The Problem (Q-score 5, ranked #172nd of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2014
So at work I ran into this issue after I installed the most recent Windows 7 updates (including Microsoft Office 2010 updates) – the date up the update was today (Dec 12, 2014).
After the update, I opened my macro enabled workbook in Excel 2010 and basically anything that referenced ActiveX controls (checkboxes, buttons) no longer worked. My auto_open was checking checkboxes and couldn’t run… it kept erroring at the first checkbox check. The buttons are also no longer clickable.
Before you say it, I have checked my trust settings and allowed all ActiveX and Macros, but no change. If anyone has any advice, I’m all ears. Due to me not being an admin, I cannot due too many things as far as Windows goes.
Why this Range / Worksheet targeting trips people up
The question centers on reaching a specific cell, range, or workbook object. In Excel VBA, this is the #1 source of failures after activation events: every property (.Value, .Formula, .Address) behaves differently depending on whether the parent Workbook is explicit or implicit.
The Verified Solution — solid answer (above median) (+10)
Advisory answer — community consensus with reference links
Note: the verified answer below is a reference / advisory response rather than a copy-ready snippet.
We had this somewhat shocking issue yesterday on several machines with Excel 2007.
By rolling back Security updates for office one by one, we determined that this was being caused by update KB2596927 from 9 December 2014 – Link
After this update, not only did many macro-enabled worksheets break down upon activating macros due to their ActiveX controls being killed, but also no classic ActiveX controls (button, checkbox, etc.) could be inserted into a blank workbook any longer!
CONFIRM AS SOLVED: I can confirm that the answer to delete the file C:UsersUSERNAMEAppDataLocalTempExcel8.0MSForms.exd has worked for me!
Thank you guys!
Here is more information on EXD files
This was resolved also in another post on this forum
When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)
Ranked #172nd in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 97% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2014 and 2026
The answer is 12 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.