Can edit microsoft word document

“Why Microsoft Word won’t let me edit?

Word documents are very important in an office setting as a lot of official work and reports are done in Microsoft Word. Microsoft’s Productive Suite is very easy to work in, with Microsoft Word being one of the best text editors available in the market. But what if for some reason you can’t edit Word document all of a sudden? It can be especially problematic for office workers.

We definitely understand how distressing this problem can, which is why in this article we have discussed several ways that can be used to diagnose and troubleshoot this problem.

We have shown a VIDEO walk through at the end of the post for easy solution. 

There can be various reasons that can stop you from editing your Word document, let’s look at the causes of this problem:

  • If the trial version of the office program that you are running expires, then you can face this issue.
  • The Word file may be set to open in read-only mode, which is why you are unable to edit it.
  • If editing the Word document has been restricted, then this problem can occur.
  • The Protected view feature is enabled can restrict editing documents that can potentially harm your computer.
  • If more than one user has the document open in a shared network, then you cannot edit the Word document.
  • The the file may not be a Word document (.docx) but rather converted to .doc, which is why Microsoft Word won’t let you edit it.

What To Do When You Can’t Edit Word Document

Now that you know the various causes of this problem, it’s time to troubleshoot them one by one.

Solution 1: Check Some Basic Issues

This problem can occur if you are using a trial version of the Office program and the trial period has expired. The first thing that you need to do if you are using a trial version is to check if the trial period has finished.

Next, if the document you want to edit is in any removable device, then copy it and paste it in your hard disk and then try editing it.

Then, check if the Word is asking for a password when you are trying to edit the document. If yes, then ask the owner of the document to give you the password.

Finally, check if the document you are trying to open is really a .doc file. Sometimes this problem can arise when other file formats are converted into .doc, which Microsoft Word may not allow to be edited.

Solution 2: Disable Read-Only Mode

This problem can also occur if the document has been opened in read-only mode. In this scenario, disabling the read-only mode should fix this problem.

To disable the read-only mode, follow the steps given below:

  1. Locate the Word document you want to edit and right-click on it.
  2. Click on the Properties option from the pop-up menu.
  3. Uncheck the Read-only attribute in the General tab.

Disable_read_only_mode_of_word_document

  1. Now, select the Security tab and see if the elements in the Group or user names section have been allowed the Full control, Modify, Read & execute, Read, Write permissions.
  2. If they are not allowed then, click on the Edit option below the Group or user names section and select the boxes for the options given above.
  3. Finally, click on Apply and OK to save all the changes.

Edit_permissions_of_word_document

Now, check if you still can’t edit Word document. This solution should fix this problem.

Solution 3: Change the Restrict Editing Settings

As mentioned above, documents can be restricted to edit. If this is the case, then changing the Restrict Editing settings should fix this problem.

To change the Restrict Editing settings, follow the steps given below:

  1. First, open the document in Microsoft Word and then click on the Review option.
  2. Click on the Restrict Editing option. If any of the restriction boxes are selected, then uncheck them.
  3. Close down the document and reopen it.

Disable_restrict_editing

Disabling the Restrict Editing feature should solve this issue.

Solution 4: Disable The Protected View Feature

The Protected View feature in Microsoft Word basically opens the potentially malicious documents in a restricted mode. Thus, this security feature can stop you from editing the Word document if it considers the document as malicious or a threat to your computer.

To disable Protected view, follow the steps given below:

  1. Open the document in the Microsoft Word and click on the File option.
  2. Scroll down and click on the Options It will open the Word options panel on your computer.
  3. Now, click on the Trust Centre option and then click on the Trust Centre Settings.

Trust_center_settings

  1. Click on the Protected View option.
  2. Now, uncheck all the options related to Protected View and then click on OK.

Disable_protected_view

Close the document and then reopen it. Check if you are able to edit it or not. If you still cannot edit Word document, then try the next solution.

Solution 5: Remove The Owner Of The File

If you are trying to open a word document that is available in a shared network and you are unable to edit it, then most likely someone else has the file opened and already editing it. If that’s the case then the file will only open in Read-only mode, unless you remove the file owner.

To remove the file owner, follow the steps given below:

  1. First, save the word document that you are unable to edit and then close down all the programs, including the document.
  2. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your desktop to open the Task Manager.
  3. In the Processes tab, locate and right-click on the exe process and then click on the End Process option in the pop-up menu.
  4. If any dialog opens up asking to close down the program because it’s not responding, then click on Ok.
  5. Close the Task Manager and navigate to the folder in which the Word document is located.
  6. Locate the file named as ~$cument.doc and delete it.
  7. Now, open the document in Microsoft Word. If any dialog appears asking to load changes made to the template, then click on No.

This solution should fix this problem.

 

Wrapping Up

So, now you know what to do if you can’t edit Word document. The troubleshooting methods given above should help you fix this problem. Feel free to share your thoughts on the article in the comment section.

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Word for Microsoft 365 Word 2021 Word 2019 Word 2016 Word 2013 Word 2010 More…Less

If you receive or open a document and can’t make any changes, it might be Open for viewing only in Protected View. Follow these steps to edit:

  1. Go to File > Info.

  2. Select Protect document.

  3. Select Enable Editing.

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This wikiHow teaches you how to edit a Microsoft Word document’s page layout, change its design theme, and make basic style edits on the text, using a computer.

  1. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 1

    1

    Open the Word document you want to edit. Find the document you want to edit, and double-click on its name to open the text file.

  2. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 2

    2

    Click the Layout tab at the top. This button is located above the toolbar ribbon in the upper-left corner of your document. It will open your layout tools on the toolbar ribbon.

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  3. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 3

    3

    Click the Margins menu on the top-left. This is the first option on the Layout ribbon. It will open your document’s margin options on a drop-down menu.

  4. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 4

    4

    Select the document margin you want to use. You can use Normal, Narrow, Moderate, Wide, or Mirrored margins.

    • Click a margin option to see what it looks like.
    • You can see the exact margin indent values below each option.
    • If you don’t like any of the options here, click Custom Margins at the bottom, and manually enter the margin indent values you want to use.
  5. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 5

    5

    Select a paragraph or section to customize margin and spacing. You can manually customize the margin indent and spacing options of a paragraph or section in your text without affecting the overall margins of your document.

  6. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 6

    6

    Fill out the Indent and Spacing values on the toolbar. You can find these sections in the middle of the Layout ribbon.

    • Indent will allow you to customize the selected region’s margins from left and right.
    • Spacing will allow you to make the space above or below the selected region larger or smaller.
  7. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 7

    7

    Click the Orientation menu next to Margins. This will open your document’s page orientation options on a drop-down menu.

  8. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 8

    8

    Select Portrait or Landscape on the menu. Click one of the options here to change your document’s page orientation.

  9. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 9

    9

    Click the Size menu next to Orientation. This will open a list of available paper size configurations you can use for your document.

  10. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 10

    10

    Find and select the paper size you want to use. This will help you accurately preview your document’s print output on the paper size you’re planning to use.

  11. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 11

    11

    Click the Columns next to Size. This option allow you to create multiple text columns in your text document.

    • You can select a paragraph or section in your document and apply your columns here if you want to use different numbers of columns in different parts of your text.
  12. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 12

    12

    Select the number of columns you want to use. Click a column option on the drop-down menu to apply it to the selected part of your text.

    • Two and Three will create multiple, equal-sized columns.
    • Left and Right will create two columns, and make one of them wider than the other one.
    • If you want to manually customize your column number, size, and spacing, click More Columns at the bottom.
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  1. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 13

    1

    Click the Design tab at the top. You can find it between Insert and Layout above the toolbar ribbon in the upper-left corner. It will open your design tools on the ribbon.

  2. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 14

    2

    Click the Themes button. This is the first option on the Design toolbar in the upper-left corner. It will open your document theme options on a drop-down menu.

  3. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 15

    3

    Select a theme on the drop-down menu. Click on a theme to see different design variations of it.

    • When you select a theme, related design variations will be listed next to it on the Design ribbon.
  4. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 16

    4

    Click the Colors button. This button is located towards the right-hand side of the toolbar ribbon. It will open a drop-down menu of different color palettes you can use.

  5. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 17

    5

    Select a color palette. Click the color palette you want to use. This will filter the themes on the toolbar ribbon, and restrict the selection to the selected color palette.

  6. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 18

    6

    Click the Fonts button. This will open a list of all the available fonts you can use for your text.

  7. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 19

    7

    Select the font you want to use in your document. This will filter the themes on the ribbon, and only show themes with your selected font.

  8. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 20

    8

    Click a design theme on the toolbar ribbon. Find an interesting design and click on it to apply the theme to your document.

    • Some themes will change all the heading and spacing stylings in your document whereas some other will do as little as only changing your font.
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  1. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 21

    1

    Click the Home tab on the top-left. This button is in the upper-left corner of your document. It will open your text styling tools on the toolbar ribbon.

  2. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 22

    2

    Select the text you want to format. You can select a word, sentence, paragraph or section in your document.

    • If you want to select the entire document, press Control+A on Windows, or Command+A on Mac.
  3. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 23

    3

    Click the

    Android 7 Dropdown

    icon next to the Font field. This will open a list of all your available font options.

  4. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 24

    4

    Select a font on the menu to apply it. Clicking a font here will change the selected text to this font.

  5. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 25

    5

    Enter a number into the Font Size field. This field shows the current size of your text next to the Font field.

    • You can manually enter a size here, or click the
      Android 7 Dropdown

      icon and select a size on the menu.

  6. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 26

    6

    Select an alignment position for your text. The alignment buttons look like aligned, centered, and justified paragraph icons in the middle of the Home toolbar.

    • You can align your text left, center it, align it right, or justify it.
  7. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 27

    7

    Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button. This button looks like a paragraph icon with two blue arrows next to it. It will open your spacing options on a drop-down menu.

  8. Image titled Edit Word Documents on PC or Mac Step 28

    8

    Select the spacing option you want to use. You can set your spacing at different common values like 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0.

    • If you want to double-space your text, select 2.0 here.
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You can also edit many other file formats. Please see the complete list below.

MOBI EDITOR
Mobipocket eBook (.mobi)

AZW3 EDITOR
Kindle eBook format (.azw3)

PPT EDITOR
PowerPoint Presentation (.ppt)

PPTX EDITOR
PowerPoint Open XML Presentation (.pptx)

PPS EDITOR
PowerPoint Slide Show (.pps)

PPSX EDITOR
PowerPoint Open XML Slide Show (.ppsx)

FODP EDITOR
OpenDocument Flat XML Presentation (.fodp)

ODP EDITOR
OpenDocument Presentation (.odp)

POT EDITOR
PowerPoint Template (.pot)

PPTM EDITOR
PowerPoint Open XML Macro-Enabled Presentation (.pptm)

POTX EDITOR
PowerPoint Open XML Presentation Template (.potx)

POTM EDITOR
PowerPoint Open XML Macro-Enabled Presentation Template (.potm)

PPSM EDITOR
PowerPoint Open XML Macro-Enabled Slide (.ppsm)

OTP EDITOR
OpenDocument Presentation Template (.otp)

XLS EDITOR
Excel Spreadsheet (.xls)

XLT EDITOR
Microsoft Excel Template (.xlt)

XLTX EDITOR
Excel Open XML Spreadsheet Template (.xltx)

XLSX EDITOR
Microsoft Excel Open XML Spreadsheet (.xlsx)

XLSM EDITOR
Excel Open XML Macro-Enabled Spreadsheet (.xlsm)

XLSB EDITOR
Excel Binary Spreadsheet (.xlsb)

XLAM EDITOR
Microsoft Excel Add-in (.xlam)

XLTM EDITOR
Microsoft Excel Macro-Enabled Template (.xltm)

CSV EDITOR
Comma Separated Values File (.csv)

TSV EDITOR
Tab Separated Values File (.tsv)

ODS EDITOR
OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods)

OTS EDITOR
OpenDocument Spreadsheet Template (.ots)

DOC EDITOR
Microsoft Word Document (.doc)

DOCM EDITOR
Word Open XML Macro-Enabled Document (.docm)

DOT EDITOR
Word Document Template (.dot)

DOTX EDITOR
Word Open XML Document Template (.dotx)

DOTM EDITOR
Word Open XML Macro-Enabled Document Template (.dotm)

RTF EDITOR
Rich Text Format File (.rtf)

ODT EDITOR
OpenDocument Text Document (.odt)

OTT EDITOR
OpenDocument Document Template (.ott)

FODS EDITOR
OpenDocument Flat XML Spreadsheet (.fods)

SXC EDITOR
StarOffice Calc Spreadsheet (.sxc)

PDF EDITOR
Portable Document Format (PDF) file (.pdf)

XPS EDITOR
Fixed page layout (XPS) file (.xps)

OXPS EDITOR
XML Paper Specification (XPS) file (.oxps)

EML EDITOR
E-Mail Message File (.eml)

MSG EDITOR
Microsoft Outlook Email Format (.msg)

EMLX EDITOR
Apple Mail Message (.emlx)

MBOX EDITOR
Email Mailbox File (.mbox)

PST EDITOR
Personal Storage File (.pst)

OST EDITOR
Outlook Offline Storage File (.ost)

C# EDITOR
C# Source Code File (.cs)

JAVASCRIPT EDITOR
JavaScript Source File (.js)

MARKDOWN EDITOR
Markdown language dialects (.md)

YML EDITOR
YAML Document (.yml)

JSON EDITOR
JavaScript Object Notation (.json)

HTML EDITOR
Hypertext Markup Language File (.html)

XML EDITOR
Excel 2003 XML (SpreadsheetML) (.xml)

SASS EDITOR
Syntactically Awesome StyleSheets File (.sass)

CSS EDITOR
Cascading Style Sheet (.css)

LESS EDITOR
LESS Style Sheet (.less)

XML EDITOR
XML File (.xml)

GROOVY EDITOR
Groovy Source Code File (.groovy)

JAVA EDITOR
Java Source Code File (.java)

PHP EDITOR
PHP Source Code File (.php)

SCALA EDITOR
Scala Source Code File (.scala)

SQL EDITOR
Structured Query Language Data File (.sql)

ACTIONSCRIPT EDITOR
ActionScript File (.as)

ACTIONSCRIPT EDITOR
ActionScript File (.as3)

ASSEMBLY EDITOR
Assembly Language Source Code File (.asm)

BASH SHELL EDITOR
Bash Shell Script (.sh)

BATCH EDITOR
DOS Batch File (.bat)

C/C++ EDITOR
C/C++ Source Code File (.c)

C/C++/OBJECTIVE-C EDITOR
C/C++/Objective-C Header File (.h)

C++ EDITOR
C++ Source Code File (.cc)

C++ EDITOR
C++ Source Code File (.cpp)

C++ EDITOR
C++ Source Code File (.cxx)

C++ EDITOR
C++ Header File (.hh)

OBJECTIVE-C EDITOR
Objective-C Implementation File (.m)

OBJECTIVE-C EDITOR
Objective-C Source File (.mm)

PYTHON EDITOR
Python Script (.py)

RUBY EDITOR
Ruby ERB Script (.erb)

RUBY EDITOR
Ruby Source Code (.rb)

VBSCRIPT EDITOR
Visual Basic Project Item File (.vb)

JAVA PROPERTIES EDITOR
Java Properties File (.properties)

PERLSCRIPT EDITOR
Perl Script (.pl)

JS EDITOR
JavaScript Source File (.js)

VB EDITOR
Visual Basic Project Item File (.vb)

RB EDITOR
Ruby Source Code (.rb)

DIFF EDITOR
Patch File (.diff)

HAML EDITOR
Haml Source Code File (.haml)

MD EDITOR
Markdown language dialects (.md)

YAML EDITOR
YAML Document (.yaml)

HTM EDITOR
Hypertext Markup Language File (.htm)

CMAKE EDITOR
CMake scripting language (.cmake)

MAKE EDITOR
Makefile Script (.make)

ML EDITOR
ML Source Code File (.ml)

RST EDITOR
reStructuredText File (.rst)

SCM EDITOR
Scheme Source Code File (.scm)

SCRIPT EDITOR
Generic Script File (.script)

SML EDITOR
Standard ML Source Code File (.sml)

VIM EDITOR
Vim Settings File (.vim)

LOG EDITOR
Log File (.log)

PLAIN TEXT EDITOR
Plain Text File (.txt)

Quick fixes to solve issue can’t open my Word document

Microsoft Word is the most widely used Word processor across the globe. It is the simplest yet magical application, offers abundant features. People are using this Word program for more than 3 decades and even now it stands the best in the race.

However, a common issue regarding this well-known Word processing tool left several users in a high and dry situation.

I can’t edit my Word document!” “Why can’t I edit my Word document?”- it is the most frequently asked question by MS Word users across various online forum discussions.

So, if you are also facing the same problem then, here are a few simple tricks to tackle the issue can’t edit Word document.

How Do I Fix “Can’t Edit Word Document”?

Step 1: Move the Word Document

If, the Word file which you are unable to edit is saved on any removable storage device, then copy the document to your computer’s hard drive and try to edit.

Make sure Office program is activated successfully on your computer. And, if you are using a trial version, ensure it is not expired.

Step 2: Enable Word File

  • Right-click on the Word document which you can’t edit
  • Click on Properties and uncheck Read-only
  • Switch to Security tab and check file usage rights is given in Group or usernames
  • Also verify, each control is marked as Allow under Permissions
  • Apply changes you made and hit OK

You might even encounter Word cannot complete the save due to file permission error if full control is not accessed to your Word document.

Step 3: Remove Document Protection

  • Open the Word document that you can’t edit and go to the File menu
  • Click Options, select Customize Ribbon and Developer
  • Select Protect/Document Protection
  • Check both Block Authors and Restrict Editing
  • Disable Restrict Editing and remove blocked authors
  • When prompted, type in the password and hit OK

In Word 2016 you can find Restrict Editing and Block Authors options under Review (top panel)-> Protect tab.

Note: In case, your Word file is not responding while working or it fails to open in MS Word program then seek Yodot DOC Repair help or go through the link to solve the issue Word file not responding in a few easy steps.

Step 4: Disable Protected View

Word program gives the user an option to open Word documents that are saved in an unsafe location or received from the internet/as Outlook attachments in the Read-only mode. This is to safeguard your system from unsafe entities or malicious scripts.

So, if you don’t want the Word document delivered from Outlook/internet to open in read-only mode then follow these steps.

In Word 2016/2013/2010:

Go to File -> Options -> Trust Centre -> Trust Centre Settings -> Protected View -> uncheck all options and hit OK

In Word 2007:

Select Review from top panel -> Protect Document -> Protect -> Restrict Formatting and Editing -> Stop Protection

In Word 2003:

Tools -> Unprotect

Step 5: Check Word File is Not in Use by Another User

In case, your Word file is saved on a network drive (shared network) and at the same time some other user is working on it then you cannot edit that document. It will open in Read-Only mode.

If so, then you can try the below steps.

  • Save all your work and open files
  • Close all running programs and press CTRL, ALT and Delete keys together
  • In Task Manager, select .exe and click End Process under the Processes tab
  • Hit Yes; if it shows the program is not responding then click the End Now button
  • Exit Task Manager, navigate to the folder where your Word file (read-only file) is saved and delete a file with the name like ~$cument.doc
  • Open Word program, click No and open the Word file that you were unable to edit

I hope the above solutions can solve your problem “can’t edit my Word document”. If you have found any other technique to fix this issue, feel free to drop your solutions in the below comment box.


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