How to unblock Excel ActiveX controls

A new Office update blocks ActiveX controls in Excel files by default.

A file that previously worked fine can suddenly become blocked after this update.


When opening, a yellow banner with the message "BLOCKED CONTENT: Trusted document settings have changed, not all content in this file is allowed to run. Review your Trust Center settings or contact your IT administrator." is displayed:

excel blocked trust center settings yellow png unblock activex controls

Or in other cases, a yellow banner with the message "BLOCKED CONTENT: The ActiveX content in this file has been blocked.".

And in some cases, you might also see an error 438 displayed.

To unblock the file, go to Excel Options (File > Options), then Trust Center and click Trust Center Settings...:

excel trust center unblock activex controls

In ActiveX Settings select Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions:

excel activex settings unblock controls

Click OK and close Excel.

Just like with macros, if you are not sure you can trust the author of the file or the person who sent you the file, carefully check it before enabling anything (or if in doubt, do not enable anything).