An Ultimate Guide on How to Disable Macros in Excel

Have you ever heard of Excel Macros? They are simple programs that help you perform tasks in Excel, such as organizing data or performing calculations. However, as macros help us in doing our tasks, they can be dangerous for our computers. Bad people can use them to harm your computer and steal your information. Thus, it is important to know how to disable macros in Excel and manage them safely.

Don’t worry—this guide will show you how to remove macros from Excel, which can protect your computer.

Excel Macro Security Before Turn off Macros in Excel

Knowing macro security settings can be a game-changer. It can help you protect your computer and data from potential harm.

Macro Security has various levels of security. You can choose whatever suits your preference.

1. Disable all macros without notification. This setting allows Macro security to prevent all macros from running in your Excel file. In this setting, Excel will neither notify you about the macros in your Excel file nor allow them to run.
2. Disable all macros with notification. This setting will disable macros in Excel by default. However, you will be notified about enabling them whenever you open a file that contains them. This setting lets you review files and their contents before enabling your macros.
3. Disable all macros except digitally signed macros. This setting only allows macros that a trusted publisher digitally signs to run. It will automatically disable Excel macros from unknown or untrusted sources.
4. Enable all macros. Choose this option at your own risk. Enabling all macros in your Excel file may pose security threats to your computer. This setting will allow all your macros to run without restrictions.

3 Methods on How to Turn Off Macros in Excel

Excel Macros can indeed make our work in organizing data easy. However, they also pose some threats to our computers. If macros affect your Excel experience, here are some simple methods you can do to manage them:

Method #1: Disable Macros in Excel Through Macros Security

If you are unsure of your macro’s source, consider disabling it. Macros can sometimes contain harmful code that can damage computers and data. Here are some steps on how you can disable macros in Excel through macros security:

Step 1: Go to the "Developer" tab of your Excel. Click on "Macro Security."

Step 2: Choose “Disable all macros.” Then click “OK.”

Note: The Developer tab is not displayed by default, but you can add it on your ribbon. Here’s how:

Step 1: Click on the "File" tab on your Excel.

Step 2: Choose "Options." A new window will pop up.

Step 3: Click the "Customize Ribbon" from the Excel Options. Then check the checkbox for Developer on the right side. Now, a "Developer" tab will appear on your Excel.

Method #2: How to Remove Macro from Excel Workbook

Aside from disabling your macros through macros security, you can remove them from your workbook using the Developer Tab. If you have macros in Excel files that you no longer need, here are some steps on how to remove them:

Step 1: Go to the "Developer" tab. Click on "Macros."

Step 2: Select the macro you want to remove and click “Delete.”

Note: Disabling macros temporarily stops them from working. They can be enabled again. However, removing macros completely deletes them from your Excel files. They cannot be recovered.

Method #3: How to Delete a Macro in Excel Permanently

If you wish to delete a macro so it can’t be used again, you can permanently delete it using the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor. You can delete a macro that was created using the editor. Here’s how to delete a macro in Excel:

Step 1: Open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor. Find the macro in the list.

Step 2: Right-click the macro and select "Remove."

Note: Once you delete a macro using the VBA editor, it’s gone for good. You deleted the macro from the Excel workbook, and it cannot be used again unless you recreate it.

Bonus: How to Repair Damaged Excel File Infected by Virus?

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Enabling macros in your Excel file may pose security threats to your computer. Macros may contain codes that allow viruses or malware to enter your computer, harming it through file corruption. Many applications, one of which is Wondershare Repairit, can repair your corrupted files.

If you encountered issues with your macros that caused your Excel files to be corrupted, Repairit File Repair can help. It is a tool that specializes in fixing corrupted Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files. This tool repairs files without modifying their original content. As Wondershare Repairit supports various formats, it can repair your files, even those affected by macros in Excel.

Step-by-step guide on using Wondershare Repairit

Step 1: Open Wondershare Repairit on your computer. Select "File Repair" from the "More Types Repair" section.

Step 2: Click "Add" to upload the damaged excel files. Repairit will then display the upload's progress. You can review details such as Image names, sizes, and locations.

Step 3: Click "Repair" to begin the repair process. Wait for Repairit to fix the files, then click "OK."

Step 4: Preview the results by clicking the "Preview" button or the thumbnails. If satisfied with the results, click "Save" to save the repaired files. Alternatively, you can select multiple files and click "Save All" to save them all.

Conclusion

Managing macros in Excel is important for ensuring the security and efficiency of your work. Macros are powerful tools for automating tasks but can pose security threats if not managed properly. This guide has given you steps on how to get rid of macros in Excel to ensure your computer’s safety.