow editing. Follow that guidance for the applicable file-block setting.
File Block Settings determine whether Excel may open the file type. They do not, by themselves, permit the macro code to run.
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Enable XLM while keeping macro security restrictive
- Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings.
- Select Enable Excel 4.0 macros when VBA macros are enabled. Microsoft says the selected VBA macro policy also applies to XLM; if this checkbox is not selected, XLM macros are disabled without notification.
- Keep the VBA policy restrictive. For a file-by-file decision, Microsoft describes Disable VBA macros with notification as an option that disables macros while showing security alerts. Do not choose Enable all macros: Microsoft labels it “not recommended” because potentially dangerous code can run.
Macro Settings determine whether code may run under the selected policy. The XLM checkbox does not replace that policy or make a workbook trustworthy. See Microsoft’s guidance on enabling or disabling macros and changing Excel macro security settings.
Reopen the workbook and assess the warning
If Excel opened the workbook with macros disabled, close and reopen it after changing the settings, then make the file-specific decision presented by Excel. Microsoft says an XLM workbook opened with macros disabled must be reopened and macros enabled for them to run.
A message such as “Because of your security settings, macros have been disabled” reports Excel’s current security behavior. It neither proves that the workbook is malicious nor clears it as safe. Do not treat the ability to enable its macros as a security review.
If Excel will not let you change the setting
Your organization may manage macro controls centrally. If an option is unavailable, disabled, or resets after you change it, ask the administrator responsible for Office policy rather than trying to bypass the control. Microsoft’s Excel team documented a Group Policy control for restricting XLM macros; the exact settings available to you depend on your organization’s deployment.
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Plan a migration if the workbook matters long term
For recurring or business-critical use, review the legacy macro and plan to migrate it to VBA. Microsoft says it has added object-model support intended to help with some functions that previously lacked VBA equivalents. After migration, validate the workbook’s outputs against expected results before relying on it; enabling the old XLM code is not a substitute for that validation.
Microsoft also describes runtime inspection of XLM macros using the Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI). Its effectiveness depends on the registered antimalware provider and security configuration, so it is an additional defense—not a reason to run an unknown workbook. See Microsoft Security’s XLM and AMSI overview.
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