How to Password Protect a Word Document

When a document is finished, you have a few ways to let others know that further edits aren’t needed, and to prevent them from making any edits at all.

Mark as Final

Marking a document as final lets others know that it’s finished and no further edits are necessary. It also removes proofing and editing markup.

1. Click the File tab.
   
2. Click the Protect Document button.

   Several options for protecting a document appear here.

3. Select Mark as Final.

   The first confirmation dialog box lets you know that marking a document as final will also save it.

   

4. Click OK.

   A second confirmation dialog box appears. This one explains a bit about what marking a document as final will do.

   

5. Click OK.
   

All typing, editing commands, and proofing marks are cleaned up. The ribbon is hidden to discourage editing and a Marked as Final icon appears in the status bar.

Password Protect a Document

If a document will still need a few changes, but only from specified individuals, you can also password-protect a document to limit who can open and edit it.

1. Click the File tab.
   
2. Click the Protect Document button.
3. Select Encrypt with Password.

   The Encrypt Document dialog box appears with a password field, where you can enter a password.

   

4. Type your password into the field and click OK.
5. Reenter the password in the field and click OK.
   

Now anyone who wants to open the document will need to enter the password first.

Remove a Password

Setting a password on a document isn’t permanent. If you need to remove it, you can. Once the password is correctly entered to open the protected file, you can follow the steps to remove it.

1. Click the File tab.
   
2. Click the Protect Document button.
3. Select Encrypt with Password.

   The Encrypt Document dialog box opens again, with the password filled in already.

   

4. Delete the password in the field.
5. Click OK.
   

The password is removed and no longer required to open the document.