SharePoint 2010 - Loading the Document Information Panel in MS Word throws a warning when 'Run ActiveX controls & PlugIns' for internet zone is set to 'Administrator Approved'

What is Document Information Panel in Microsoft Word?

A document information panel is a form that is displayed within the client application, and which contains fields for the document metadata. Document information panels enable users to enter important metadata about a file anytime they want, without having to leave the client application.

Document information panels are available in Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, and Microsoft Excel 2010. For SharePoint documents, these client applications auto generate the document information panels for a document, based on the metadata schema of the content type assigned to the document.

Problem Description:

If a site falls in the intranet zone and the internet security setting “Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins” for the internet zone is configured to “Administrator Approved” and a user tries to create a new document within a document library, they gets the following warning

Microsoft InfoPath
One or more ActiveX controls could not be displayed because either:

Your current security settings prohibit running ActiveX controls on this page, or
You have blocked a publisher of one of the controls.

As a result, the page might not display correctly.

While troubleshooting the issue, I came across multiple resolutions as well as workarounds and would like to share with all of you.

Resolution

Option 1: Change the IE security setting from Administrator Approved to Enable for internet zone.

Option 2: Customize the Document Information Panel using InfoPath so you can modify the security setting in InfoPath from “Restricted” to “Domain” and re-publish the XSN back to your content type. This will now cause InfoPath to adhere to the “Local Intranet” security settings in Internet Explorer.

Note: Once you publish the Document Information Panel using InfoPath every user must have InfoPath installed on their machines for the Document Information Panel to display.

Option 3: Add the Managed Metadata Control to the list of approved controls. To do this there are two options:

Roll out the following registry modification to all users:

·         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\AllowedControls

·         Create a new DWORD value that is the GUID for the Managed Metadata control, which is: {64247C52-5C34-4597-B2A3-17BF5617F17F}
- Set this value to: 0

How to reproduce the issue:

1)      Add site to intranet zone in Internet Explorer.

2)      Configure the “Run ActiveX Controls and PlugIns” settings to Administrator approved for the internet zone and enabled for intranet zone.

3)      Open a SharePoint 2010 site and then a document library that has at least one managed metadata column.

4)      On the ribbon, click on Documents and then New Document.

5)      Word opens, and then we get a warning dialog

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.