Sign the Add-in

Strictly speaking, add-ins don’t have to be signed. By definition, add-ins contain code and the user must take affirmative action to install and load an add-in, so Excel doesn’t display security warnings when a user loads an unsigned add-in in Excel.

However, you may want to sign an add-in anyway. There are three reasons for this:

  • An unsigned file displays a security warning while you develop the add-in (which is annoying).

  • Signing the add-in validates that the add-in is from you and hasn’t been changed by someone else.

  • Add-ins can potentially be loaded by an external reference from another workbook, which does display a security warning if the add-in is unsigned.

See Chapter 6 for instructions on getting a digital signature and signing code.

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