Excel opens most files from other sources in Protected View mode by default. In this guide, we're going to show you how to disable protected view mode in Excel.
Excel, like most other Office applications such as Word and PowerPoint, shows this message to ensure that you are not opening a potentially dangerous file.
We are going to be taking a looking at two different ways of disabling protected view mode. The first one is a folder-based solution which allows you to define trusted folders. Excel assumes you are aware of the files in those folders and will not show any warnings. The second approach is to turn off the Protect View completely.
Trusted Folders
You can set any number of folders as trusted folders which will be a safe zone for Excel files. If a document in one of the trusted folders, Excel will not ask for confirmation when opening it. Trusted folder approach can be especially useful if you and your colleagues keep your files in certain folders. To set a folder as trusted follow the steps below.
- Open Excel Options from the File menu
- Select Trust Center
- Click the Trust Center Settings button
- Activate the Trusted Location section
- Click the Add New Location button to open the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog
- Click the Browse button to select the folder you want to add
- Press OK to finish the process
Disabling protected view mode completely
If you are completely sure about files you open, you can choose to disable protected view mode entirely. Like in the previous method, open the Trusted Center dialog by following the first three steps above, and then follow the steps below.
- Activate Protected View tab
- Remove all checks in the Protected View section
- Click OK to apply the changes
