Can an AI assistant create Office files with macros? What to ask

Some assistants can create macro enabled Office files, and some cannot. Ask which formats a product produces, and block macro formats unless a team needs them. Microsoft states that VBA macros are a common route to malware and that Office now blocks macros in files from the internet by default.

Why macros are the sticking point

Microsoft's documentation says VBA macros are a common way for malicious actors to gain access to deploy malware and ransomware, which is why Office applications changed their default to block macros in files from the internet. When a user opens such a file, they see a message instead of the macro running. Microsoft also notes that files from an intranet location that is not identified as trusted can trigger the same message, for example files on a network share reached by IP address.

For an assistant that generates documents, two questions follow. Can the assistant itself write macro code into a file? And if a generated file carries macros, how will your Office configuration treat it?

Questions for the vendor

1. Which Office formats does the assistant generate, and does that include macro enabled variants?
2. Can an admin disable macro formats across the organization?
3. Does the product ever write executable or script content into a document?
4. Are downloaded files tagged as coming from the internet, so the default block applies?
5. If files are saved to a synced drive, does that change how Office classifies them?

The fourth question matters because the block relies on the file's origin marking. A file that loses its marking when moved through a sync client may behave differently from one downloaded in a browser. Test it in your own environment rather than assuming.

Questions for your own IT team

Microsoft recommends enabling the policy that blocks macros from running in Office files from the internet as part of the security baseline for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. If you already set it, a default change does not affect you. Confirm it is set for the people who will use generated files.

Then decide your rule. A reasonable starting point for most teams: generated files should not contain macros, and anyone who needs one requests an exception with a named owner.

A decision table

Test before you roll out

Generate a document with the assistant, check the file extension, and open it in a protected environment. Look for a macro warning or a security bar. Then ask a colleague to open the same file from your shared drive and compare. Record both results as evidence for your questionnaire answers.

Add one more check: ask the assistant to produce a macro enabled file on purpose. If it complies, you know the control must come from your side, via admin policy and file type restrictions.

For the data side of the same problem, see spreadsheet formula injection in AI-generated files.

Safeguard's compliance and evidence automation can hold the test results and policy settings you gather, so a later audit does not start from zero.

A worked example: the expense report template

A finance analyst asks an assistant for a spreadsheet that totals expenses by category and automatically formats new rows. The assistant offers a macro enabled workbook because macros can automate the formatting. The analyst downloads it. Depending on how the file arrives and how Office is configured, the file may be treated as coming from the internet, and Microsoft's default would then block the macro and show a message.

Now the analyst has a choice: click through a warning to enable something an assistant wrote, or ask for a version without macros. A good rule, set in advance, makes the second choice the normal one. Table formulas and conditional formatting do most of what the analyst wanted without any macro at all.

Step by step: a rule your team can follow

1. Set the default. Generated files do not contain macros.
2. Set the policy. Confirm that Office blocks macros in files from the internet for everyone who opens generated files, as Microsoft recommends for its enterprise baseline.
3. Tell people why. One line in the usage guide: warnings on a generated file are a stop sign, not a speed bump.
4. Offer a path. If someone truly needs automation, they request a reviewed template from IT.
5. Check the origin marking. Test whether a generated file moved through your sync tool still triggers the warning.
6. Review quarterly. Check the setting still applies after Office or policy changes.

What the block does and does not cover

The Microsoft page describes macros from the internet being blocked by default, with a message shown to the user, and notes that files from intranet locations not identified as trusted can show the same message. It also points to the policy that blocks macros in internet files as a baseline recommendation. This addresses macros. It does not address links in a document, embedded objects, or content that a person is tricked into copying out, so keep your other file handling controls in place.

Questions to ask when the vendor says "we scan files"

Ask what is scanned for, when, and what happens on a finding. A scan for known malware signatures is different from a check that stops the assistant from writing macro code in the first place. You want to know whether the product prevents macros, detects them or merely hopes users decline them.

Try it yourself

Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen. Look at how controls map to evidence, and which records you would keep for your own review.

Quick check

Sources

• Macros from the internet are blocked by default in Office, Microsoft Learn

Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.