Windows 10: Every "Default Browser" generates Cookies Windows Security Warning for hyperlinks from Excel

Recently 30-60 days? I've noticed hyperlinks which I've clicked on in Excel will intermittently present a popup warning: "To allow this website to provide information personalized for you, will you allow it to put a small file called a cookie on your computer?"I visit many websites during the day while performing my job. The links are often found in Excel documents.It's difficult to define the conditions for recreating the issue. 1 It does happen when I change the "Default Browser" and click a link in Excel. Historically, I've used Chrome as the default browser. Yesterday, I tested maki

:)

 

Hyperlinks in Excel file suddenly bring up security warning window

Suddenly on starting up my PC today (this hasn't happened, ever, in the past 10 years or more), when I click on a hyperlink in an Excel 2007 document, I get a security message (below) telling me that 'hyperlinks can be harmful' and do I want to proceed? Driving me crazy now, after over an hour of Googling and trying out suggested 'fixes' (in vain).

I have added entries to the registry, added the location (just a local folder) and all subfolders to trusted locations, checked, unchecked various Excel options (all given as solutions to this problem in various forums)....

Irony is, each line in my Excel worksheet contains two hyperlinks: the first is to an internet page, and that still works just fine. The second is, as I say, to a local folder, not unsafe at all, but all those now bring up this message.

Opening the same file in Windows 7 (dual boot) does not bring up the warning, BTW

Anyone know why this is plaguing me all of a sudden (the location clearly wasn't deemed 'unsafe' before today)... and far more importantly, how do I turn this message off once and for all?

Windows 20H2

Thank you!

 

Excel Hyperlinks

My hyperlinks point to files on my PC in the same folder as the Excel spreadsheet.

I have manually typed the formula without success.

I have used the assistant to create the hyperlink without success.

The error message is:

"This operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer.

See your system administrator."

My default browser is Edge.

 

Hyperlinks in Excel file suddenly bring up security warning window

EDIT: Fixed, I think (see below)

Thanks Denis... I attach a screenshot of the trees I see in RegEdit.. they are different from the ones I read about. I had tried creating a DWord (the same as in your script above) in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\
.. there is no 'Security' key there. There is a Security key a bit further down, in 'Excel', but the same DWord created there does not help either. (The PC folders in question appear in the 'Trusted Locations' key, but seems Excel doesn't trust them even so).

The problem seems to be when I create a hyperlink to any local folder (I have tried folders on various drives). The hyperlinks which lead to a page on the internet (same .xlsx document) all work immediately. No problem with the example you gave...

So frustrating after years and years of never seeing this, then suddenly, for no reason I can fathom... PCs, mine anyway, seem to alter settings on their own, with no input from me: just found I had no sound - the joy never ends!! - found that the default speakers had been reset to some other option. Love to know what causes that kind of thing to happen - not due to any input from me!)





- - - Updated - - -

EDIT: OK - last ditch try. I created a new subkey 'Security' within 'Office/12.0/Common', as there wasn't one there already, and then made a new DWORD there - and it seems to have worked! Who knows about tomorrow, but for today the problems looks like it is fixed.

Thanks very much for the help - where did you get the '...Common/Security' key from? I didn't see it mentioned anywhere else.