Excel Version 2206
Brunilda Chestnut
Microsoft is pleased to announce the release of the recommended security configuration baseline settings for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, version 2206. Please download the content from the Microsoft Security Compliance Toolkit, test the recommended configurations, and implement as appropriate.
IT Admins can apply baseline settings in different ways. Depending on the method(s) chosen different registry keys will be written and they will be observed in order of precedence: Office cloud policies will override ADMX/Group Policies which will override end user settings in the Trust Center.
This policy controls the deprecated feature of SmartScreen for Exchange that's been replaced by Exchange Online Protection (EOP) as of 2016, learn more in this blog article. Previously, we recommended setting the policy to HIGH, however, this can conflict with EOP and cause false negatives and other junk email filtering issues. The SmartScreen for Exchange service is no longer supported and we are removing this recommendation from the security baselines.
VBA macros are a common way for malicious actors to gain access to deploy malware and ransomware, for years we've recommended enabling this policy as part of the security baselines, and we're now enabling this behavior by default for everyone. If you've already set this policy in your organization, this default change will not affect you as policy will take precedence over this default. If however, you have not configured "Block macros in files obtained from the internet" for Office apps (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Word) this change will impact you. Learn more in the blog article in Tech Community, and the Admin article listing all release timeframes and options for administration.
The Office team upgraded the tooling that creates the Office resources and documentation for the Compliance Toolkit. These improvements found some mismatches between the "MSFT Microsoft 365 Apps v2112 - User" GPO and the spreadsheet documentation, we have corrected these:
Known Issue: The Solver add-in that ships with Excel may not work properly with a certain security policy enabled... When the recommended security baselines policy "Prevent Excel from running XLM macros" is enabled, the Solver and Analysis ToolPak add-ins will not function properly. Functionality may be missing, and results may not be computed, even if the user is informed of a successful computation. A fix is in progress and workarounds, current status, and availability are included in the article.
[German]Users who have upgraded Microsoft Office 365 as a Click-2-Run variant to version 2206.15330.20196 (released June 29, 2022) report a strange bug. In Microsoft Excel, the contents of cells (rows and/or columns)in a spreadsheet are no longer displayed, but are overlaid in white. Currently only the rollback to a previous version remains. Microsoft already knows about this bug and has documented it under OP396850 in the status area.
Hi, I started getting a strange visual glitch in excel as shown in the figure below. There is white color everywhere that blocks the contents of the cells, cell row and column numbers, and the sheet numbers. Any idea how to fix it? Reinstalling didn't help.
In the spreadsheet, rows and columns are arbitrarily overlaid in white and the contents or even the row and column headers are hidden. Excel is effectively unusable. Matt C. also picked up on on Twitte and posted it to Microsoft365 Status.
ID: OP396850
Status
Service Restored
Restored Services
Microsoft 365 Apps
Details
Title: Users may see that cells in Excel desktop client appear blank or white when clicking on them or scrolling
User Impact: Users may have seen that cells in Excel desktop client appeared blank or white when clicking on them or when scrolling.
More info: While we focused on remediation, users may have been able to circumvent the issue by using Excel on the web.
Final status: We've reverted the offending update and have received confirmation from some users that the impact is remediated. Users that were impacted may need to force an update of the Excel desktop client for full service restoration.
Scope of impact: Any user that was utilizing Version 2206 (Build 15330.20196) of the Excel desktop client may have been impacted.
A bug fix is supposed to come for the Office 365 version therefore. G.Anger writes in his comment in the discussion area here in the blog that version 2207 is already announced on the Microsoft pages. Whether this fixes the bug, I do not know. Anyone affected by the bug?
My Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus rolled back automatically when I manually checked for updates. I was surprised to see it go from 2022-06 to 2022-05, but now with your blog post I can understand why. Thank you for your current news items.
The current TreePlan version 222 works on all current versions of Excel for Windows. TreePlan version 2.12 also works on all current versions of Excel for Windows except version 2206. To check your Windows Excel version, choose File > Account > About Excel.
Sensit and SimVoi work on all current versions of Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac, except that Excel for Mac 16.79 shows a run-time error when you try to run SimVoi. Either wait for a Microsoft update, or revert to Excel for Mac 16.78.3.
How do I install the add-in so it is always available?
Installation is simple but is not automated. Refer to the extracted How-To-Install-Add-In PDF file for detailed installation instructions.
Are the add-ins compatible with my computer?
The TreePlan, Sensit, and SimVoi add-ins are appropriate for all up-to-date language versions of Mac Excel and Windows Excel that we and our customers have tested.
What if I purchased multiple licenses?
If you have made a volume purchase, you may duplicate and distribute the downloaded file to the users covered by your licenses. To avoid confusion, the purchaser is the point of contact with TreePlan Software for volume purchases.
How do I uninstall an add-in?
If the add-in has been installed so that it appears in the Excel Add-ins Available dialog box, clear the checkbox of the add item and quit Excel. Then move or delete the add-in XLAM file. The next time you run Excel, respond to the prompts about Excel not being able to find add-in.
For TreePlan versions 2.06 or earlier with Windows Excel 365 versions 1906 or later, what should I do if I select a node, run TreePlan, and Excel immediately crashes?
(a) As a temporary workaround, instead of selecting the node shape (square, circle, or triangle), select the cell containing the node before you run TreePlan. To do so, select an adjacent cell, and use the keyboard arrow keys to move the selection to the cell containing the node; then run TreePlan.
(b) For a permanent solution, use TreePlan 2.07 or later.
Why does TreePlan not respond (or why does TreePlan show the wrong dialog box) when I select a node and choose Decision Tree (or press the shortcut key)?
(a) It is very important not to use Excel commands to insert or delete rows, columns, or cell ranges in the tree diagram area. If you do, TreePlan will not be able to keep track of the location of nodes (squares, circles, and triangles).
(b) TreePlan may not be able to detect selection of a node on some computers with a specific combination of display resolution and zoom setting. A workaround is to select the cell containing the node shape instead of selecting the node shape itself. To do so, select an adjacent cell, e.g., above or below, and then use an arrow key to select the cell containing the node shape. Then choose Decision Tree (or press the shortcut key).
How do I uninstall TreePlan?
If TreePlan has been installed so that it appears in the Excel Add-ins Available dialog box, uncheck the TreePlan item and quit Excel. Then move or delete the TreePlan XLAM file. The next time you run Excel, respond to the prompts about Excel not being able to find TreePlan.
How do I get a refund?
Uninstall TreePlan, delete all TreePlan files from your storage devices and computer, empty the Trash, and send an email to Mike Middleton stating that you have done so and that you request a refund.
How do I uninstall Sensit?
If Sensit has been installed so that it appears in the Excel Add-ins Available dialog box, uncheck the Sensit item and quit Excel. Then move or delete the Sensit XLAM file. The next time you run Excel, respond to the prompts about Excel not being able to find Sensit.
How do I get a refund?
Uninstall Sensit , delete all Sensit files from your storage devices and computer, empty the Trash, and send an email to Mike Middleton stating that you have done so and that you request a refund.
How do I uninstall SimVoi?
If SimVoi has been installed so that it appears in the Excel Add-ins Available dialog box, uncheck the SimVoi item and quit Excel. Then move or delete the SimVoi XLAM file. The next time you run Excel, respond to the prompts about Excel not being able to find SimVoi.
How do I get a refund?
Uninstall SimVoi, delete all SimVoi files from your storage devices and computer, empty the Trash, and send an email to Mike Middleton stating that you have done so and that you request a refund.
- Macro-notification popups no longer display the "Enable" and "Trust all from publisher" buttons, so users cannot execute macros.
Additionally, digitally signed macros are not working, since users cannot dynamically add the publisher to their trusted publisher list. - This issue is observed with Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2206 Build 16.0.xxxxx.xxxxx) and higher versions.