VBA & Macro Problems

Fix Excel and Word VBA Macro Signatures Disappearing After Reopening

Huda Qurayshi Oct 9, 2026 872 views

Question details

Users experience a recurring issue where digitally signed VBA macros lose their registered signatures when reopening Excel workbooks and Word documents.

How to Fix Excel and Word VBA Macro Signatures Disappearing After Reopening

Product: Microsoft Excel and Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Reopening an Excel workbook or Word document that contains a digitally signed VBA macro.
Observed behavior: The VBA macro signature disappears or is invalidated in Excel and Word upon reopening, despite working correctly in Microsoft Access.

Before you start

Ensure you have administrator access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and gather your current Windows and Office version details before proceeding.

Solution 1Recommended

Submit a Microsoft 365 Support Request

Because this signature disappearance is closely tied to specific Microsoft 365 environments and certificate configurations, an official support ticket is required for resolution.

The issue of VBA digital signatures dropping upon file reopening is a known environment-specific bug that is difficult to reproduce generally. Re-signing the macro may only act as a temporary workaround until Microsoft support patches the environment.

Access Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Navigate to the Support section

On the left-hand navigation menu, select 'Support' and then click on 'New service request'.

Provide environment details

Fill out the request form detailing the issue. Be sure to include your exact Office version, Windows version, and the details of the digital certificate you are using.

Detail the reproduction steps

Explain that the signature is applied successfully but vanishes upon closing and reopening the Word or Excel file, while noting that Microsoft Access remains unaffected.

Admin Privileges Required: If you do not have Microsoft 365 administrator rights, you will need to ask your IT department to submit this support ticket on your behalf.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do digital signatures disappear from my Excel VBA macros?

This is often caused by environment-specific bugs in Microsoft 365, security updates, or compatibility issues with the digital certificate being used. The system fails to properly retain the signature cache upon reopening.

Can I manually re-sign the VBA macro as a temporary fix?

Yes, you can go into the VBA editor (Alt + F11), navigate to Tools > Digital Signature, and reapply the certificate. However, this is usually temporary and the signature may drop again the next time the file is closed and reopened.

Does this macro signature issue affect Microsoft Access?

Typically, users report that Microsoft Access handles the macro signatures correctly in the same environment where Excel and Word fail to retain them.

Excel & Data Problems