You've created an important or confidential file in Microsoft Word or Excel that you want to keep private or at least keep safe. Maybe you want to make sure that only you and certain people can read or edit it. Maybe you want to limit the types of modifications someone can make to a file. You can even assure your readers that this is the final version. If you know which tools to use in Word and Excel and how they work, you can do all this and more.
The latest versions of Microsoft Word and Excel offer a variety of options for protecting documents, including read-only mode, password protection, editing restrictions, and digital signatures. You can also mark a document as final so that people know that it hasn't changed since it was last saved.
These options are available for Word and Excel 2010 and later, but we'll use the Microsoft 365 versions of both programs for this guide. In this release, Mark a document as final and a read-only document are two separate options, but they are used in conjunction with each other in older versions.
Make sure that others can't edit the document by making it read-only. In Word, click the File menu. Select Info > Protect documents to see your security options. The selection is always open as read-only. Now save the document, close it, and reopen it.
Word flashes a message that the author wants you to open this document in read-only mode, unless you need to make changes. Click Yes to open the document in read-only mode. A message appears telling you that you can only view the document because you don't have permission to edit it.
Of course, when asked if to open the file in read-only mode and launch it in edit mode, anyone can say no. Instead, the goal is to make it easier for people to open documents in a read-only manner to reduce the chances of making unexpected changes.
To remove the read-only limit, open the document in edit mode. Click the File menu, go to Info, click the Protect Document button, and select Always Open Read-Only.
The steps in excel are pretty much the same. Click the File menu, select Info, click the Protect Workbook button, and then select Always Open Read-Only. Save and close the workbook. Open it and you'll see a message that the author wants you to open it in read-only mode. To remove a limitation, open the workbook in edit mode. Click the File menu, go to Info, click the Protect Document button, and select Always Open Read-Only.
You can encrypt a document or workbook so that only people with the correct password can edit or view it. In Word, go to "File" > "Information" > "Protect Document". In Excel, go to "File" > "Info" > "Protect Workbook". Select the "Encrypt with Password" option. You'll be prompted to create a password for the file. Type and then retype the password you want to use. Be sure to use a complex but memorable password, because if you forget it, you can't retrieve or reset it**.
Save the file, close it, and then reopen it. Word or Excel will prompt you (and others) to enter a password to access the file.
To remove the password, go back to File > Info> Protect Document or File > Info > Protect Workbook, and then select the Encrypt with Password option. In the pop-up window that appears, remove the hidden password and click OK. Resave and close the file. The next time you open it, you won't be asked to enter your password.
You can restrict how you can edit a Word document. In Word, go to "File" > "Information" > "Protect Document" and select "Restrict Editing".
On the right side of the document, a Restrict Editing pane appears, which allows you to format and limit editing. Here, you can give people permission to read your document, choose which parts they can edit, and choose how they operate.
Check the box next to "Restrict formatting to selected styles" to prevent users from changing the format of the document. Click Settings to open the Format Restrictions pop-up window, which shows all the style changes that are allowed by default. You can leave it as it is and change it to Recommended minimum, or change it to None. If you're not sure which setting to choose, select Recommended minimum.
You can also check any of the three options under Format to allow Auto-Format to override formatting restrictions, prevent switching themes or schemes, and prevent switching quick style sets. If you're not sure, uncheck these three settings. Click OK to close the Format Restrictions window.
Under Editing restrictions, check the box next to Only allow this type of editing in the document to set how readers of the document can change the content of the document. Click on the drop-down menu below to choose between four options:
Tracked Changes will enable Track Changes in Document and restrict all other types of edits.
Annotations allow readers to insert annotations into a document without having to modify them.
Filling out a form allows readers to fill out a form that you create, but it doesn't change the content.
No changes (read-only) puts the document in read-only mode, so no changes can be made.
If you check the Comment or No Change (Read Only) option, you can create exceptions so that users can edit certain parts of the document. In the Exceptions section, select any part of the document that you want to edit, and then select the Everyone check box.
When you're done setting everything up, click Yes, start forced protection, then type and retype your password, and then click OK. Save the document, close it, and reopen it to confirm that the editing controls on the top ribbon are grayed out. If you allow editing in certain parts of the document, click on that area and the controls will be accessible again. You can also click the "Find Next I Can Edit" or "Show All I Can Edit" buttons to find editable areas.
To turn off protection, click the Review tab, and then click the Restrict Editing icon. Click the Stop Protection button at the bottom of the Restrict Editing pane, enter a password, and then click OK. Uncheck the "Formatting and Editing Restrictions" option that appears on the pane.
You can protect a specific worksheet in an excel workbook to control what changes users are allowed to make to it. To do this, go to File > Info > Protect Workbook > Current Worksheet.
In the Protect Worksheet window that pops up in the current worksheet, create and type a password to protect the worksheet. Select the "Protect the contents of worksheets and locked cells" check box to prevent any locked cells from being edited. Under the setting of Allow all users of this worksheet, select any check boxes to allow users to perform the relevant action. Otherwise, leave the settings as they are, and then click OK. Retype your password to continue.
Save the workbook, and then reopen it. Try to delete or modify any cell, and you will get a message telling you that the cell or chart you want to change is on a protected worksheet. To make changes, click the Review menu, select Unprotect Sheet, and then type your password.
You can also protect the entire workbook to prevent users from adding or removing individual worksheets. Go to Files> Info > Protect Workbook. Click on the Protect Workbook Structure option. In the workbook, type and retype the password when prompted, and then click OK.
Right-click on any sheet tab, and you'll notice that the commands for Insert, Delete, Rename, Move or Copy, Hide, and Unhide are grayed out. To unprotect the structure of a workbook, return to File > Info > Protect Workbook. Click on the Protect Workbook Structure option. Enter your password when prompted, and then re-save the workbook.
To protect a document or workbook with a digital signature, go to File > Info > Protect Document or File > Info > Protect Workbook, and then select Add Digital Signature. This tells the person reading your document that neither you nor anyone else signed the document, indicating that you were the last person to modify and save the document.
To create a digital signature, you need a signing certificate. The first time you do this, Word or Excel flashes a message asking if you want to set up a digital signature. Click Yes and a Microsoft support page will pop up to help you find your numeric ID. Please try the links of the individual providers to get the numeric ID. Then, click on the "Add or remove digital signatures in Office files" link. Scroll down the page to learn how to add a digital signature.
After adding the digital identity, go back to the Protect Document or Protect Workbook button, and then click Add Digital Signature again. Fill in the necessary fields and click on the "Sign" button. You might be asked to confirm your digital signature, and then click OK.
Your document or workbook is now digitally signed and read-only. A message explains that the file has been signed and marked as final, and that the signature will be invalid if someone has tampered with the document. Anyone who opens the document will see your digital signature notification.
Instead of using a digital signature, you can still mark a document as final in a more informal way. Go to File> Info> Protect Document or File> Info > Protect Workbook, and then select Mark as Final. You will be informed that the document or workbook is now final and will be saved. By marking the file as final, you're disabling typing, editing, and proofing, and any reader will see a message that the document has been finalized.
Anyone who opens a file will see a message at the top of the screen informing them of the status of the file. However, if a reader clicks on the "Edit Anyway" button, they can still make changes to it. Once clicked, they can edit and re-save the document.
The ultimate goal of this option is not to prevent anyone from editing the file, but to tell the reader that this is the final version recommended. If someone still wants to edit the file further, their actions will be recorded. When a document or workbook is marked as Final and then edited again, the original person who locked the document or workbook will still appear as the author, and someone else will be saved as the person who last modified the document or workbook.