Allow Trusted Locations on the network
This per-user `REG_DWORD` value controls whether Microsoft Visio can use Trusted Locations on a network.
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Show registry keys (1)
HKCU\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\visio\security\trusted locations\allownetworklocations
This per-user REG_DWORD value controls whether Microsoft Visio can use Trusted Locations on a network. It does not define a Trusted Location itself; it determines whether Visio accepts network paths that have been designated as trusted.
A value of 1 permits network locations defined either by policy or by the user to operate as Trusted Locations. A value of 0 blocks network-based Trusted Locations. Visio then ignores network locations defined as trusted through other administrative policies and prevents the user from adding further network locations.
If the policy value is absent, network locations are initially blocked, but the user can enable the corresponding Trust Center option unless another policy prevents that change.
Notes
Security
Files opened from an effective Trusted Location are treated as safe. Visio can therefore bypass protections such as file validation, File Block checks, and Protected View, and can load active content such as VBA macros or add-ins without the usual security warnings.
For a trusted network folder, this trust affects every applicable user who opens files from that location. If an attacker or an insufficiently restricted user can add or modify files in the folder, malicious active content can run with the signed-in user's permissions. The share and file-system permissions protecting the network folder therefore remain security-critical.
Possible side effects
With a value of 0, Visio treats files from the affected network paths as files from ordinary, untrusted locations. Depending on the file type and other security policies, users can receive warnings, active content can remain disabled, or files can open in Protected View. This behavior also applies to network locations entered as trusted through a separate policy.
Notes
This setting applies only to Visio for the current user. It neither creates a network location nor grants access to a network share.
Web folders are recognized as Trusted Locations only when they support WebDAV or FPRPC.
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Learn: Trusted Locations for Office files
Microsoft Download Center: Administrative Template files for Microsoft Office