{"id":244,"date":"2021-09-26T16:43:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-26T16:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/?p=244"},"modified":"2022-09-01T16:37:04","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T16:37:04","slug":"disable-protected-view-in-excel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/disable-protected-view-in-excel\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Disable Protected View In Excel 365?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This article shows you how to disable Protected View in Excel 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This stops Excel from opening spreadsheets in protected mode<\/strong>. You will no longer see the warning message at the top of the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should only disable Protected View when you are downloading and working with Excel files that you are certain are safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6611beb2c1f8c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6611beb2c1f8c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/disable-protected-view-in-excel\/#When_Should_You_Turn_Off_Protected_View\" title=\"When Should You Turn Off Protected View?\">When Should You Turn Off Protected View?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/disable-protected-view-in-excel\/#How_Do_You_Know_If_Excel_Has_Opened_In_Protected_View\" title=\"How Do You Know If Excel Has Opened In Protected View?\">How Do You Know If Excel Has Opened In Protected View?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/disable-protected-view-in-excel\/#How_To_Disable_Protected_View_In_Excel_Office_365\" title=\"How To Disable Protected View In Excel Office 365\">How To Disable Protected View In Excel Office 365<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/disable-protected-view-in-excel\/#Trusted_Locations_%E2%80%93_An_Alternative_To_Disabling_Protected_View\" title=\"Trusted Locations \u2013 An Alternative To Disabling Protected View\">Trusted Locations \u2013 An Alternative To Disabling Protected View<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/disable-protected-view-in-excel\/#Opening_Older_Versions_Of_Microsoft_Excel\" title=\"Opening Older Versions Of Microsoft Excel\">Opening Older Versions Of Microsoft Excel<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_Should_You_Turn_Off_Protected_View\"><\/span>When Should You Turn Off Protected View?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you regularly download Excel files that you know are safe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I do this when I\u2019m downloading files from my own Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know the files are safe <strong>because I put them there myself<\/strong>. So, I want to skip the Protect View step when opening these files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I\u2019m finished working with this set of files, I will re-enable the protection again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_You_Know_If_Excel_Has_Opened_In_Protected_View\"><\/span>How Do You Know If Excel Has Opened In Protected View?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If Microsoft Excel has opened a file in Protected View, you will see a yellow warning bar at the top of the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also won\u2019t be able to edit the contents until you click on the \u201cEnable Editing\u201d button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"612\" height=\"181\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/protected_view_enable_editing.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/protected_view_enable_editing.jpg 612w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/protected_view_enable_editing-300x89.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Disable_Protected_View_In_Excel_Office_365\"><\/span>How To Disable Protected View In Excel Office 365<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To get to the Protect View settings, you need to go through a few clicks in Excel 365.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Launch Excel or open any Excel spreadsheet<\/li><li>Click on \u201cFile\u201d and choose the \u201cOptions\u201d tab at the bottom of the left pane<\/li><li>Choose \u201cTrust Center\u201d to the bottom of the left pane of the Options page<\/li><li>Click on the \u201cTrust Center Settings\u201d button<\/li><li>Choose \u201cProtected View\u201d on the left pane of the Trust Center page<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"399\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/excel_trust_center_settings.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/excel_trust_center_settings.jpg 399w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/excel_trust_center_settings-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Protected View page has three settings that are enabled by default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t advise that you just disable all three without some thought. You should disable the minimum number of options for your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are working with files downloaded from a cloud-based or other online file service, then you only need to disable the first option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are working with files sent via Outlook email, then disable the third option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I advise that you close the Excel application completely after you\u2019ve changed the settings. Otherwise, it doesn\u2019t seem to affect the next file you open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Potentially unsafe locations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The middle option refers to files located in \u201c<em>potentially unsafe locations<\/em>\u201d. This can also be used when you\u2019re downloading from a file service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should stop protecting files that are in your Internet downloads folder. However, I haven\u2019t found that this works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I get better results with disabling the first option that deals with files originating from the Internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Trusted_Locations_%E2%80%93_An_Alternative_To_Disabling_Protected_View\"><\/span>Trusted Locations \u2013 An Alternative To Disabling Protected View<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The danger with disabling the Protected View options is that you may forget to re-enable them. And later, you mistakenly download a file that contains a virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a safer option available in the Trust Center. You\u2019ll see \u201cTrusted Locations\u201d near the top of the left pane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trusted Locations are file directories that Microsoft considers to be secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you know you\u2019ll be downloading a set of safe files, you can create a new folder on your Windows machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example where I\u2019ve created a folder named SafeFiles in my Documents folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"206\" src=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/safe_files_folder.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/safe_files_folder.jpg 480w, https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/safe_files_folder-300x129.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The next step is to tell Microsoft Excel that this is a Trusted Location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Choose \u201cTrust Center\u201d on the File-&gt;Options page<\/li><li>Click on the \u201cTrust Center Settings\u201d button<\/li><li>Choose \u201cTrusted Locations\u201d on the left pane of the Trust Center page<\/li><li>Click the \u201cAdd new location\u201d button<\/li><li>Browse for your target folder and choose it<\/li><li>Optional &#8211; enable the \u201cSubfolders\u201d option<\/li><li>Click Ok twice<\/li><li>Close the Excel application<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>You can now place files downloaded from the internet into this folder. They will open in Normal mode (not Protected View).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Opening_Older_Versions_Of_Microsoft_Excel\"><\/span>Opening Older Versions Of Microsoft Excel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you working with older spreadsheets created in early versions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.office.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Microsoft Excel<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By default, files created in Excel 4 and earlier will open in Protected View.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to override this setting, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li>Choose \u201cTrust Center\u201d on the File-&gt;Options page<\/li><li>Click on the \u201cTrust Center Settings\u201d button<\/li><li>Choose \u201cFile Block Settings\u201d on the left pane of the Trust Center page<\/li><li>Turn off the tick box for the file type you\u2019re working with.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article shows you how to disable Protected View in Excel 365. This stops Excel from opening spreadsheets in protected mode. You will no longer see the warning message at the top of the screen. You should only disable Protected View when you are downloading and working with Excel files that you are certain are &#8230; <a title=\"How to Disable Protected View In Excel 365?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/disable-protected-view-in-excel\/\" aria-label=\"More on How to Disable Protected View In Excel 365?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244\/revisions\/249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandittracker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}