Microsoft will block Office macros by default starting July 27

Microsoft confirmed this week that it will soon start blocking Visual Basic Applications (VBA) macros in Office apps by default after quietly rolling back the change earlier this month.

In a new update, the technology giant said that it will start blocking Office macros by default starting from July 27, Tech Crunch reports.

This comes shortly after Microsoft halted the rollout of the macros-blocking feature citing unspecified “user feedback.” It’s thought the initial rollout, which kicked off at the beginning of June, caused issues for organizations using macros to automate routine processes, such as data collection or running certain tasks.

In a statement given to TechCrunch, Microsoft said it paused the rollout while it “makes some additional changes to enhance usability”. The company has since updated its documentation with step-by-step instructions for end users and IT admins explaining how Office determines whether to block or run macros, which Office versions are affected by the new rules, and how to allow VBA macros in trusted files, and how to prepare for the change.

Microsoft’s macro-blocking feature will soon start rolling out to Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, and Word on Windows. The change won’t affect Office for Mac, Android, or iOS devices.

Earlier this week, Microsoft started rolling out another security update to Windows 11 that will protect users against brute-force attacks. The feature, switched on by default in the latest Insider build of Windows 11, will see a user locked out for 10 minutes if a password is entered incorrectly 10 times.