diff --git a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index a7488e0f2f..77ec4dc75d 100644
--- a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -690,9 +690,9 @@ if(Protobuf_FOUND OR Protobuf_FOUND)
     #We have a check here but most of the cmake users don't know the Protobuf_USE_STATIC_LIBS
     # variable exists and may leave it in a wrong state.
     if(NOT Protobuf_USE_STATIC_LIBS)
-      #Indeed here should be a warning, not a fatal error. ONNX Runtime itself can work in such a
-      #setting but it may cause compatibility issue when ONNX Runtime is integrated with the other ONNX ecosystem softwares.
-      message(FATAL_ERROR "Please enable Protobuf_USE_STATIC_LIBS")
+      # ONNX Runtime itself can work in such a setting but it may cause compatibility issues
+      # when ONNX Runtime is integrated with the other ONNX ecosystem softwares.
+      message(WARNING "Use Protobuf_USE_STATIC_LIBS to ensure compatibility with other ONNX ecosystem components.")
     endif()
   else()
     set(PROTOBUF_LIB protobuf::libprotobuf-lite)