Block OrgChart
This per-user registry value controls whether the legacy Organization Chart (OrgChart) Add-in for Microsoft Office programs can run.
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Show registry keys (1)
HKCU\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\common\security\blockorgchart
This per-user registry value controls whether the legacy Organization Chart (OrgChart) Add-in for Microsoft Office programs can run. It is a REG_DWORD value: 1 blocks the add-in in Office applications that support the policy. Embedded OrgChart objects are not loaded as active objects; Office renders a static image instead.
A value of 0, or absence of the value, does not impose blocking through this policy. The add-in can run if it remains available and functional in the installed Office version and is not blocked by another security policy.
Notes
Security
OrgChart objects rely on a legacy Office component. Microsoft identifies legacy OrgChart objects as a potential means of running malicious code when a specially crafted document is opened. Blocking the component prevents the OrgChart object from loading and reduces the attack surface associated with it.
This setting blocks OrgChart only. Legacy Microsoft Graph OLE objects are controlled by the separate Block OLE Graph policy.
Possible side effects
Documents containing embedded OrgChart objects display only a static representation. Add-in functionality, including editing or interactively activating the embedded organization chart, is unavailable.
Notes
The setting applies per user to Office applications that process the 16.0 policy branch.
Microsoft has removed the Organization Chart Add-in from specified newer builds of Microsoft 365 Apps. In those builds, the add-in is unavailable regardless of this registry value, so the policy might have no additional visible effect.
The Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise security baseline lists Block OrgChart with a baseline default of Enabled. This is the baseline profile’s preset, not the unmanaged default behavior of Office.
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Support: Organization Chart Add-in is not available in Office applications
Microsoft 365 documentation: Block OLE Graph and OrgChart objects