Security Policy Errors

How to Stop Excel Warnings for External SharePoint Data Connections

Chanuka Geekiyanage Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to prevent Excel from displaying security warnings when executing SharePoint queries via add-ins, despite the VBA project being trusted and digitally signed.

How to Stop Excel Warnings for External SharePoint Data Connections

Product: Microsoft Excel, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Running Excel add-ins that pull data from external SharePoint connections.
Observed behavior: Excel triggers data-connection security warnings even when the VBA project is trusted and digitally signed.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure you have your Microsoft 365 administrator contact details, as this issue requires elevated permissions to investigate backend SharePoint data policies.

Solution 1Recommended

Submit a Service Request via Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Since a digital signature on a VBA project does not bypass external data connection warnings, your Microsoft 365 administrator must escalate this to Microsoft support.

Digitally signing a VBA project only addresses macro trust. It does not resolve warnings related specifically to trusted data connections. To fix this at the tenant level, Microsoft needs to investigate the cause of the data-connection warning.

Identify your Administrator

Contact your IT department or the person assigned as the Microsoft 365 administrator for your organization.

Log into Admin Center

Have the administrator log into the Microsoft 365 Admin Center using their administrative credentials.

Navigate to Support

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

Detail the Issue

Provide Microsoft Support with details about the Excel add-in, the specific SharePoint query URL, and mention that the VBA project is already digitally signed but data-connection warnings persist.

Submit a Service Request via Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Understanding Trust Center Limits: A digital signature establishes trust for VBA macros but does not automatically remove warnings for external data connections due to strict tenant security policies.

Solution 2

Review Trust Center Settings (Avoid Disabling Alerts)

Verify your current Trust Center settings to ensure you haven't unintentionally disabled all security alerts, which is an unacceptable security risk.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I get data connection warnings if my VBA macro is digitally signed?

Digital signatures only establish trust for the VBA macro code itself. External data connections, such as SharePoint queries, are governed by separate security policies in the Trust Center that require explicit user consent unless configured otherwise by a tenant administrator.

Can I disable these SharePoint data connection warnings myself?

While you can technically disable all data connection warnings in the Excel Trust Center, it is highly discouraged. Doing so makes your computer vulnerable to malicious external data sources. The best approach is to have your Microsoft 365 admin resolve the specific trusted connection.

What information should I give my IT admin for the Microsoft service request?

Provide your IT admin with the exact text of the warning message, the URL of the SharePoint site you are querying, the version of Excel you are using, and confirm that the add-in's VBA project is already digitally signed.

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