XL2000: Unsigned Macros May Be Trusted When Macro Security Setting Is High

When you start Microsoft Excel, Excel opens an unsigned workbook that contains Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macros, and enables the macros in the workbook, even though you have set the macro security level to High.

This behavior occurs if the workbook is stored in a folder that Excel automatically trusts at startup. By default, Excel trusts the following folders on your hard disk at startup:

• C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Xlstart
  
  
• C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\Xlstart
  
  
• C:\Winnt\Profiles\User name\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\Xlstart
  
  where User name is your user name.
  
  
• C:\Winnt\Profiles\User name\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\Xlstart
  
  where User name is your user name.
  
  
• The folder specified in the Alternate startup file location box on the General tab of the Options dialog box.

NOTE: This behavior occurs only when Excel loads the workbook at startup. If you open a workbook from one of these folders after you have already started Excel, Excel will disable the macros contained in the workbook if macro security is set to High and the workbook is not digitally signed.

To control this behavior, use the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box on the Trusted Sources tab of the Security dialog box. Clearing this check box automatically disables macros in unsigned workbooks, even if they are stored in any of the locations listed in the "Cause" section of this article.

To clear the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro and then click Security.
2. Click the Trusted Sources tab.
3. Click to clear the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box and then click OK.

NOTE: If you clear the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box, you will receive error messages when you start Excel if you are using any of the add-ins that ship with Excel. For additional information about this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To force the Trust all installed add-ins and templates setting to be disabled when Excel is started, you must use system policies. For more information about how to implement system policies with Microsoft Office 2000, see the following page in the Microsoft Office 2000 Resource Kit:

For more information about macro security in Excel, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type macro security in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

For additional information about digital signatures, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: