How to Enable Macros in Excel (All 3 Cases)

Updated August 31, 2026 · David Gul

To enable macros in Excel, the steps depend on the message Excel shows when you open the file. If you see a red banner reading “Microsoft has blocked macros from running”, the file came from the internet and you must unblock it in Windows File Properties before Excel will offer any option. If you see a yellow bar with an Enable Content button, clicking it is all that is needed. If you see no message at all, macro settings are controlled in File, Options, Trust Center, Trust Center Settings, Macro Settings.

Macro-enabled workbooks (.xlsm) cannot run their automation until macros are enabled, which is why buttons inside such a file do nothing when they are switched off.

ExcelGurus tools rely on macros (Excel’s built-in automation) to do their work. If macros are turned off, the buttons inside the tool won’t respond. Turning them on takes less than a minute — the exact steps depend on the message Excel shows you when you open the file.

First: click “Enable Editing”

When you open a file you downloaded, Excel often shows a yellow Protected View bar first. Click Enable Editing to start working with the file. After that, you’ll see one of the macro messages further down this page.

Not sure which message you’re seeing? Pick the one that matches:

Red banner: “Microsoft has blocked macros from running”

If you downloaded the file from the internet (including from email or a website), Excel shows a red banner:

There is no “Enable Content” button on this banner — that’s by design, and it’s why this one trips people up. Windows has tagged the downloaded file as coming from the internet, and you need to clear that tag on the file itself before opening it:

1. Close the file in Excel if it’s open.
2. Open File Explorer and find the downloaded file (check your Downloads folder).
3. Right-click the file and choose Properties.
4. On the General tab, look at the very bottom. If you see a security notice with an Unblock checkbox, tick it.
5. Click OK.
6. Reopen the file. The red banner is gone. If a yellow bar appears instead, click Enable Content (see the next section).

Yellow bar: “Enable Content”

If Excel shows a yellow bar across the top reading “SECURITY WARNING — Macros have been disabled,” this is the simple case:

1. Click the Enable Content button on the yellow bar.
2. That’s it — the tool’s buttons will now work.

Excel remembers your choice for this file, so you typically only have to do this once per file.

No message, or managing your macro settings (Trust Center)

If you open the tool and the buttons simply don’t respond — with no yellow bar and no red banner — your macro settings may be turned all the way off. Check them in Excel’s Trust Center. In Excel, go to File → Options, then follow the four numbered steps below.

1. In Excel, go to File → Options.
2. Choose Trust Center (bottom of the left list), then Trust Center Settings…
3. Select Macro Settings.
4. Choose “Disable VBA macros with notification” — the recommended, safe setting. It keeps macros off by default but lets you enable them per file via the yellow bar.
5. Click OK, then close and reopen the file.