How to Unlock a Password-Protected Word Document

Scott Orgera is a former Lifewire writer covering tech since 2007. He has 25+ years' experience as a programmer and QA leader, and holds several Microsoft certifications including MCSE, MCP+I, and MOUS. He is also A+ certified.

Microsoft Word offers different levels of protection for documents. For example, you can select whether or not others can edit or open files. This is done by locking documents with a password and configuring protection settings based on your needs.

Instructions in this article apply to Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.

How to Lock a Word Document in Windows

Follow these steps to lock your document using the password protection feature in Microsoft Word.

The password is not recoverable, so store it somewhere safe.

1. Open the Word document you wish to protect.

Go to the File tab, located in the upper-left corner, then select Info from the left menu pane.

Select Protect Document. A drop-down menu appears containing several options.

Select Encrypt with Password.

Select OK.

How to Lock a Word Document in macOS

Follow the directions below to lock your document using the password protection feature in macOS.

1. Open the Word document that you wish to protect.

Go to the Review tab, located near the top of the Word interface.

Select Protect Document.

In the Password Protect dialog box, go to the Set a password to open this document text box and enter a password.

Re-enter the password to confirm it and select OK.

How to Add Restrictions to a Word Document in Windows

In addition to locking a Word document with a password, you can apply additional restrictions that control the kinds of edits other users can make. This is helpful if you want to provide others access to the document while limiting the changes they can make to the content.

1. Go to the Review tab.

In the Protect group, select Restrict Editing.

The Restrict Editing pane appears on the right side of the screen and contains configurable formatting and editing restrictions. These options include the ability to allow comments only, tracked changes, or form entries within the document. You can also limit the formatting to a specific set of styles (for example, HTML only). You can also select specific regions of the document for editing by designated groups while restricting changes to all other users.

Select the X in the upper-right corner of the Restrict Editing pane when you're satisfied with the settings.

How to Add Restrictions on macOS

The restrictions differ slightly in Word for Mac. Follow these steps to set restrictions for a document.

1. Go to the Review tab, located toward the top of the Word interface.

Select Protect Document.

In the Password Protect dialog box, go to the Protection section and select the Protect document for check box.

Select the Privacy check box if you want to remove personal information when the file is saved.

Select OK when you're satisfied with the settings.

How to Remove a Password From a Word Document

If you previously locked a Word document, removing its password protection restriction is a simple process. However, you must be signed in as the document owner. Depending on the platform, repeat the steps in the respective tutorial above until you return to the Protect Document button.

For Windows

Select Protect Document.

Select Encrypt with Password.

Remove the password from the field provided.

Select OK to unlock the document.

For macOS

1. Go to the Review tab and select Protect Document.

Remove the passwords from the Password fields.

These features are not available in Word Online. However, you can control who you share documents with, as well as whether or not they have edit access to the documents.