Which are not intended for strangers. This may be strictly confidential information or simply undesirable for viewing by third parties. Users want to protect a file, but not everyone knows how to do it. This is especially important if the computer on which the Word document is stored is used by several people at home or at work.
Important files require extra security
One of the best ways to protect data from user interference is to set a password on the document. So it can be read and edited only by those who have the access code given to it by the owner. Unfortunately, in Windows there is no way to hide files or folders - it only allows you to deny access to a particular user to a directory in the system. At the same time, often people who use a computer do it through the same account. We have to look for other solutions to protect the text, because information in our time decides a lot:
- Using the built-in Microsoft Office Word feature that allows you to set a password for text. To do this, you do not have to use third-party programs, since everything is done right in the editor. You can set the combination to .doc, .docx, .ppt, .xls and .rtf documents. Using this method, you will not only restrict access to texts, but also protect them using AES, a technology that encrypts data in a 128-bit system.
- Through the WinRar archiver. Usually this program is installed on every computer, so it is easy to find and use. If there is no archiver, download it - it greatly simplifies work with a computer, data and their media.
- With the help of a third-party special program. There are a large number of services that allow you to set a password for a folder or file. We will consider one of them.
In addition, it is possible to protect the document only partially. This is also done in Microsoft Word. With this feature, you can prevent users who do not have a secret combination of characters from editing or formatting text. They will still be able to view the data.
It is also important to take into account that Word, WinRar and protection programs cannot send a combination of characters to your mail or mobile phone if you have forgotten it. It is advisable to choose not only a strong and complex, but also a memorable password.
Before proceeding to the installation of protection itself, you need to come up with an access code. To do this, you need to follow several principles. The complexity of the combination depends on how important information the Word text contains, and how reliably it needs to be protected from strangers. Also consider the computer usage capabilities of the people you share data with. Thus, if this is a document with sensitive content that is used only by you or a narrow circle of trusted persons, it is best to choose a complex password. You should also do this if you work on the same computer with professional users - they can try to crack the protection, and simple code is much more vulnerable. In case you share the file with loved ones, it will be enough to make a simple password.
Simple and obvious passwords can be not only guessed, but also cracked. This is done using programs that automatically select the code. Thus, the more characters in a combination, the more difficult it is to crack it - each new one multiplies the number of combinations by a certain number (up to 128 in the latest versions of the Word). In order to store complex codes, you can use a password manager. Such programs not only generate codes, but also allow you to store them so as not to forget.
What data should not be used when creating a password:
- Login of the user of the system, including in a modified form - backwards, doubled, with a different register, etc.;
- Your name, surname, patronymic or pseudonym in one form or another;
- Names and surnames of friends, relatives, children, spouses, colleagues and other close people;
- Various personal information - car number, address, street name, phone number;
- Lots of identical characters, especially following one after the other - this makes hacking easier;
- Frequently used words from any language.
The optimal password length is 6 characters or more.
- Use upper and lower case characters randomly;
- If possible, use non-letter values - numbers, punctuation marks, and other elements;
- Make a password that is memorable for you so as not to write it down on paper or any other data carrier, because this way they can find it;
- It is desirable that you can enter the code quickly and without looking at the keyboard - this will protect against peeping.
Setting a password on Word text
In Word 2010 and newer versions, it became possible to protect text without using external programs. Everything is done right in the text editor. To do this in Word 2010 and above:
Remember your combination of Word text - the program will not be able to recall it. You can copy the code to a password manager or a secure storage medium that can also be secured. And vice versa, it is not recommended to store it in another file on a computer, on paper or in a notebook (including on a phone), as other people can find it.
The password in Word 2010 and above can consist of any combination of numbers, symbols and letters - Latin and Russian. In addition, the character case is taken into account. The combination will be applied after you have entered it and then confirmed and clicked OK.
It is important to consider that the password will have to be entered each time Word text is opened. You need to remember the code well in order to use it quickly. In addition, the combination is needed to return the file to public access and remove protection.
Removing a password on a Word document
To remove protection with a special code, open the text. You will have to enter the secret combination again. For this:
- Go to the "File" tab on the main page of Microsoft Office Word;
- In the menu that opens, click on "Document Protection";
- In the drop-down list, select "Protect with a password";
- The "Document Encryption" window will open, in which you need to erase the combination entered earlier;
- Click "OK" - the password will be deleted and the changes will be saved.
How to Password Protect Word Text Using WinRar
You can also protect the text using an archiver. This method has several advantages:
- You can set a secret combination on a file, even if you are using an old version of Word;
- One password can protect an almost unlimited number of texts - as much as the computer's memory allows, which is much more convenient than manually setting the code in each text;
- Installation and management of protection in a familiar and convenient interface for most users;
- Documents saved in this way take up less space on the media.
In order to make a password on Word text in WinRar, you need:
- Right-click on the file and select "Add to archive" (this can be done with several files of any format or folders at once);
- In the archiver window that opens, go to the "Advanced" section and click "Set password";
- Enter the secret combination (the second time is needed for verification);
- Click "OK" - protection will be installed.
In order to make sure that the file is password-protected, open the created archive - you will need to enter the code.
The key in WinRar can consist of letters and numbers. Here, as in any other option, it is recommended to use the most complex combination possible.
How to remove password from WinRar archive
In this archiver, protection cannot be cancelled. In order to make the text public, you need to:
- Open the text by entering the code;
- Unzip it to a folder or desktop;
- Delete archive;
- Create a new one, move the document into it and do not set protection.
How to set a password on a Word document using a third-party program
One of the most popular file protection applications is LibreOffice. This is a program from Apache OpenOffice, which is distributed free of charge. In order to use it to put a secret combination on the Word text, you need:
- Click "File", then "Save As";
- In the window, select the future location and name of the text;
- Check the box "Save with password";
- In the new window, enter the combination you want to make, then repeat it to check;
- Click "OK" and the changes will be saved.
How to remove protection in LibreOffice
In case you need to make the document public again:
- Open the file and click "Save As";
- Uncheck the box for having a password;
- Save the text.
The program allows you to work with the .doc extension. It is important to keep in mind that the document cannot be opened without entering the code - in the same way, it will not be possible to remove protection.
How to Protect a Word Document Only from Making Changes
Microsoft Office offers users the option to protect a file only from editing and formatting. People who don't know the password will still be able to view the text. This is necessary if you work on the same computer and share data, but you want to protect it from changes.
To disable editing, you need:
- Open the desired document and go to the "Review" tab;
- In the "Protect" area, click "Restrict editing";
- Select "Formatting Restrictions" if you do not want other users to set text styles;
- Select one or more allowed styles from the drop-down menu;
- Select "Editing Restrictions" if you want to change the rights of users to make changes;
- In the drop-down menu, select their options - "Read only", "Write corrections", "Notes" or "Enter data in form fields".
- In the third section, click "Yes, enable protection";
- Enter the code in the "New password" window and confirm it.
If you select "Do not use a password", anyone can change the editing restrictions. To fine-tune the service, use the Active Directory feature.
If you need to allow some users to change data (including in restricted areas of the document), select them, and then specify who can work with them. Click the arrow to expand the list next to a user or group to see which areas are available to them.
How to Remove Edit Protection in a Word Document
If you again need to make the file changeable by any user:
- Find out the combination if you are not an authorized owner;
- Click "Disable Protection" in the "Restrict Formatting" area;
- Enter the secret combination to confirm the action.
Outcome
Setting a password on a Microsoft Office Word document is a fairly simple action that can be performed in several ways to choose from. So, any user can make protection in a few clicks. In addition, Word itself offers finer restrictions and allows you to prohibit only editing, and for certain users.
Remember that none of the considered methods gives you the opportunity to remember the password, so you need to save it securely. Don't install too simple code on important documents. Setting a secret combination to text is not the most reliable way to protect data. It is best to make a separate account in the system and restrict it from other users.
Good afternoon, regular readers of the site. The topic of today's article is how to protect a MS Word 2010 document and how to disable document editing.
By the way, most users do not use even 10% of the opportunities that this program provides. And absolutely in vain, because MS Word 2010 makes it possible not only to print the text, but also professionally format a text document of any complexity. The program has additional features that you may find useful. It is on the question of how to put a password on a MS Word 2010 document that I would like to dwell on in more detail.
First, I would like to answer a question:
Why do you need to protect a MS Word 2010 document?
There are two main reasons why you should take precautions.
The first reason is the protection of confidential data. Indeed, almost everyone has information that they would like to hide from prying eyes. This may be personal correspondence, a personal diary, other data to which access should be restricted. Naturally, the basic security features provided by MS Word 2010 will not be able to resist targeted hacking. But I think that the developers did not face a global security challenge. And as a protection against accidental opening by your relatives or friends, they are great.
The second reason is the protection of data from editing. This is a stronger argument in favor of the need to protect MS Word 2010 documents. Let's imagine a typical office. A sufficiently large number of documents are stored in the public domain (local network) and can be edited by several users. As a result, a situation may arise when a report or presentation carefully prepared by you can change beyond recognition. The reason is not necessarily someone's malicious intent. It's just that your colleagues forgot to keep a copy, read your report and made their own corrections. This usually happens at the most inopportune moment. Agree it's pretty annoying.
If, of course, there is a normal system administrator in the office, then he will be able to restrict the rights to any documents or folders. But as often happens, the employees themselves do not think about this issue, because they do not know that this task can be implemented in the organization with the help of the administrator.
Let's go directly to the topic of today's article.
How to Protect a MS Word 2010 Document
To solve it, depending on what kind of protection is required, you can use several methods.
File opening protection. In MS Word 2010, access to data with a password is implemented quite simply. To do this, just go to the "File" menu, then click "Details" in the submenu.
Next, select the "Protect Document" option on the right. The item "Encrypt with a password" a window appears in which you need to enter the desired passphrase. For beginners, I want to add that you will be asked to enter the password twice. After entering the password, another window will appear in which you must enter the password for confirmation.
Once saved, the document can only be opened by entering the password.
A little advice. Be at least a little creative when choosing a password. Not so long ago we laughed with one system administrator. He expressed a fairly correct phrase - in the office, a third of people put the password "1", another third "123". After that, half of them manage to forget him.
By the way, who had a situation when you change your password, and forget the next day? And this happened, especially late at night and when I did everything on the machine. I am not a robot;).
Edit Protection. In addition to password protection, MS Word also makes it possible to restrict editing of a document in whole or in part. To do this, you need to set the appropriate permissions in the same "Protect Document" submenu. For example, the "Mark as final" option allows you to view the document, but does not allow you to make changes.
After clicking on the "Edit Anyway" button, you can make changes to the document.
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And that's all for today. I hope that these small tips will help you secure your data.
P.S.: Who has already eaten watermelons this year? I looked on the Internet what you can eat only in August, but I could not resist and bought it. What is the probability of getting poisoned from watermelons at this time?
Greetings!
If you need to hide the contents of some important Word document from prying eyes, then the easiest way to do this is by setting a password that will be requested when you try to open this file.
This material will describe in detail how to set (or remove) this same password for a Microsoft Word 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 text editor document.
Document password: principles
By setting a password to open the document, the file itself will be encrypted. This is done in order to securely protect the information contained in it.
To decrypt the document and view it, you will need the password that was set earlier. Remember that a strong crypto algorithm is used to encrypt the file, and if you forget the password set for the file, then with a very high degree of probability you will no longer see the information contained in the file.
And now let's look at how a password is set for a document in different versions of the Word editor.
Setting a Password on a Document in Word 2003
First of all, you need to open the document in the editor for which you want to set a password.
This will open a window with many tabs. In this window, go to the tab Security. By going to this tab, at the very top you will see a form for setting a password for the document.
Enter the desired password and press the key OK.
After pressing the key, a password confirmation window will be displayed - enter the password again and press the key OK.
Ready! The password for the word document is set. When you close the document and open it again, you will be asked for a password to open this file.
It must be said that the number of attempts to enter a possible password is unlimited, so you don’t have to worry about errors in the entered combination.
Setting a Password on a Document in Word 2007
In this version of Microsoft's text editor, the interface is slightly different from Microsoft Office 2003. This means that the instructions will also be slightly different:
In the upper left corner of the Microsoft Office editor there is a button with a logo, clicking on which opens the main menu of the editor. Click on it and select the item from the list that appears. Prepare, and then Encrypt Document.
Set a password for a document in Word 2010
In the Word editor, click on the item in the upper left menu File. In the list that opens, click on the item Intelligence. On the opposite side, a window will appear in which you will need to click on the button with the inscription Protect Document, and then Encrypt with a password.
As a result, it remains only to specify the desired password, and then confirm it. Ready! Your document is securely protected.
Set a password for a document in Word 2013
The instructions for setting a password in Microsoft Word 2013 are step by step the same as those for the Word 2010 version. Only at the last stage, the menu item is not called Encrypt with a password, but . Everything else is identical.
Set a password for a document in Word 2016
In this case, the guide for setting a password for a Word document is completely the same as that for the Word 2013 version. Complete step-by-step identity.
How to remove password from word document
It would be logical to assume that it may be necessary to remove the password from the word document. How this is done will be written below.
Removing a Password on a Document in Word 2003
First, open the file you want to remove the password from. Then click on the top menu item Service, and after item Parameters. In the window that opens, go to the tab Security.
Delete from the password field there all the characters that are represented by black dots and press the key OK.
When you close the document itself, be sure to answer yes to the prompt to save changes.
Ready! The password for the Word document has been removed.
Removing a Password on a Document in Word 2007
Open the document where you need to remove the password.
In the upper left area of the Microsoft Word 2007 window there is a button with the Microsoft Office logo - click it. In the list that appears, click on the item Prepare, and then - Encrypt Document.
Clear the password input field by deleting all existing characters from there (represented by black dots) click on the button OK.
When closing the document, save the changes by answering yes to the request Save changes or not?
Everything. The document is no longer password protected.
Removing a Password on a Document in Word 2010
First, open the word document from which you want to remove the opening password.
In the top menu, click on File. In the menu that opens, select the item Intelligence. A menu will appear on the right with additional options. In this menu, click on the big button located there Protect Document, and then Encrypt with a password.
Remove the previously set password by removing all the black dots present there, and press the button OK. When you close your document in the editor itself, don't forget to save your changes.
Great, the password for the once protected document has been removed.
Removing a Password on a Document in Word 2013
The instruction for removing a password from a Word document almost completely corresponds step by step to that for the version of Microsoft Word 2010. The only difference is in the naming of the item Encrypt with a password- in Word 2013 he is called Encrypt with a password.
Everything else is exactly the same.
Removing a password on a document in Word 2016
In the current case, the instruction for removing the password for a word document is fully consistent with that for the version Word 2013. Absolute step-by-step matching.
Recent versions of Microsoft Office maintain a common continuity in controls and their layout.
Summary
In this material, it was described in detail about how to set and remove a password from word documents, detailed instructions with screenshots were given. After reading it, there should be no questions about how to protect an important document with a password, thereby protecting the file from being viewed by strangers.
If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments.
Some of the documents you work with in Word may not be intended for other users. In this case, it is recommended to set a password for the document. After installing this, only those who know the password will be able to access the document and edit it.
Setting passwords for Microsoft Word files
The functionality of the office suite allows you to block any document created in it with a user password. You don't need to download any additional programs. However, depending on the version of Microsoft Office, the lock setting process may be slightly different. Below we will consider how to set a password for a Word document in different versions of the program.
Microsoft Word 2007
This version is already considered very outdated, but is actively used by some users. Instructions for setting a document lock in Word 2007 are as follows:
Microsoft Word 2010
This version is also considered obsolete, but is actively used by many users and institutions. The interface here is slightly different from the previously reviewed version, so the instruction will also look a little different:
Modern versions of MS Word
Since the 2013 version, the Word interface has undergone minor changes, so the instructions below will be relevant for both versions of 2013 and 2016 and later:
Alternative option
If you need to block access to several Word documents at once, you can use the capabilities of WinRAR, the famous program for creating and opening archives.
The instruction in this case will look like this:
As you can see, there is nothing difficult in protecting this or that Word document with a password. In case you forget it, you can access the document, but this is a topic for a separate article.
