How to control Macro Settings using registry keys or GPOs


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For Office applications (Excel/Word,..), there are group policies that control the Macro Settings that can be checked in File (Backstage)->Options->Trust Center->Trust Center Settings...->Macro Settings:

How to control Macro Settings using registry keys or GPOs

NOTE: to use the following GPOs you have to download and import ADMX and ADML files of the relative GPOs of Microsoft Office package (Administrative Templates for Microsoft Office 2010/2013).

In the Local Group Policy Editor we can set up VBA Macro Notification Settings (Microsoft Excel2010/2013->Security->Trust Center):

How to control Macro Settings using registry keys or GPOs

How to control Macro Settings using registry keys or GPOs

And take up the following values: Disable all with notification | Disable all except digitally signed macros | Disable all without notification | Enable all macros (not recommended), which once applied, will be translated into the values 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 for the DWORD value VBAWarnings under the hive:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\policies\microsoft\office\15.0\excel\security

Microsoft Project Exception

For Microsoft Project on the other hand, this group policy does not exist.

To get similar results as within Office apps, you will have to create the Registry Key in Registry Editor:

How to control Macro Settings using registry keys or GPOs

Note: in the MS Project registry key, security keys do not exist, please create them:

How to control Macro Settings using registry keys or GPOs

VBAWarnings DWORD value signification:

  • Value 1: Enable All Macros
  • Value 2: Disable All macros with notification
  • Value 3: Disable all macros except those digitally signed
  • Value 4: Disable all without notification

For HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\msproject\security\VBAWarnings, the DWORD value of 2 , MS Project will display:

How to control Macro Settings using registry keys or GPOs

Administrative Tools from Microsoft