Microsoft says it will make the change for sure.
Microsoft still wants to make Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros in Office apps impossible to use by default. The software giant undid planned changes last week, which surprised IT admins who were getting ready for Microsoft to make it harder for Office users to turn on macros in Office files downloaded from the internet. The change was meant to make Office safer, and it was supposed to go into effect in June. However, on June 30, Microsoft changed its mind and removed the block.
In a blog post update, Microsoft’s principal product manager Kellie Eickmeyer says, “User feedback led us to temporarily roll back this change while we make some other changes to improve usability.” “This is a temporary change, and we are fully committed to making it the default for all users.”
Microsoft hasn’t said what changes it will make to make Office easier to use, but the company originally planned to make Office users enable macros by checking a box in the file’s properties that say “unblock.” Users will have to learn how to do these extra steps, and it looks like Microsoft is listening to feedback and might make it easier to turn on macros on trusted files.
At the moment, Office users just have to click an enable button in a banner at the top of a file. Microsoft had planned to block this feature and send Office users to a support website with instructions on how to enable macros per file. Since hackers have been putting harmful macros in Office documents for years, many users will be glad to hear that Microsoft still plans to block macros by default.
