A trusted location is typically a folder on your hard disk or a network share. Any file that you put in a trusted location can be opened without being checked by the Trust Center security feature. This article explains why trusted locations can be useful and how you create them. It also outlines precautions that you should take before using a trusted location.In this article

When should I use a trusted location?

You should use a trusted location to store a file when you don't want that file to be checked by the Trust Center security feature when you open the file. For example, you might want to open a document that contains a macro that the Trust Center disables because the Trust Center considers the macro unsafe. If you think that the document and the macro in the document are from a trustworthy source, it is better to move the document to a trusted location, instead of changing the default Trust Center settings to a less safe macro security setting. When you open the file from the trusted location, it is not checked by the Trust Center security feature, you won't receive any security alerts, and the macro is enabled. For more information about macro security, see .

Predefined trusted locations

If you work in an organization, your administrator might have created trusted locations for you. Contact your administrator for more information about using those trusted locations.

Default trusted locations

Several trusted locations are automatically created when you install the Microsoft Office system. The following are some examples:

Which trusted locations are safer?

A trusted location can be a folder on your hard disk or on a network share. It is safer to use a local folder, such as a subfolder within the Documents folder in Microsoft Windows Vista, or the My Documents folder in Microsoft Windows XP, as long as you use a Microsoft Windows logon password to protect your computer. Your password should be a strong password. For tips on creating strong passwords and how to remember and store passwords securely, see .

Any locations that are not on your computer, such as a network share, are less safe. You should not designate a public folder on a network share as a trusted location for your files.

Important We recommend that you don't designate your entire Documents or My Documents folder as a trusted location. Doing so creates a target for a hacker to potentially exploit and increases your security risk. Create a subfolder within Documents or My Documents and make only that folder a trusted location.

Create a trusted location

  1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

    Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access

    1. Click the Microsoft Office Button button image, and then click Program Name Options, where Program Name is the name of the program you are in, for example, Word Options.
    2. Click Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings, and then click Trusted Locations.

    Visio or Publisher

    1. On the Tools menu, click Trust Center.
    2. Click Trusted Locations.
  2. If you want to create a trusted location that is not local to your computer, select the Allow trusted locations on my network (not recommended) check box.
  3. Click Add new location.

    Important We recommended that you don't make your entire Documents or My Documents folder a trusted location. Doing so creates a larger target for a hacker to potentially exploit and increases your security risk. Create a subfolder within Documents or My Documents, and make only that folder a trusted location.

  4. In the Path box, type the name of the folder that you want to use as a trusted location, or click Browse to locate the folder.
  5. If you want to include subfolders as trusted locations, select the Subfolders of this location are also trusted check box.
  6. In the Description box, type what you want to describe the purpose of the trusted location.
  7. Click OK.

Remove a trusted location

  1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

    Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access

    1. Click the Microsoft Office Button button image, and then click Program Name Options, where Program Name is the name of the program you are in, for example, Word Options.
    2. Click Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings, and then click Trusted Locations.

    Visio or Publisher

    1. On the Tools menu, click Trust Center.
    2. Click Trusted Locations.
  2. Under Path, click the trusted location that you want to remove.
  3. Click Remove, and then click OK.

Change a trusted location

  1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

    Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access

    1. Click the Microsoft Office Button button image, and then click Program Name Options, where Program Name is the name of the program you are in, for example, Word Options.
    2. Click Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings, and then click Trusted Locations.

    Visio or Publisher

    1. On the Tools menu, click Trust Center.
    2. Click Trusted Locations.
  2. Under Path, click the trusted location that you want to change.
  3. Click Modify, and then click OK.
  4. In the Path box, type the name of the folder that you want to use as a trusted location, or click Browse to locate the folder.
  5. If you want to include subfolders as trusted locations, select the Subfolders of this location are also trusted check box.
  6. In the Description box, type what you want to describe the purpose of the trusted location.
  7. Click OK.