FBDI (File-Based Data Import) templates in Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP are losing their interactive features because Microsoft has disabled ActiveX by default in Microsoft 365 and Office 2024. If your templates stopped working the way they used to, ActiveX may be the reason. Since September 2025, customers have been posting about it on Oracle Customer Connect.
At a glance
What changed: Microsoft changed the default ActiveX setting in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio to “Disable all controls without notification”
When: Office 2024 in October 2024. Microsoft 365 apps in stages from April 2025
Where customers report it: General Ledger (GL), Fixed Assets (FA), Fusion Accounting Hub (FAH) and Cash Management
Reported impact: More manual work, a higher risk of data errors, and testing obstacles in pre-UAT, end-to-end and production
Workarounds: Manual entry without the template, or re-enabling ActiveX (which Microsoft recommends against unless absolutely necessary)
What are FBDI templates in Oracle Fusion Cloud?
FBDI stands for File-Based Data Import, Oracle’s method for loading high volumes of data into Oracle Fusion Cloud applications. Oracle supplies macro-enabled Excel (XLSM) templates with the worksheets and macros needed to structure your data. After you enter your data, the Generate CSV File button runs a macro that creates a CSV file and compresses it into a ZIP file (Oracle docs). You then upload the ZIP and run the Load Interface File for Import process to move the data into the application tables (Oracle docs).
Finance teams use FBDI across modules including GL, FA, FAH and Cash Management, according to the November 2025 Oracle Customer Connect post covered below.
Why did Microsoft disable ActiveX in Microsoft 365 and Office 2024?
Microsoft switched the default ActiveX setting in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio from “Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions” to “Disable all controls without notification.” Office 2024 shipped that way in October 2024, and Microsoft 365 apps picked it up in stages beginning in April 2025.
Microsoft’s reasoning is security, and it encourages customers to leave ActiveX off unless it’s absolutely necessary. Per BleepingComputer’s report, Microsoft says users can no longer create or interact with ActiveX objects once it’s disabled, though some existing objects may still appear as static images.
While that’s a sensible position for an IT team, it gets complicated when the Excel templates that your finance team loads data with are affected too.
What are Oracle Fusion Cloud customers reporting about FBDI templates?
The Oracle threads shared insights on what that looks like day to day. In September 2025, a customer on release 25C explained that their company was already enforcing the block. IT had granted an exemption for FBDI, but it was due to expire on October 13, so they asked Oracle whether signed FBDI templates or another alternative were coming.
A November post from a financial services institution described the same problem at a larger scale. Since the Microsoft update, the team said, they can no longer use the interactive features in their FBDI templates across General Ledger, Fixed Assets, Fusion Accounting Hub (FAH) and Cash Management. The result was more manual work and a higher risk of data errors, plus obstacles to testing in pre-UAT, end-to-end and production.
By December, a customer idea titled “FBDI ActiveX modernisation plans” was carrying that same description and asking Oracle for an update. Its author called it an ongoing reference for tracking Oracle’s communications and the modernization status of the templates.
Taken together, the reports describe one pattern: the disruption is showing up in General Ledger, Fixed Assets, Fusion Accounting Hub and Cash Management, where teams describe more manual workarounds, a higher risk of data entry errors, and testing obstacles across pre-UAT, end-to-end and production.
What are the workarounds for broken FBDI templates?
Most teams in this spot end up choosing between two workarounds. Going back to manual entry without the template keeps IT’s security settings intact, though that means more effort and more errors. It’s also harder to scale across GL, FA, and Cash Management volumes. Switching ActiveX back on is possible through the Trust Center, a registry setting or Group Policy, but it undoes the very protection Microsoft recommends keeping in place.
Neither is a great answer for a team that has a close to run.
How to load Oracle Fusion Cloud data without ActiveX
This is the gap More4apps was built to fill. Our spreadsheet-based data loading tool for Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP is built on modern architecture and doesn’t rely on ActiveX, so IT can leave Microsoft’s default as is while your finance team keeps loading GL journals, fixed asset transactions and cash management data from Excel without disruption.
Beyond removing the ActiveX risk, teams get:
- Full template control: You can build and adjust your own templates, including DFFs and attachments, instead of being boxed in by standard FBDI layouts.
- Pre-validation and instant error feedback: Data errors get caught in the spreadsheet before anything is submitted for import. Error messages are also highlighted alongside the data, making reconciliation faster and less tedious than combing through a separate error report.
- Upgrade resilience: More4apps’ tools stay stable through the same Oracle and Microsoft updates that break FBDI templates.
If your team is already running into these FBDI issues in GL, Fixed Assets or Cash Management, it’s worth sorting out before your next close cycle.
See how More4apps works on your data in a live demo.
Related reading: When Microsoft Locks the Door on ActiveX, Oracle Web ADI Gets Left Outside, on the same ActiveX change and Oracle E-Business Suite.
Why aren’t my Oracle FBDI templates working in Excel?
If the interactive features in your FBDI templates stopped working, a Microsoft setting change may be the cause. Microsoft now disables ActiveX controls by default in Microsoft 365 apps and Office 2024, and customers on Oracle Customer Connect link the loss of FBDI template features to that update. Other causes are possible, so ask your IT team to check the ActiveX setting under the Excel Trust Center.
When did Microsoft disable ActiveX by default?
Microsoft disabled ActiveX by default in Office 2024 in October 2024. Microsoft 365 apps followed in stages beginning in April 2025.
Can I re-enable ActiveX to keep using FBDI templates?
Yes. Microsoft documents several ways to restore the previous behavior: the “Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions” option in the Trust Center, the DisableAllActiveX registry value set to 0, or the Disable All ActiveX Group Policy setting set to 0 (M365 Admin, University of Toronto IT). Microsoft recommends leaving ActiveX disabled unless it’s absolutely necessary, so check with your security team first.
Has Oracle announced a fix for FBDI templates and ActiveX?
In the public Oracle Customer Connect threads, customers have asked Oracle whether signed FBDI templates or modernization plans are coming. As of October 2026, we haven’t found a published Oracle announcement of a fix.
Does More4apps’ data loading tool for Oracle Fusion Cloud depend on ActiveX?
No. Our spreadsheet-based data loading tool for Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP doesn’t rely on ActiveX, so IT can keep Microsoft’s default setting in place.
About More4apps: More4apps builds spreadsheet-native data loading and management tools for Oracle ERP, including Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP.
Sources
- Oracle Customer Connect, “Journal Import FBDI – ActiveX Blocked” (Sep 12, 2025)
- Oracle Customer Connect, “Impact of Disabled ActiveX Controls on Oracle Fusion FBDI Templates” (Nov 10, 2025)
- Oracle Customer Connect, “FBDI ActiveX modernisation plans” (Dec 19, 2025)
- Oracle Help Center, “File-Based Data Import (FBDI)”
- M365 Admin, “ActiveX will be disabled by default in Microsoft Office 2024” (summarizing Microsoft’s Message Center entry)
- BleepingComputer, “Microsoft blocks ActiveX by default in Microsoft 365, Office 2024”
- University of Toronto EASI, “ActiveX will be disabled by default in Microsoft Office Apps” (Sep 23, 2024)