Disable all Trust Bar notifications for security issues
This user-scoped Office policy controls whether the Message Bar reports potentially unsafe features or content that Office has detected or automatically blocked.
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Show registry keys (1)
HKCU\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\common\trustcenter\trustbar
This user-scoped Office policy controls whether the Message Bar reports potentially unsafe features or content that Office has detected or automatically blocked. Examples include macros, ActiveX controls, add-ins, and external data connections.
The trustbar value is a REG_DWORD. A value of 1 suppresses the affected security notifications. A value of 0 removes this policy-enforced suppression; whether a Message Bar is actually displayed also depends on the security settings governing the relevant content.
The setting does not itself determine whether content is considered unsafe, blocked, or permitted. Those decisions remain subject to the applicable Trust Center and content-security policies.
Notes
Additional effects
Suppressing these notifications also removes any option that the Message Bar would otherwise provide for interactively enabling blocked content. Depending on the Office application, content type, and other policies, security information or options may still be available elsewhere in the application.
Security
Hiding the Message Bar can prevent users from immediately allowing blocked active content through that bar. However, this setting is not an independent control for blocking macros, add-ins, ActiveX controls, or external content. Content permitted by other settings is not blocked by trustbar.
Users also receive no Message Bar warning that Office detected or disabled potentially unsafe content. This removes visible information about the document's security state and the reason some functionality is unavailable. The resulting level of protection therefore depends on the other macro and active-content policies in effect.
Possible side effects
Automatically blocked features can fail without an explanatory notification. A document might appear incomplete or malfunction because macros do not run, add-ins are not loaded, or data connections are unavailable. The absence of a warning can also make these problems more difficult to diagnose.
Notes
The policy applies per user to supported Office applications that use the shared Trust Center settings. The 16.0 policy branch is also used by newer Office releases and Microsoft 365 Apps; it is not exclusive to Office 2016.
Microsoft documents that suppressing notifications about blocked content does not alter the Message Bar used for Protected View.
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Support: Turn on or off security alerts and Policy Tips in the Message Bar for Office
Microsoft Download Center: Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) for Microsoft Office