How to Password Protect a Word Document? – 2 Simple Ways
Note: (This guide on how to password protect a Word document is suitable for all Microsoft Word versions, including Office 365)
A Word document is generally used to write work-related articles, blogs, letters, create personal profiles, and much more. In most cases, the data we store in a Word document is sensitive and confidential.
Knowing how to password protect a Word document is essential if you work under such an organization or possess sensitive information. Good thing Microsoft provides the option to protect your document with a password and restrict access to any potential data breach.
Did you know? Legitimate software companies encrypt their documents and sheets with auto-generated passwords by their developers to ensure the privacy of the company.
I will guide you through the steps on how to password protect a Word document. Let’s jump right in.
You’ll learn:
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Ways to Password Protect a Word Document
While sharing a document with people, you will use the link to share the document, thereby granting permission to make changes. By default, people can view the document’s contents. The only way to prevent it is by protecting it with a password. Let us look at the different ways to do it.
- Using the Share option
- Using the Info Tab
The above two methods will help to protect your document with a password, thus securing your data.
1. How to Password Protect a Word Document Using the Share Option
Open the document you want to secure with a password or create a new blank document to try this method out for your reference. Try this method with a sample document by setting a simple password and performing the same on the confidential one.
Let’s create a new blank document and name it How to Password Protect a Word Document, for example.
Step 1: Go to the Share icon at the top right corner, above the menu ribbon.
Step 2: Clicking the Share icon lists the following options: Share, Copy Link, and Manage Access. Click on the Share option from the list to encrypt your document with a password.
Step 3: The Send link dialog box opens and lists options to share the document link. The share option ‘Anyone with the link’ allows anyone to view or edit it. To be specific with sharing, you must add the account information of the person.
Step 4: Click on Anyone with this link setting to expand the sharing options. You can set the document to the Can view option to prevent anyone from making changes.
Step 5: You will find the password bar below the Expiration Date set. Enter a Password to protect the Word document. Set a strong but easy password to remember. Copy the link and share it with your friend or colleague.
Step 6: Ensure to share the password with people to view the document, as it requires the password to open it.
Note: This method requires a premium account to access the expiration date and password protection.
We saw how to password protect a Word document using the share option in this method.
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2. How to Password Protect a Word Document Using the Info Tab
Step 1: To protect your document using the Info tab method, open the document and head to the File tab.
Step 2: Choose the Info tab from the list displayed and click on it.
Step 3: Click the Protect Document icon and select the Encrypt with Password option. You can limit the document’s access from the dropdown list under the Protect document option.
Step 4: Set any type of password you want and re-enter to confirm your password. Your document is now encrypted with password protection.
Step 5: Ensure to save the file before closing it abruptly. The next time you open the document or share the link with a person, Word prompts the user to enter the password.
Choose from the settings below the Protect document dropdown box to secure your document with additional protection.
In this method, we saw how to password protect a Word document using the Info Tab.
Points to Remember
Before closing this topic on how to password protect a Word document, here are some potential blockers you may face during the process.
- If you can’t encrypt a document with a password, the document may have already been protected with one.
- If you forget the password that you kept for a document, there is little hope that you can retrieve it, as the password is required to open the document.
- If a Microsoft Word document displays an error message when you try to protect it with a password, you need to save it to the OneDrive Cloud storage.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I protect older versions of a Word document?
Go to the Info tab under the File menu, click Protect Document box and select Encrypt with a Password option. The steps remain the same for older versions of Word, up to the 2010 version.
Is it safe to password-protect a Word document?
When you protect a document with a password, the security is enhanced, and access permissions to the document are restricted. It is safe and recommended to protect your documents containing confidential and personal information. Remember the password, as Word asks you to enter it each time you open the document.
Can you hack a password-protected Word document?
When encrypted, a Word document is protected with AES-256 bit protection, the longest and most complex form of security for plain text content. If a document falls into the wrong hands, they might need powerful resources to crack open password encryption.
How to remove password protection from a Word document?
To remove the password, go to the File→Info tab, click Protect Document→Encrypt with Password, and erase the password you previously set. You cannot retrieve the document if you don’t have the password.
Final Thoughts
An effective way to secure your document, whether it be for personal or professional purposes, is the password protection feature in Word. In this article, we saw how to password protect a Word document in two different yet easy methods. You can try these methods to secure your document and restrict unauthorized access.
For more such tutorials, please visit our free resources section for high-quality MS Word or Excel guides.
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Simon Sez IT has taught Excel and other business software for over ten years. You can access 150+ IT training courses for a low monthly fee.
Simon Calder
Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA.He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!
