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How to Stop the Connected Experiences Popup in Microsoft Word
Question details
The user wants to permanently stop Microsoft Word from repeatedly displaying the 'Office Connected Experiences' popup when opening certain documents.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Opening existing Word documents that continuously trigger the privacy or connected experiences prompt.
- Observed behavior
- The connected experiences prompt continues to appear for specific documents even though the feature is disabled in settings. Additionally, the 'Learn More' link on the popup may be broken.
Ensure you are signed into your Microsoft Office account, as some privacy settings sync with your profile, and verify if your device is managed by an organization that might override local settings.
Verify Privacy Settings and Trust Center Options
Double-check your Trust Center privacy settings to ensure the connected experiences features are fully disabled across your account.
Sometimes the popup triggers because the core privacy setting did not sync properly with your Microsoft account, or only part of the connected experiences were disabled.
Launch Microsoft Word, click on 'File' in the top-left corner, and select 'Options' at the bottom. In the Word Options window, click on 'Trust Center'.
Click the 'Trust Center Settings' button, then navigate to the 'Privacy Options' tab on the left and click the 'Privacy Settings' button.
Scroll down to the 'Connected Experiences' section. Ensure that 'Enable optional connected experiences' and any other related experience checkboxes are unchecked. Click 'OK' to save.
Completely close Microsoft Word and reopen the affected document to see if the prompt has stopped.
Inspect Document for Embedded Online Content
Because the popup only appears on certain files, the document itself might be triggering the prompt through embedded online objects or links.
Update Microsoft Office
Since the settings are ignored and the 'Learn More' link is broken, this behavior may be caused by an Office software bug that requires an update.
Try WPS Office for a Distraction-Free Experience
If Microsoft Word's recurring privacy popups disrupt your workflow, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, fast, and completely free alternative without intrusive connected experience prompts, while keeping your files perfectly intact.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free installation package.
- 2. Install the Software: Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup in seconds.
- 3. Open Your Documents: Launch WPS Writer and seamlessly open your existing Word documents without any nagging popups.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly are Office Connected Experiences?
Connected Experiences are cloud-based features in Microsoft Office that analyze your content to provide design recommendations, editing suggestions, smart lookup capabilities, or online templates. They require sending your document data to Microsoft servers.
Why does the popup only appear on specific Word documents?
If the popup ignores blank documents but appears on specific files, those files likely contain embedded online content, external linked images, or connected templates. Opening them forces Word to request internet access, triggering the prompt.
Can my employer control the Connected Experiences settings?
Yes. If you are using a Microsoft 365 Enterprise or Education account, your IT administrator can deploy group policies that manage privacy settings. These organizational policies can force the popup to appear or restrict you from disabling it locally.
Why is the 'Learn More' link broken on the popup?
A broken 'Learn More' link usually indicates an outdated Office installation or a temporary server routing issue on Microsoft's end. Updating Office via File > Account > Update Options often resolves these broken interface links.
