Configuring Macro Security and Protected View in Microsoft Word

When working with documents containing macros or from various sources, you may need to adjust Microsoft Word’s security settings. This guide explains how to enable macros, disable Protected View, and trust specific locations across different versions of Word on both Windows and Mac.

⚠️ Security Warning: These changes reduce Word’s security protections. FluentCase will never deliver harmful macros to your computer, but please remain vigilant, especially when opening email attachments. Play it safe by synchronizing your Gmail or Outlook account to your FluentCase inbox!

Enabling All Macros in Word

For Windows (Word 2007-2019, Office 365)

1. Open Microsoft Word
2. Click the File tab (or Office Button in Word 2007)
3. Select Options (near the bottom of the menu)
4. In the Word Options dialog, click Trust Center on the left sidebar

5. Click the Trust Center Settings button on the right

   The Trust Center dialog appears with security options

6. Select Macro Settings from the left sidebar

7. Choose Enable all macros (not recommended for security reasons, but available)

   This option appears with a warning message that this setting makes your computer vulnerable

8. Click OK to close the Trust Center
9. Click OK again to close Word Options

For Mac (Word 2011-2019, Office 365)

1. Open Microsoft Word
2. Click Word in the menu bar and select Preferences

3. In the Preferences dialog, under Personal Settings, click Security & Privacy

   The Security dialog shows macro and privacy settings

4. Under Macro Security, select Enable all macros
5. Click the OK button to save changes

Disabling Protected View

For Windows (Word 2010-2019, Office 365)

1. Open Microsoft Word
2. Click the File tab
3. Select Options
4. In the Word Options dialog, click Trust Center on the left sidebar
5. Click the Trust Center Settings button

6. Select Protected View from the left sidebar

   Protected View settings appear with checkboxes for different options

7. Uncheck all three options:
   • Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet
   • Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations
   • Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments
8. Click OK to close the Trust Center
9. Click OK again to close Word Options

For Mac (Word 2011-2019, Office 365)

1. Open Microsoft Word
2. Click Word in the menu bar and select Preferences
3. In the Preferences dialog, under Personal Settings, click Security & Privacy
4. Uncheck the option for Protected View
5. Click OK to save changes

Adding the Downloads Folder as a Trusted Location

For Windows (Word 2007-2019, Office 365)

1. Open Microsoft Word
2. Click the File tab (or Office Button in Word 2007)
3. Select Options
4. In the Word Options dialog, click Trust Center on the left sidebar
5. Click the Trust Center Settings button

6. Select Trusted Locations from the left sidebar

   A list of currently trusted locations appears

7. Click the Add new location button

   A dialog for adding a trusted location appears

8. Click Browse to locate your Downloads folder
   • Typically located at C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Downloads
9. Select the Downloads folder and click OK
10. Check the option for Subfolders of this location are also trusted if desired
11. Click OK to add the location
12. Click OK to close the Trust Center
13. Click OK again to close Word Options

For Mac (Word 2011-2019, Office 365)

1. Open Microsoft Word
2. Click Word in the menu bar and select Preferences
3. In the Preferences dialog, click Security & Privacy

4. Click the Trusted Locations button

   A dialog showing trusted file locations appears

5. Click the Add button (+ symbol)
6. Navigate to your Downloads folder
   • Typically located at /Users/[YourUsername]/Downloads
7. Select the Downloads folder and click Select
8. Check Subfolders of this location are also trusted if desired
9. Click OK to save and close the Trusted Locations dialog
10. Click OK to close Preferences

Version-Specific Notes

Word 2007 (Windows)

• Instead of the File tab, look for the round Office Button in the top-left corner
• Trust Center options are organized slightly differently but contain the same settings

Word 2011 (Mac)

• Security options are found under Word > Preferences > Security
• Macro settings may be under a separate tab called “Security”

Office 365 (Subscription)

• Settings remain largely consistent with Word 2019, but UI details may change with updates
• Some users may need administrator permissions to change certain security settings

Confirming Your Changes

After making these changes, you can confirm they’re working by:

1. Merge a FluentCase template.
2. Opening the merged, macro-enabled document in Microsoft Word. You can set your browser to “always open files of this type” with a right-click in the Downloads menu.
3. If successful, the document should open without security warnings, and macros should be enabled automatically.
4. Verify that the “Save” and “Save As” buttons in the FluentCase ribbon are working as expected, saving your document to your FluentCase Matter with a single click, by altering the document and clicking “Save”. If the above steps have been performed correctly, a confirmation message is displayed.