Forum Discussion

Jane_Anderson's avatar
Jane_Anderson
Copper Contributor
Dec 07, 2023

Microsoft Trust Center is unbearable

I thought it would be a great idea to make a sort of menu in an Excel worksheet, similar to Maxlauncher. ML is good, but Excel has those great comments. But everytime I click on a link to open one of my programs that I installed myself I get:
Microsoft Office has identified a potential security concer. This location may be unsafe. Hyperlinks can be harmful to your computer and data. To protect your computer, click only those hyperlinks from trusted sources. Do you want to continue?
There is no option but to click "yes" if I am to run that link.
Then I get another link. Some files can contain viruses or otherwise be harmful to your computer. It is important to be certain that this file is from a trustworthy source. Would you like to open this file?
Of course I would click "ok" if I wanted to open the file. And I do want to open it.
I can put browser links into Excel and it opens those without complaint.
But a link in Excel to an exe file on my computer to a program I installed myself, gets blocked.
The frustration is real.
Couldn't we compromise?  Make it easier for us.  Please?
I would not want to set all my selections in Microsoft Trust Center to allow everything.
Besides I find this very complicated to do.
Here is a suggestion?
I put (for example) an exe file in my Excel menu to run a program I installed on my computer.
And of course, I get the very long messages above.
Couldn't Microsoft give an option on that warning message to allow this entry to run until it is set not to run?
A simple tick the box on these 2 very long messages.  Yes or no.
Thank you.

  • JKPieterse's avatar
    JKPieterse
    Silver Contributor
    Well, Excel can do many, many things, but was not designed to function as a program launcher. Given Excel's power, I am glad they put some security measures in place to prevent Excel from launching executables.
    • Jane_Anderson's avatar
      Jane_Anderson
      Copper Contributor

      JKPieterse Hi, and thank you for the suggestion.  I have found that nothing can beat MaxLauncher for a menu.  Its only failing, it doesn't have the "Insert comment" like Excel does.  Well maybe ML can do a oneline description, but the Excel comment can fit so much more.  Like the name of a file, description, what other worksheets are in a workboot, and so on.

       

      Besides, I want to see if there is a setting anywhere in Office that will do away with this warning(s) that is trying to save me for myself  🙂  I want to keep track of  a lot of links and Excel does the best to do just that - except I have to do this tedious clicking constantly just to open an exe file on my own computer.