"The macros in this project are disabled" error message when you start or quit Word 2002

When you start or quit Microsoft Word 2002, or you start or quit Microsoft Outlook 2002 when you are using Word as the e-mail editor, you may receive one of the following messages: -or- Additionally, one of these messages may appear when you perform common tasks, such as printing, saving, opening, or closing files.

These messages may appear even if you selected the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box on the Trusted Sources tab of the Security dialog box.

NOTE: To access the Security dialog box in Word, point to Macros on the Tools menu, and then click Security.

This behavior occurs when Word macro security is set at the High security setting, and a Word add-in file contains a macro that is designed to run automatically.

To determine the name and location of the add-in file that contains the auto macro, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu in Word, point to Macros, and then click Security.
2. Select the Medium security setting, and then click OK.
3. Quit Word. Quit Outlook if you are using Word as the e-mail editor.
4. Restart Word.
5. When the macro warning appears, the first line displays the file name and location of the file that contains the auto macro.
6. Click Disable Macros.

To restore the High macro security setting, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macros, and then click Security.
2. Select the High security setting, and then click OK.

After you determine the name of the add-in file, you may recognize this file and decide to keep using it. If that is the case, use one of the following two methods to keep using the add-in file and to prevent the disabled macros message from appearing.

NOTE: Macros may contain viruses. If you do not recognize the add-in file, delete it to prevent the disabled macros message from appearing. For help with deleting the file, click Help on the Start menu in Microsoft Windows, and then search for the "deleting files" topic.

Method 1: Rename the Add-in File

After determining the add-in file name in the above steps, rename the extension of the file. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Go to the location specified in step 5 of the above procedure.
2. Right-click the add-in file, and click Rename on the shortcut menu.
3. Type a new name for the add-in file. Make sure you rename the extension of the file to *.old.

Method 2: Change the Word Startup Path to the Folder That Contains the Add-in

To change the startup path in Word to the folder that contains the add-in file, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu in Word, click Options.
2. Select the File Locations tab.
3. In the File types list, select Startup, and then click Modify.
4. In the Modify Location dialog box, select the folder that contains the add-in file with the auto macro, and then click OK.
5. In the Options dialog box, click OK.
6. On the Tools menu, point to Macros, and then click Security.
7. Select the Trusted Sources tab, and verify that the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box is selected.
8. Click OK and then restart Word to verify that the disabled macros message does not appear.

Method 3: Move the Add-in File into the Word Startup Path

The following are the default locations for the Word startup path: If you want to be sure of the Word startup path before you move the add-in file, verify the path by following these steps:

1. On the Tools menu in Word, click Options.
2. Select the File Locations tab.
3. In the File types list, select Startup, and then click Modify.
4. In the Modify Location dialog box, click the DOWN arrow in the Look in box to see the complete location of the folder.
5. Click Cancel in the Modify Location dialog box.
6. Click Close in the Options dialog box.

After you know the file name and location of the add-in file, as well as the Word startup path, move the add-in file from its current location to the folder specified in the Word startup path.

For help with moving the file, click Help on the Start menu in Windows, and search for the "moving files" topic.

NOTE: If you reinstall the software that includes the Word add-in, the add-in file will be placed back in its original location, and the disabled macros message may appear again. To prevent this, contact the vendor, if known, for a version of the add-in with a valid digital signature. Digitally signed macros are allowed to run in Word, even with the High macro security setting.

For information about how to contact third-party vendors, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Microsoft Word 2002 automatically loads any document template (*.dot) or Word add-in library (*.wll) that is saved in either of two Startup folders.

One of these Startup folders is in the directory that contains the Microsoft Office XP program files. The other is in the directory that contains the Windows operating system files, or the directory that contains the user's profile on computers with user profiles enabled.

Earlier versions of Word trust all add-in files in either of these Startup folders if the Trust all installed add-ins and templates check box is selected in the Security dialog box.

Word 2002 only trusts one folder, which is the folder that is specified as the Word startup path in the Options dialog box.

For additional information about macro security in Microsoft Word 2002 and Microsoft Office XP, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: