ActiveX to be disabled in Office 2024

When Microsoft Office 2024 launches in October, ActiveX will be turned off by default, according to Bleeping Computer. The change affects desktop versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Visio, and will apply to Microsoft 365 beginning in April 2025.

The reason behind the move: hackers in recent years have used various vulnerabilities in ActiveX to install malicious code on computers.

Launched in 1996, ActiveX is a framework used to embed interactive elements into Office documents.

Microsoft has recently taken other steps to improve security in Office. For example, macros and extensions have been blocked, and support for VBScript will be phased out this fall.