There is a new, improved
installation file
available for download.

unblock files downloaded from the Internet

[ Deutschsprachige Version ] [ Download ]

With my free unblock tool, you can easily unblock files downloaded from the Internet or sent by e-mail using drag & drop instead of clicking on 'Unblock' in the properties of each individual file.

Problem

Office file blocked by Windows

Are you also annoyed that you have to authorise each Office file that you have downloaded from the Internet or received by e-mail individually via the context menu? Do you wonder why it suddenly takes so long to open zip files or process XML files?

Blocked files must always be authorised individually

Microsoft wants to protect us from (macro) viruses, but makes it unnecessarily difficult for experienced users to unlock files from trusted sources.

Solution

My free tool unblock does (most of) the work for you. Simply drag one or more files, folders or both mixed onto the programme icon (or the shortcut) and all passed files are automatically authorised individually.

With unblock, simply unblock files and folders via drag & drop

You can now also directly allow files and/or folders via the classic context menu (hidden by default under ‘Show more options’).

Installation

With the new unblockSetup.exe, you can install the tool for all users on a computer (this requires administrator rights) or just for the current user.

The unblock.exe file is copied (depending on the installation mode) to a folder named ‘C:\...\DaBaMa\unblock\’ and creates a shortcut on the desktop. You can optionally choose whether to set the PATH environment variable and add context menu entries. To uninstall, use the Control Panel or the unins000.exe file in the installation folder.

The portable version contains the same unblock.exe file, which you can place in any folder of your choice (e.g. directly on the desktop). You can create shortcuts, set the environment variable and add context menu entries yourself.

Restrictions

The tool can only unblock files that are already in the file system, just as you can do by hand. This means, for example, that you must first save email attachments (e.g. by dragging and dropping them onto the desktop) before you can unblock and then open them. In addition, the file must not be write-protected and you must be authorised to edit the file.

Tip

You can also call unblock via the command line or in a script to integrate it into your workflow. For example, if you regularly receive templates by e-mail, you can simply drag them first to your desktop and then from there to the VB script. They are then automatically unlocked and moved to your template folder:

' Unblock files and move them to the template folder

Set oArgs = WScript.Arguments
Set oApp = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
Set oFso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

sApp = "C:\DaBaMa\unblock.exe"
sFolder = "C:\Users\Raphael Hein\MyTemplates\" 

If oArgs.Count = 0 Then
    MsgBox "Drag and drop all files to be processed onto this script.", vbInformation, "Info"
Else
   For i = 0 To oArgs.Count - 1
      oApp.ShellExecute sApp, """" & oArgs(i) & """", "", "", 0
      WScript.Sleep 1000  ' give unblock some time to unblock the file
      oFso.CopyFile oArgs(i), sFolder, True 
      oFso.DeleteFile oArgs(i)  
   Next
End If

Download

Installation File
(File: unblockSetup.exe, ca. 2,000 KB - Version 1.1)

Portable Version
(File: unblock.zip, ca. 400 KB - Version 1.0)