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When opening a workbook with an external data connection, I get a yellow warning bar:

Security Warning | Data connections have been disabled | <Click Here to> Enable Content

I've found some back-door solutions, but searching for the needle in the haystack (formulas, pivot tables, etc.) can be exhausting, and at times, I still can't find the connection.

Excel 2010, .xlsx format. The document that spurred this questions is not trusted in the Trust Center.

Is there a systemic reason Excel can't show me what these connections are? Or is it simply at Microsoft's discretion that this is not a feature?

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  • What version of Excel are you using? That message sounds like general workbook security and not connection specific. It is telling you all external connection is disabled. Is the document trusted in the Trust Center? Commented Apr 28, 2016 at 16:25
  • Excel 2010, .xlsx format. The document that spurred this questions is not trusted in the Trust Center. Commented Apr 28, 2016 at 17:53

2 Answers 2

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This is a feature of the later versions of Office to protect computers from external connections that might allow viruses, malware or other malicious activity.

To view the data connection in the workbook, go to the Data tab, and choose Connections from the Connections menu.

enter image description here

The warning you are getting is because the document and/or location is not trusted by Excel. These are typically file share drives or network locations not normal to Office, like My Documents. It is not specific to any one data connection, rather just the fact there is a data connection at all.

If the document and/or location are sources you trust, you can adjust your Trust Center options to avoid this warning.

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    In Excel:mac 2011, the Data tab does not have a Connections button like the one pictured. I have a workbook prepared on Windows that's giving the warning on open. I'd like to know what the author has put in that makes Excel show the warning. I don't have a Windows PC handy. Commented Apr 18, 2017 at 6:35
  • This answer is specific to the version in the original question. It sounds like you have a different issue. You should ask your own question if you cannot find answers here specific to your version and issue. Commented Apr 18, 2017 at 11:35
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If you have a pivot table, check the data source. My pivot table was reading from an external document, however that connection did not appear in Data > Connections. Once I changed that data source to one within the file, then refreshed, the problem went away. Hope that helps.

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  • Please read the question again carefully. Your answer does not answer the original question. Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 19:35
  • His answer helped me, @DavidPostill. No need to be snarky to him. Commented Feb 23, 2018 at 20:59
  • @AdmiralAdama We expect answers to answer the question, not some different question, regardless of whether it helps you or not. Commented Feb 23, 2018 at 21:13

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