Work with Protected Documents

You can limit the changes others can make to a document by protecting it with a password.

You can limit the styles available to format the document, the kinds of changes users can make, and the users who can make changes.

PROTECT A DOCUMENT

1. Click Tools.

2. Click Protect Document.

   

   The Protect Document task pane appears.

3. Click here to limit document formatting to the styles you select ().

4. Click OK to redisplay the Protect Document pane.

   

5. Click here to specify editing restrictions ( changes to

   The Start Enforcing Protection dialog box appears.

6. Type a password.

7. Retype the password.

8. Click OK.

9. Click the Save icon

   Word protects the document and saves the protection.

Can I protect a document so that only those with permission can open it?

1. Open the document you want to password-protect.

2. Follow steps 1 and 2 in this section, but click Options for step 2.

3. Click the Security tab.

4. Type a password here.

5. Click OK.

   Word prompts you to retype the password and click OK.

   

   The next time you open the document, you must supply the password.

Once you protect a document, Word permits only specified users to make the types of changes allowed by the protection.

WORK IN A PROTECTED DOCUMENT

1. Open a protected document.

   Areas you can edit are highlighted.

2. Try to make a change in an area that is not highlighted.

   A message appears in the status bar, explaining that you cannot make the modification because that area of the document is protected.

   

3. Press + Note 

   The appearance of the Protect Document task pane changes, depending on the type of protection you enabled.

4. Click Find Next Region I Can Edit.

   

   

   You can edit the selected region.

5. Repeat step 4 as necessary.

REMOVE PROTECTION

1. In a protected document, display the Protect Document task pane.

   Note 

   You can remove protection only if you know the document password.

   Note 

2. Click Stop Protection.

3. In the Unprotect Document dialog box that appears, type the password.

4. Click OK.

   

   Word removes the protection.

If I remove protection, do I lose all my protection settings?

No, Word retains the settings but does not enforce them. The protected areas become available for editing. The unprotected areas appear shaded in gray rather than yellow. You can make changes and then protect the document again by clicking Yes, Start Enforcing Protection in the Protect Document task pane and supplying a password.

What happens if I select Tracked Changes for the editing restrictions?

You do not see the Find Next Region I Can Edit button, the Show All Regions I Can Edit button, or the Highlight the regions I can edit option ( changes to ). Instead, a message appears explaining that the document is protected and that you can make changes but Word will track them.