Troubleshoot security and password protection

Passwords

When I save my presentation as a Web page, the presentation is no longer password-protected.

Although most aspects of your presentation are maintained when you save it as a Web page, Microsoft PowerPoint does not maintain password protection or enable you to create a password after you've saved the presentation as a Web page. To preserve a password, save a copy of your presentation in it's original format before saving it as a Web page.

The password I typed doesn't work.

Passwords are case-sensitive. Check to see whether the CAPS LOCK key is turned off, retype the password to make sure that you didn't mistype it, or make sure that you have the correct presentation open for the password you typed.

Receiving macro warnings

Built-in wizards, templates, or custom commands no longer work, or I get a message that macros are disabled.

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I am concerned that a presentation I want to open contains infected macros, but I don't see a warning when I open the presentation.

I keep getting a warning about macros.

I don't want to be warned about any macros.

To stop displaying macro warnings, change the security level for your presentation to Low on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu). To avoid a macro virus infection on your computer, change the security level to Low only if you are running specialized antivirus software that can check presentations and add-ins for macro viruses, and you are sure all the macros you use are from trusted sources.

The Security Warning dialog box tells me the source has not been authenticated.

This warning appears in the Security Warning dialog box if the security level is set to High or Medium on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu), and you open a presentation or load an add-in that contains digitally signed macros but the digital certificate has not been authenticated. For example, if the macro developer has created his or her own digital certificate, you receive this warning.

This type of unauthenticated certificate can be forged by malicious users to claim that it is anyone's certificate. For example, a malicious user can create a certificate named "Microsoft Corporation." The only warning you have that the certificate is false is this warning. You should not expect professional software developers to sign with an unauthenticated certificate. You should expect this type of certificate only from individual co-workers or friends. If the security level  is set to High and you trust the macro source, you can select the Always trust macros from this source check box when prompted and enable the macros. If the security level is set to Medium, you can enable the macros without adding the developer to the list of trusted sources. If you don't trust the developer, do not enable the macros.

Working with macros

I can't use a macro in a presentation or add-in I opened.

I can't view macros in a presentation that I opened in Microsoft PowerPoint 97.

The macros might have been digitally signed from within the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor in Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 or later. Microsoft PowerPoint 97 doesn't recognize digital signatures, so it can't update the signature if you modify a signed Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macro. To prevent modifications, you cannot view in PowerPoint 97 the code for macros that have been digitally signed in PowerPoint 2000 or later.

Changing the security level

I can't change the security level.

Your network administrator might have enforced a security level for your workgroup or corporation to ensure you use only macros that have been determined to be virus-free. For more information, see your network administrator.

Adding a macro developer to the list of trusted sources

I can't add a macro developer to the list of trusted sources.

The source of the certificate I chose to trust was not added to the list of trusted sources.

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, the Certificate Properties dialog box appears when you click the Details button in the Security Warning dialog box. The Trust tab in the Certificate Properties dialog box provides an option to trust the digital certificate, but Microsoft Office XP programs will ignore any options you set on the Trust tab. Use the Trusted Sources tab in the Security dialog box (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu) to add a macro developer to the list of trusted sources.

I signed my macros with a digital certificate that I created myself, but other people are unable to use them, and they can't add me to their list of trusted sources.

Digital certificates created with the Selfcert.exe tool are considered unauthenticated. Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 will allow you to add the owner of an unauthenticated certificate to the list of trusted sources only when the certificate is used on the same computer on which it was initially created. This means you can run Selfcert.exe and create a certificate on your computer, sign your own personal macros, and you can trust that certificate on that same computer. However, if you attempt to share the presentation with another user, the other user will be unable to run the macros if the user's security setting is set to High on the Security Level tab (Tools menu, Macro command, Security submenu).