How to enable macros in Excel
If you are willing to accept the risk of enabling all macros in Excel, you can permanently enable them using the Trust Center.
- Click “File” and then click “Options.”
- In the Excel Options window, click “Trust Center” in the navigation pane on the left.
- Click “Trust Center Settings…”
Open the Trust Center Settings to tweak the way Excel deals with macros. Dave Johnson/Business Insider
- In the navigation pane on the left, click “Macro Settings.”
- In the Macro Settings section, click “Enable all macros (not recommended: potentially dangerous code can run)” and then click “OK.” As the option warns, this is a dangerous choice and not recommended.
This window is where you can turn macros on and off in Excel. Dave Johnson/Business Insider
If you want to disable macros in the future, return to the Trust Center and choose “Disable all macros with notifications.”
How to permanently enable a single macro in Excel
If you have an Excel file with a macro, you can easily enable it when you open the spreadsheet.
- Open the file with the macro in Excel.
- You should see a yellow Security Warning message bar advising you that macros have been disabled.
- Click “Enable Content.”
Click “Enable Content” to always allow this macro to run without being blocked. Dave Johnson/Business Insider
How to enable a macro in Excel for one time only
If you want to run a particular macro just one time, you can configure Excel’s security settings for that as well.
- Open the file with the macro in Excel.
- You should see a yellow Security Warning message bar advising you that macros have been disabled.
- Click “File” and then click “Info.”
- In the Security Warning section, click “Enable Content.”
- In the dropdown menu, click “Advanced Options.”
To enable a macro, click “Advanced Options” under the “Enable Content” dropdown. Dave Johnson/Business Insider
- Click “Enable content for this session” and then click “OK.”
The macro will be enabled for this one time and will be disabled the next time you open the file.