Like Microsoft Word and Excel, PowerPoint also opens old files in normal view, and it is a bad practice these present days. That is why you can make PowerPoint open old PowerPoint presentations in Protected View. Whether a file is locked or unlocked, PowerPoint will always open the presentation in Protected View so that attackers cannot inject any malware.
How to open old PowerPoint presentations in Protected View
To open old PowerPoint presentations in Protected View, follow these steps:
- Open Microsoft PowerPoint on your computer.
- Click on the Options.
- Go to the Trust Center tab at the bottom.
- Click on the Trust Center Settings button.
- Switch to the File Block Settings tab on the left side.
- Tick the Open checkbox of PowerPoint 2007 and later Presentations, Shows, Templates, Themes, and Add-in Files setting.
- Click the OK button.
Let’s check out these steps in detail to know more about the guide.
To get started, you need to open the Microsoft PowerPoint app and click on the Options menu that is visible in the bottom-left corner. Then, switch to the Trust Center tab and click on the Trust Center Settings button.
Next, you need to switch to the File Block Settings tab on the left side and ensure that the Open selected file types in Protceted View option is selected.
If so, tick these two checkboxes:
- PowerPoint 2007 and later Presentations, Shows, Templates, Themes, and Add-in Files
- PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentations, Shows, Templates, and Add-in Files
Finally, click the OK button to save the change.
Make PowerPoint open OLD presentations in Protected View using Registry
To open old PowerPoint presentations in Protected View using Registry, follow these steps:
- Search for regedit and click the search result.
- Click on the Yes button in the UAC prompt.
- Go to Microsoft\office\16.0\powerpoint in HKCU.
- Right-click on powerpoint > New > Key and name it security.
- Right-click on security > New > Key and set the name as fileblock.
- Right-click on fileblock > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name it as openxmlfiles.
- Double-click on it and set the value data as 4.
- Click the OK button.
- Create another REG_DWORD value named binaryfiles.
- Set the Value data as 4.
- Restart your computer.
To learn more about these steps, keep reading.
First, search for regedit in the Taskbar search box, click on the individual search result, and click the Yes button in the UAC prompt to open the Registry Editor on your computer.
Then, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\powerpoint
If you cannot find this path, you need to create it manually. For that, select the Microsoft key, right-click on empty space, select the Key option, and name it as office. Following that, keep repeating these steps until you get to the above-mentioned path.
Next, right-click on powerpoint > New > Key and name it as security. Then, right-click on the security key, select New > Key and call it fileblock.
Once done, right-click on the fileblock key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and set the name as openxmlfiles.
Double-click on it and set the Value data as 4.
Next, create another REG_DWORD value and name it as binaryfiles. Like the first REG_DWORD value, you need to set the Value data of this REG_DWORD value as 4 as well.
Once done, close all windows and restart your computer.
Make old PowerPoint presentations open in Protected View using Group Policy
To open old PowerPoint presentations in Protected View using Group Policy, follow these steps:
- Search for gpedit and click on the search result.
- Go to File Block Settings in User Configuration.
- Double-click on PowerPoint 2007 and later presentations, shows, templates, themes, and add-in files setting.
- Choose the Enabled option.
- Select the Open in Protected View option.
- Click the OK button.
- Do the same with PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates, and add-in files setting as well.
Let’s know more about these steps.
First, search for gpedit in the Taskbar search box and click on the individual search result to open the Local Group Policy Editor. Then, navigate to the following path:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 > PowerPoint Options > Security > Trust Center > File Block Settings
Here you can find two settings:
- PowerPoint 2007 and later presentations, shows, templates, themes, and add-in files
- PowerPoint 97-2003 presentations, shows, templates, and add-in files
You need to double-click on these two settings and choose the Enabled option. Then, select the Open in Protected View option from the drop-down list.
Finally, click the OK button to save the change.
Read: How to open OLD Excel spreadsheets in Protected View
How do I unlock a Protected View in PowerPoint?
To unlock Protected View in PowerPoint, you have two options. First, you can click on the Enable Editing option after opening the file. Second, you can right-click on the file and select the Properties option. Then, tick the Unlock checkbox.
Why is PowerPoint opening in Protected View?
PowerPoint opens files in Protected View when you have downloaded a file from the internet. Alternatively, if you have turned on the aforementioned settings, PowerPoint will open the old presentations in the Protected View. In such cases, you can click on the Enable Editing button to get rid of the restriction.
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