Later this month, Microsoft will be turning off ActiveX controls in the Office apps, for both consumer and customer app versions. By phasing out the aged platform, Microsoft aims to enhance the security and safety of its Office applications, protecting users from potential threats while encouraging the adoption of more modern and secure alternatives.
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ActiveX, a legacy software platform introduced in 1996, enables the creation of interactive elements that can be registered in the operating system and utilized by other applications. But it’s also been a source of vulnerabilities over the years. Microsoft Office has long supported embedding such elements into documents.
Now Microsoft is disabling ActiveX controls in documents opened with Win32 Office desktop applications and Microsoft 365 apps. The affected software include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio in both Microsoft 365 and Office 2024. The embedded ActiveX objects in documents will become static images that do nothing when you click them.
In non-commercial versions of Office, users will see a notification that the ActiveX objects in the documents are blocked.
If you absolutely need ActiveX controls, you can still turn them back on manually. Here’s how.
Re-Enable ActiveX Support in Office 2024
Office Settings
Find the the ActiveX settings in the Trust Center Settings of the Office Settings (File > Options > Trust Center). Select Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions.
In the Registry
Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Common\Security, set the DisableAllActiveX value to 0 (REG_DWORD).
Group Policy
Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit). Navigate to Group Policy Path > User configuration > Administrative templates > Microsoft Office 2016 > Security Settings > Disable All ActiveX and set it to Disabled.
Keep in mind, though, that re-enabling ActiveX might expose your system to risks, so think twice before doing it!
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