Office Settings & Configuration

How to Fix Word VBA Add-In Not Saving Settings After an Update

Huma Ashraf Ch Oct 23, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an issue where a Word VBA add-in loaded from the STARTUP folder fails to save user settings to custom document properties after a recent Office update.

Fix Word VBA Add-In Not Saving User Settings After an Office Update

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to permanently save user configurations to document properties via a VBA add-in.
Observed behavior: The VBA macro triggers a save or SaveAs2 command, but the settings are not retained. If the RemovePersonalInformation flag is active, the file either fails to retain custom properties or triggers an error because Word does not recognize that the file has changed.

Before you start

Ensure you have macro security enabled to allow VBA code execution, and back up your original add-in template files in the Word STARTUP folder before making any code or Trust Center modifications.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable 'Remove Personal Information' in Trust Center

Disabling this privacy setting prevents Word from automatically stripping out the custom document properties where your VBA add-in settings are stored.

When the 'Remove personal information from file properties on save' option is enabled, Word actively deletes metadata and custom properties to protect user privacy. Because many VBA add-ins write their configuration settings directly into these custom document properties, this security feature effectively deletes the add-in's saved state during the save process.

Access Word Options

Open Microsoft Word, click on 'File' in the top-left corner, and select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.

Open Trust Center Settings

In the Word Options dialog box, select 'Trust Center' from the left sidebar, then click the 'Trust Center Settings...' button on the right.

Modify Privacy Options

Select 'Privacy Options' from the left pane. Look for Document-specific settings and uncheck the box labeled 'Remove personal information from file properties on save'.

Save and Restart

Click 'OK' to apply the changes, close Word entirely, and relaunch the application to test if your VBA add-in settings now save correctly.

Grayed Out Checkbox: If the checkbox is grayed out, it means the Document Inspector has not been run on this file yet. You can bypass this by ensuring your VBA code does not set ThisDocument.RemovePersonalInformation to True.

Solution 2

Adjust VBA Code to Handle Document State Properly

Update the VBA save routine to explicitly flag the document as changed and prevent personal information removal via code.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my Word VBA add-in settings disappear when I close the document?

This commonly happens when user settings are stored in custom document properties, and the 'Remove personal information from file properties on save' option is enabled in the Trust Center. Word deletes these properties upon saving to protect user privacy.

Where is the default Word STARTUP folder located?

By default on Windows, the Word STARTUP folder is located at %appdata%\Microsoft\Word\STARTUP. Templates placed in this folder load automatically when Word opens.

How can I force Word VBA to save a document that it thinks hasn't changed?

You can force a save by adding the line 'ThisDocument.Saved = False' right before your 'ThisDocument.Save' command. This explicitly tells Word that unsaved modifications are present.

Does the RemovePersonalInformation setting affect all Word documents?

No, it is a document-specific setting. However, if your add-in template has this setting enabled, every document generated from or interacting with that template's saved state might be affected.

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