QuoteMicrosoft announced it will begin disabling all ActiveX controls in Windows versions of Microsoft 365 and Office 2024 applications later this month.
Introduced almost three decades ago, in 1996, ActiveX is a legacy software framework enabling developers to create interactive objects embedded in Office documents.
After this change rolls out, ActiveX will be blocked entirely and without notification in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio to reduce the risk of malware or unauthorized code execution.
When opening documents with ActiveX controls, a notification will appear at the top with a "Learn More" button saying, "BLOCKED CONTENT: The ActiveX content in this file is blocked."
Microsoft also warned Office users in a separate support document not to open unexpected file attachments or change ActiveX settings when prompted by random pop-ups and unknown people.
"When ActiveX is disabled, you will no longer be able to create or interact with ActiveX objects in Microsoft 365 files. Some existing ActiveX objects will still be visible as a static image, but it will not be possible to interact with them," said Zaeem Patel, a product manager on the Office Security team.
