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I try to mark content from a web-page (with pictures, hyperlinks etc) to clipboard and then paste it into Microsoft Word (belonging to the Office 365 Home suite).
Then I discover problems starting with the following warning:

"A potential vulnerability has been identified in Microsoft Office.

This document contains fields that can share data with external files
and Web sites. It is important that this file comes from a reliable
source."

(I do not use English as my working language, and this warning is translated to English using Google Translate... :-))

The screen is often flickering two or three times before the content is displayed.

In Office 2007/2010 it was possible to avoid this message by going to the Trust Center Setttings and under Privacy Options, select or clear "Check Microsoft Office documents that are from or link to suspicious Web sites" check box. But I do not find this check box in Office 365. :-(

What can I do to avoid this message ?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rproffitt

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this alert shows up because the HTML you paste from a web page can include external content (for example, linked images or fields) that could call out to the internet. Word flags that by design for security reasons, as hinted. (support.microsoft.com)

Ways to paste without the prompt (and with minimal cleanup):

  • Text only: After copying, use Paste Options > Keep Text Only. To make that the default for anything pasted from a browser, go to File > Options > Advanced > Cut, copy, and paste > Pasting from other programs = Keep Text Only. This strips links and other active content that triggers the warning. (support.microsoft.com)

  • Pictures: Use Home > Paste > Paste Special and choose Picture (PNG/BMP). That embeds the image instead of linking it to the web. Alternatively, Save Image As in your browser, then Insert > Pictures > This Device. (support.microsoft.com)

  • Freeze what you already pasted: Press Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+Shift+F9 to unlink fields and hyperlinks so everything becomes static. Caution: this also freezes dynamic elements like a table of contents or cross-references. (support.microsoft.com)

If the message appears mainly when reopening a document (not during paste), you can reduce noise by turning off automatic link updates: File > Options > Advanced > General, clear "Update automatic links at open." That stops the prompt but also prevents linked items from refreshing automatically, so use it only if you are comfortable with static content. (support.microsoft.com)

The brief screen flicker you see is Word re-rendering the page and updating field results right after the paste.

Member Avatar for rproffitt

As to the flickering I recall that happening in all Office versions since about 1997. Microsoft apparently does not work on making their Office product operate smoothly (at least not on Windows.)

As a test I pasted web content into LibreOffice and it just worked without the warning messages. So it does indeed look like a choice made by Microsoft to hold hands and warn against every possible exploit or user error.

Turning off warnings like this has fallen out of favor in security circles as it removes a possible warning to the users. Microsoft is constantly beat up about security so they may have removed the off switch. As it appears to still paste but with the warning you may get no where with Microsoft. The usual reply is "works as designed."

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