diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs
index f549aec2b..ba54404ab 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/lib.rs
@@ -826,8 +826,15 @@ impl SheetApp {
         }
         let vba: Vec<&str> = msgs.iter().copied().filter(|m| m.to_lowercase().contains("macro") || m.contains("VBA")).collect();
         if !vba.is_empty() {
+            // The reader says "dropped" when the VBA project was missing or unreadable; never promise to keep it then.
+            let dropped = vba.iter().any(|m| m.contains("dropped"));
+            let text = if dropped {
+                "This workbook's VBA macros could not be loaded and were dropped, so they will not be in the saved file. Keep the original file."
+            } else {
+                "This workbook contains VBA macros. GridCraft keeps them when you save as .xlsm, but does not run them."
+            };
             self.notice = Some(Notice {
-                text: "This workbook contains VBA macros. GridCraft keeps them intact when you save, but does not run them.".into(),
+                text: text.into(),
                 kind: NoticeKind::Warning,
                 action: Some(("What this means".into(), "macros".into())),
             });
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/tests/interaction.rs b/crates/ui-egui/tests/interaction.rs
index 02084ffb8..0b1d5c42e 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/tests/interaction.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/tests/interaction.rs
@@ -781,6 +781,22 @@ fn opening_a_macro_workbook_shows_a_notice() {
     assert!(h.state().notice.is_none());
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn dropped_macro_warning_never_promises_to_keep_macros() {
+    let mut h = harness(blank());
+    for w in [
+        "macros (VBA project) reference a missing part and were dropped",
+        "macros (VBA project) could not be read and were dropped: bad zip",
+    ] {
+        h.state_mut().show_open_warnings(&json!({"warnings": [w]}));
+        let n = h.state().notice.clone().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(n.kind, gridcraft_ui_egui::NoticeKind::Warning);
+        assert!(n.text.contains("dropped") && !n.text.contains("keeps them"), "{}", n.text);
+    }
+    h.state_mut().show_open_warnings(&json!({"warnings": ["macros (VBA project) were kept but not executed"]}));
+    assert!(h.state().notice.clone().unwrap().text.contains("keeps them when you save as .xlsm"));
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn plain_open_warning_becomes_an_info_notice() {
     let mut h = harness(blank());