XLSTAT: How to Fix "Run-time Error 1004 - Programmatic Access to Visual Basic Project Is Not Trusted" on Mac

Issue

When you try to run an XLSTAT analysis on your Mac, you see this error:

"Run-time error '1004': Programmatic access to Visual Basic Project is not trusted"

This error appears on Office 2016, Office 2019, Office 2021, or Microsoft 365 on Mac. It occurs because Excel's security settings prevent XLSTAT (and other add-ins) from accessing the Visual Basic Project, which XLSTAT needs to run analyses. This is a Mac-specific security restriction that can be easily disabled.

Solution

You need to change two security settings in Excel to allow XLSTAT to run. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Open Excel Preferences

1. Open Microsoft Excel on your Mac.

2. Click Excel in the menu bar at the top of your screen (next to the Apple logo).

3. Click Preferences (near the bottom of the menu).

Step 2: Navigate to Security Settings

4. Look for the "Sharing and Privacy" section and click Security.

   • If you do not see this option immediately, scroll through the Preferences window to find it
      

Step 3: Enable Macro Access

5. Check the box next to "Enable all macros":

   • This option may appear as "Enable all macros" or "Allow all macros"

   • Click the checkbox to enable it
      

6. Check the box next to "Trust access to the VBA project object model":

   • This is the key setting that allows XLSTAT to access the Visual Basic Project

   • Click the checkbox to enable it

7. Close the Preferences window by clicking the red close button in the top left corner.

Step 4: Verify the Changes

8. Restart Excel (close it completely and reopen it).

9. Open your Excel file that contains your XLSTAT data.

10. Run an XLSTAT analysis to confirm the error is gone.

Note:  you can also see this video below

 

After Fixing the Settings

1. XLSTAT should now run without the error.

2. You can now perform all XLSTAT analyses as normal.

3. These settings will remain active

   until you change them again, so you should not see this error in the future.

The error still appears?

If you still see the run-time error 1004 after enabling these settings:

• Verify both checkboxes are enabled: Go back to Excel > Preferences > Security and confirm:

  • ✓ "Enable all macros" is checked

  • ✓ "Trust access to the VBA project object model" is checked

• Restart Excel completely: Close Excel entirely (use Cmd + Q or Excel > Quit Excel), then reopen it

• Check your Excel version: Make sure you have Office 2016 or later:

  • Click Excel > About Microsoft Excel

  • Verify your version is 2016 or newer

• Reinstall XLSTAT: If the error persists, XLSTAT may need to be reinstalled:

  1. Uninstall XLSTAT (go to Applications folder, find XLSTAT, drag to Trash)

  2. Restart your Mac

  3. Reinstall XLSTAT from https://www.xlstat.com/en/download/customer/xlstat

• Check for macOS and Office updates: Make sure both your Mac operating system and Microsoft Office are fully updated:

  • For macOS: Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update

  • For Office: Excel > Check for Updates

 

Contact XLSTAT Support and provide:

• Your XLSTAT version (XLSTAT > About)

• Your Excel version (Excel > About Microsoft Excel)

• Your macOS version and build number (Apple menu > About This Mac)

• Confirmation that both security settings are enabled in Excel Preferences

• The exact error message and the step where it appears

• A screenshot of the error message if possible