Microsoft KB Archive/285514

Knowledge Base

Macros and add-ins do not run when security is set to High in PowerPoint and Word

Article ID: 285514

Article Last Modified on 3/21/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
• Microsoft Office Word 2007
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
• Microsoft Office Word 2003
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Word 2002 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q285514

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Office PowerPoint, you may see either of the following symptoms:

• When you open the Macro dialog box, the Run button is unavailable. It appears dimmed.
  

• When you run a slide show and then click a graphic linked to a macro, the macro does not run.

In Microsoft Office Word, when you attempt to run a macro, you receive the following (or a similar) error message

Microsoft Visual Basic
The macros in this project are disabled. Please refer to the online help or documentation of the host application to determine how to enable macros.

Then, the macro does not run.

In Word or in PowerPoint, add-in menus or toolbars are not visible or they do not function if you attempt to use the menu items or command buttons.

CAUSE

By default, Office sets macro security to High. This setting prevents Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) sub procedures and add-ins that have not been digitally signed from running.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Add Digital Signatures to Your Macros

If you add digital signatures to your macros, the macros can be run with high security. Obtain a digital signature, and then add the digital signature to the macro. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the file that contains the macro project that you want to sign.
2. Press ALT+F11 to start Visual Basic Editor.
3. In the Project Explorer, select the project that you want to sign.
4. On the Tools menu, click Digital Signature.
5. Click Choose, select the certificate, and then click OK twice.

For more information about obtaining and using digital signatures, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

217221 Using SelfCert to create a digital certificate for VBA projects

206637 Overview of digital certificates

Method 2: Obtain an Add-in with a Digital Signature

Contact your add-in vendor to see if a signed version of the add-in is available. For information about how to contact your add-in vendor, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z

Method 3: Trust Installed Add-ins

To set all add-ins as trusted programs that can run, follow these steps:

For PowerPoint 2007 and for Word 2007

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click one of the following:
   • Word Options
   • PowerPoint Options
2. Click Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings, and then click Trusted Locations.
3. Add the trusted locations that you want, and then click OK two times.

For PowerPoint 2003 and for Word 2003

1. Start PowerPoint 2003, or Word 2003.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Security.
3. On the Trusted Publishers tab, click to select the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box, and then click OK.

For PowerPoint 2002 and for Word 2002

1. Start PowerPoint 2002 or Word 2002.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Security.
3. On the Trusted Sources tab, click to select the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box, and then click OK.

Method 4: Change the level of macro virus protection

To change the security level of macro virus protection, follow these steps:

For PowerPoint 2002, Word 2002, PowerPoint 2003, or Word 2003

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the Security tab.
3. Under Macro Security, click Macro Security.
4. Click the Security Level tab, and then select the security level that you want to use.

For PowerPoint 2007 and for Word 2007

1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click one of the following:
   • Word Options
   • PowerPoint Options
2. Click Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings, and then click Macro Settings.
3. In the Marco Settings section, select the security level that you want to use, and then click OK two times.

For more information about default high security, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

277608 Macro high security warning or user defined functions display #Name?

Additional query words: PPT prb OFF2002 OFF2003 reviewdocid ppt2003 ppt2002 wd2002 Word wd2003 kbword2003 PPT2007 WD2007

Keywords: kbsecurity kbaddin kbmacro kbprb KB285514

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