Turn off file validation
This per-user registry value controls Office File Validation in PowerPoint.
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Show registry keys (1)
HKCU\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\powerpoint\security\filevalidation\enableonload
This per-user registry value controls Office File Validation in PowerPoint. File validation examines legacy PowerPoint binary files before they are opened and checks their internal structure against the rules of the expected file format. The affected formats include PowerPoint 97–2003 presentations, shows, and templates, such as files with .ppt, .pps, and .pot extensions.
enableonload is a REG_DWORD value. A value of 0 disables validation when files are loaded, while 1 enables it. Because the associated policy uses negative wording, enabling “Turn off file validation” sets enableonload to 0 and turns the validation feature off.
Notes
Security
When file validation is disabled, PowerPoint processes affected binary files without first validating their structure against the Office file-format rules. Malformed or deliberately manipulated files are therefore no longer identified as suspicious by this check. This removes one layer of protection against file-format attacks that attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in file-processing code through specially crafted structures.
The setting does not automatically disable other protections, such as File Block, Microsoft Defender, Protected View triggered by a file’s origin, or other security checks. Those controls can still block or restrict a file, but they do not necessarily replace the disabled structural validation.
Notes
The value applies only to the current user and only to PowerPoint under the Office 16.0 version branch. It does not change the corresponding validation settings for Word or Excel.
This policy concerns validation of legacy Office binary formats. It is separate from the policy that determines what PowerPoint does after a file fails an active validation check. If file validation is turned off, no such validation result is produced for the affected files.
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Security Advisory 2501584 – Release of Microsoft Office File Validation