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Access Security Warning: How to Set Trusted Locations

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Short answer: the yellow "Security Warning: Some active content has been disabled" bar appears because the database is not in a Trusted Location. Add its folder in File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings → Trusted Locations (tick "Allow Trusted Locations on my network" first if it is a network folder). For many users, deploy the location via Group Policy or registry keys. Do not enable all macros globally. Need it set up across your office? Our Access support team can help.

Every Access application with VBA or macros meets the security bar sooner or later: a new PC, a new user, a moved folder. Users click "Enable Content" and carry on, until a startup macro does not run and the application behaves strangely, or the Runtime blocks the code entirely. Trusted Locations fix it properly.

Option 1: One PC, Manually

  • Open Access (any database or blank).

  • File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings.

  • Trusted Locations → if the folder is on a network share, tick Allow Trusted Locations on my network.

  • Add new location → browse to the folder containing the front end → optionally tick Subfolders of this location are also trusted.

  • OK out, close Access, reopen the database. The bar should not appear.

Option 2: Many PCs via Registry

Trusted Locations live in the user's registry. An installer, login script or deployment tool can create them. For Microsoft 365 and Office 2016 or later, the version key is 16.0.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Access\Security\Trusted Locations]
"AllowNetworkLocations"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Access\Security\Trusted Locations\OpsApp]
"Path"="C:\\Users\\%USERNAME%\\AppData\\Local\\Ops\\"
"AllowSubfolders"=dword:00000001
"Description"="Operations database front end"

Environment variables are not expanded inside plain .reg string values, so the %USERNAME% line above will not work as written in a .reg file. Use a script that writes the expanded path instead, or a fixed path such as C:\Apps\Ops\. The PowerShell version below handles it.

$base = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Access\Security\Trusted Locations"
New-Item -Path $base -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $base -Name "AllowNetworkLocations" -Value 1 -Type DWord
$loc = Join-Path $base "OpsApp"
New-Item -Path $loc -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $loc -Name "Path" -Value "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Ops\"
Set-ItemProperty -Path $loc -Name "AllowSubfolders" -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $loc -Name "Description" -Value "Operations database front end"

Option 3: Group Policy

In managed environments, IT can define Trusted Locations with the Microsoft Office administrative templates (Microsoft Access → Application Settings → Security → Trust Center → Trusted Locations). Policies override user settings and are the cleanest way to manage many machines.

Why the Warning Still Appears

SituationCauseFix
Network folder trusted but warning showsAllow network locations not tickedTick it or set AllowNetworkLocations=1
Works via one path, not anotherTrusted \\server\share but opened via S:\Trust the path actually used, or standardise on UNC
Subfolder not trustedAllowSubfolders offEnable subfolders or trust the exact folder
File downloaded or emailedMarked as from the internetRight-click → Properties → Unblock; save to the trusted folder
Policy blocks macros entirelyOrganisation-wide settingAsk IT to allow trusted locations or sign and trust your publisher
Wrong Office version keyRegistry written under 15.0 instead of 16.0Use the key for the installed version

Good Security Practice

  • Trust only the folders that contain your application front ends, not entire drives or Downloads.

  • Prefer local trusted folders per user over network trusted locations.

  • Keep 'Disable all macros with notification' as the general setting.

  • Use an .accde so users cannot change code in the trusted file.

  • Restrict write access to the folder so other files cannot be dropped into it.

The Runtime relies on Trusted Locations even more, because it cannot show the Enable Content button in the same way; see deploying Access with the Runtime. Excel has a similar issue with downloaded files, covered in Excel macros blocked by Mark of the Web.

FAQ

Access security warning FAQ

Trusted locations, networks and policy

Add the folder containing the database to Trusted Locations: File → Options → Trust Center → Trust Center Settings → Trusted Locations → Add new location. Databases opened from a trusted location run their macros and VBA without the yellow security warning.

Yes, but you must first tick 'Allow Trusted Locations on my network (not recommended)' in the Trusted Locations dialog. A better practice is to keep each user's front end on their local PC in a trusted local folder, with only the back-end data on the network.

Use Group Policy (Office administrative templates) or registry entries under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Access\Security\Trusted Locations, created by your installer, a login script or deployment tool. Each location is a subkey with Path, AllowSubfolders and Description values.

Group Policy may disable all macros or block macros in files from the internet, the location might not include subfolders, or the file was opened through a different path (for example a mapped drive instead of the UNC path you trusted). Files downloaded from the internet can also carry a block that must be removed in file properties.

No. Enabling all macros removes protection for every Office file, including malicious attachments. Trust specific folders that contain your applications instead.