Enable macro in Excel to unlock a world of automation, efficiency, and advanced data processing capabilities. Macros are a powerful tool for anyone looking to streamline repetitive tasks, perform complex calculations, or integrate Excel with other applications. Whether you’re a financial analyst automating reports, a marketer managing large datasets, or an administrator looking to simplify routine tasks, this guide will take you through the steps to safely and effectively enable macros in Excel. By doing so, you’ll not only save time and reduce errors but also enhance the functionality and potential of your spreadsheets, turning them into powerful data management tools.
What is Macro?
Macros are small excel programs that automates tasks.
In short, macro can save your hours of time. You can create macros that do pretty much anything in Excel or even in other Microsoft Offices. It also creates some functions and functionalities that are not already built-in in Excel.
Need caution before enabling macros.
Macros are incredible, they save a lot of time, but they can also be hazardous.
If you receive a file from someone or download it from the web, you should not simply go ahead and enable macros on these files. There is a chance for virus and risky macro in the excel.
By default, excel keeps macros disabled to avoid any harmful issues caused by macros.
You should ensure that the file has a macro is safe before opening it.
So, whenever you try to open a excel file that has a macro, it will show a warning in a yellow bar and you will have to enable the macros yourself although you find it irritating and waste of time.
The file which contains VBA Code must be saved as “macro enabled workbook” otherwise VBA code will not be saved, and macros will not be enabled.
The option “Enable all macros” enables the macros from both trusted and non-trusted sources which might become harmful.
The option “disable all macros without any notification” does not show any reason if the macros is not working. So, select “disable all macros without any notification” to see the warning notification.
Enabling all macros in a specific file (permanently)
If you want to enable all the macros in a excel file, you can do this by two methods.
Both the methods will enable the macros permanently for the given file, which means that the next time you open it, you be asked to enable the macros again.
A. Using yellow security warning bar
- When you want to open a file that has a macro you will see the below yellow warning bar.
2. If you are sure that the file is safe, please click the “Enable content” button to enable the macros.
3. You can also close the yellow security warning bar by clicking “x” in right part of the bar to keep the file remain disabled.
B. Using the backstage options (from File >> Info menu)
There is another process to enable macros in a specific excel file using the backstage options. Please see the following steps
- Open a excel file where you want to enable the macros and click on the file tab from the menu bar.
2. Click on the “info” option
3. Under the security warning part, click on the “Enable content” button. It will consider the file as trusted document and next time it will not ask you to enable the macros.
How to enable macro in 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016?
Macros are enabled 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 by the below method.
- For Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016
- Open any excel file
- Click on the file tab
- Click on options
- Click on Trust center and Trust Center Settings
- Click on Macro Settings
- Press OK
- For Excel 2010, 2013, and 2016
- By the yellow security warning bar: Click “enable content” on the warning bar. Or
- By the security warning area: File>>Info>>Advance Options>>Enable content for these sessions>>OK.
Note that the “yellow security warning” method enables macros for the current session only. Closing and reopening the file will display the security warning again.
Enable macro in a workbook for one time use (temporarily)
Enabling macros in a workbook for one time use (temporarily) is useful if the file is accessible to many people. It allows you to enable macros for one session only. Therefore, other user also needs to enable the macros when they open the file next time.
Below are the steps to enable macros for one session only:
- Open a excel file where you want to enable the macros and click on the file tab from the menu bar.
- Click on the “info” option
- Under the security warning part, click on the “Advanced Options” button.
4. Select the “Enable content for this session” option and click “OK”.
Enable all macros in all excel files
This system will allow to setup a default setting for enabling macros. If you enable the macros in your system by this process, the excel which has a macro will not ask you to enable the macro again. You are highly recommended not to enable macros by this process unless you are fully sure whether the file is safe.
Please see the below steps to enable the macros in all excel files
- Open any existing excel file or a new file
- Click on the file tab
3. Click on Options
4. Under Excel options click on “Trust Center” and then click on the “Trust Center Settings” which will open the Trust Center dialog box.
5. Click on the Macros Settings option in the left pane
6. Click on “Enable VBA Macros and Press “OK”
Once all the steps are perfectly done, all the files in your system will be macro enabled and Excel will not show you any warning dialogues when you open a file that has a macro.
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