Error "Adobe Acrobat cannot open the file attachment settings because your PDF file attachment settings do not allow this file type to be opened"

Problem

When you try to open a macro-enabled office file as an attachment in PDF, you get a message "Adobe Acrobat cannot open the file attachment settings because your PDF attachment settings do not allow this file type to be opened."

Applicable versions

• Acrobat, Acrobat 11 (August 2018 update, and later versions)
• Acrobat Reader, Adobe Reader 11 (August 2018 update, and later versions)

Solution

This is an expected behavior. With the August 2018 release of Adobe Acrobat/Acrobat Reader (and later versions), the following office macro-enabled extensions are permanently blocked, and you will no longer be able to open the files:

• MS Excel: .xlsm, .xlsb, .xlm, .xltm, .xla, .xlam,.xll
  
• MS Word: .docm, .dotm, .docb
  
• MS Power Point: .pptm, .potm, .ppam, .ppsm, .sldm
  
• MS Access: .accde, .accdr