Unblocking Macris disabled by Microsoft

Use the Trust Center settings and digital-signature behavior to control when Excel disables macros.

1. Check Excel macro security level
   1. Open Excel.
   2. Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Macro Settings.
   3. Choose an appropriate option:
      • For testing: Disable VBA macros with notification so that macros are blocked by default but can be enabled per file.
      • For signed projects: Disable VBA macros except digitally signed macros so only trusted signed macros run automatically.
   4. Select OK.
   Note: Macro settings are per‑application; changing them in Excel does not affect Word, Outlook, etc.
2. Ensure the self-signed certificate is trusted on the same machine
   • Office trusts a self-signed certificate only on a computer where that certificate exists in the Personal Certificates store.
   • After creating the certificate with Selfcert.exe and signing the VBA project, make sure the certificate is installed under the current user’s Personal store and marked as a trusted publisher if prompted.
   • If the certificate is not trusted, Excel will still treat the macro as untrusted and may disable it depending on the macro setting.
3. Confirm the project is actually signed and saved
   • In the VBA editor, use Tools > Digital Signature and verify the expected certificate is shown.
   • After assigning or changing the signature, explicitly save the VBA project before closing the editor (for example, File > Save in the VBA window). If the project is closed without saving, the signature can be lost and the macro will be treated as unsigned.
4. If macros are still disabled without option to enable
   • Check whether organizational policies are enforcing stricter macro settings. Group Policy or security baselines can prevent changing Trust Center settings or can block certain macro types.
   • If macro settings are greyed out or revert automatically, contact the organization’s IT administrator to review Excel macro policies.
5. Optional: Trust locations or publishers
   • Instead of lowering macro security globally, consider:
     • Adding a folder as a trusted location and storing macro-enabled workbooks there.
     • Adding the signing certificate as a trusted publisher so that signed macros from that certificate run under the “Disable VBA macros except digitally signed macros” setting.

These steps ensure that:

• Excel macro security is set to allow signed macros.
• The self-signed certificate is recognized and trusted on the machine.
• The VBA project remains signed after saving.
• Any organization-wide policies that might be overriding settings are addressed.

References:

• Enable or disable macros in Microsoft 365 files
• Change macro security settings in Excel