Error message when you try to save a file in Excel 2007 or in Excel 2003: "You are attempting to save a file that is blocked by your registry policy setting"

When you try to save a file in Microsoft Office Excel 2007 or in Microsoft Office Excel 2003, the file is not saved. Additionally, you receive the following error message:If you receive a similar error message when you try to open a file, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

This issue may occur if an administrator has restricted the types of files that you can open or save in Excel 2007 or in Excel 2003. An administrator can set a registry key to do this.

For Excel 2007, the registry key can be set in the 2007 Office System Administrative Template files. For more information, see the "Excel 2007" subsection of the "More information" section.

For Excel 2003, update 933666 enables an administrator to block the ability to save or to open files in Excel 2003. For more information, see the "Excel 2003" subsection of the "More information" section.

By default, the following files are blocked in Excel 2003 Service Pack 3:

• Microsoft Excel 4.0 charts (*.xlc)
• DBF 2 (dBASE II) (*.dbf)

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

To resolve this issue, take one of the following actions:

• Ask the system administrator to change the group setting policy.
• Try to save the file in a file format that is not blocked by the administrator.

Excel 2007

To restrict the types of files that you can save in Excel 2007, an administrator can use the 2007 Office System Administrative Template files to configure the registry on the client computer.

The following table contains the DWORD names that an administrator can add to the registry to restrict certain file types by using the FileSaveBlock subkey. Additionally, the table contains the corresponding file types that are restricted. Notes

• To download the 2007 Office System Administrative Template files, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=92d8519a-e143-4aee-8f7a-e4bbaeba13e7&DisplayLang=en
• For more specific information about how to block the opening and saving of file formats in the 2007 Office programs, visit the following Microsoft Web site, and then see the "Enforce settings by using Group Policy in the 2007 Office system" topic:
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179081.aspx

Excel 2003

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: An administrator can restrict the types of files that you can save in Excel 2003. This ability was not provided in the release version of Microsoft Office 2003. To restrict the types of files that can be saved in Excel 2003, install security update 933666. For more information about security update 933666, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To restrict the types of files that you can save in Excel 2003, an administrator can use one of the following methods:

• Use the updated Office 2003 Administrative Template files to configure the registry on the client computer. To download the Office 2003 Service Pack 3 Administrative Template (ADM) files, OPA files, and the Explain Text Update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=BA8BC720-EDC2-479B-B115-5ABB70B3F490&displaylang=en
• Modify the registry by adding a registry key setting on the client computer.

The following table contains the DWORD names that an administrator can add to the registry to restrict certain file types by using the FileSaveBlock subkey. Additionally, the table contains the corresponding file types that are restricted. To enable the FileSaveBlock subkey settings, follow these steps:

1. Exit Excel.
2. For Excel 2003, install security update 933666 if it is not installed.
3. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
4. Locate and then click to select one of the following registry subkeys:
   
   Excel 2007
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security\FileSaveBlock

   
   
   

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Excel\Security\FileSaveBlock
   Excel 2003
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileSaveBlock

   
   
   

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Excel\Security\FileSaveBlock
   Note If the FileSaveBlock subkey does not exist, create it. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Click to select the Security subkey.
   2. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key.
   3. Type FileSaveBlock, and then press ENTER.
5. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
6. Type the DWORD name for the files that you want to restrict, and then press ENTER. For example, to restrict the .xls, .xla, .xlt, .xlm, .xlw, and .xlb file types, type BinaryFiles.
7. Right-click the DWORD name that you typed in step 6, and then click Modify.
8. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
9. On the File menu, click Exit to exit Registry Editor.

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