Locked form in word

After creating a fillable form in Microsoft Word, you may want to lock it down to prevent users from accidentally editing content outside the fillable areas. Microsoft Word provides a function called Restrict Editing that lets you either lock down the form in its entirety or allow users to access only the fillable areas within the form.

Lock Down Form

  1. Open the form that you need to lock down, and press “Ctrl-A” to select all content within the form. Click the “Developer” tab, and then click “Restrict Editing” on the Protect group; if you cannot see the “Developer” tab, click “File | Options | Customize Ribbon | Developer | OK.”

    On the Restrict Editing pane that shows up, check «Allow Only This Type of Editing,» then click the pull-down menu under Editing Restrictions. Select “Filling in Forms” to prevent users from editing the content outside the fillable areas, or select “No changes (Read Only)” to lock down the entire form, including the ability to fill in anything. Click “Yes, Start Enforcing Protection,” then enter a password into both the «New Password» and «Reenter Password» boxes. Click «OK.»

Disclaimer

  1. Information in this article applies to Microsoft Word 2013. It may vary slightly or significantly with other versions.

Creating forms with Microsoft Word is useful and easy, but the challenge comes in when you decide to create fillable forms with options that you can send to colleagues or clients and have them fill out the form digitally. Whether you need a form for gathering information or if you are trying to create a survey to test out user response to software or a new product, Microsoft Word can assist in this process. It’s a slightly more technical job and requires access to the Developer tab in Microsoft Word, but is more than easily achievable with not too much hassle!

First off, you will require the Developer Tab of Microsoft Word to be enabled.

  1. For Word 2007 go to File > Word Options > Popular > select ‘Show Developer Tab in Ribbon’.Editable Form Word 2
    If you have a later edition of Word 2010 and onwards then go to File > Options > Customize Ribbon. In the right side of the Options dialog box, select Main Tabs and turn on Developer tab.
    Editable Form Word 1
  1. The Developer tab should now be visible on your word document and we can get started on this tutorial.
  1. You will now have to make a decision to either use an existing Microsoft Word form template or to make a new one. Using an existing template is a great time saving option if you can find a template that satisfies your needs. To look through the templates go File>New>Forms, you can then have a browse to see if any might work for you.

Editable Form Word 3

  1. This tutorial will show you how to create a new form from scratch rather than using an existing one. To start this process go to File > New > My Templates.

Editable Form Word 4

  1. Select ‘Template’ in the bottom right hand corner and press ‘OK’.Editable Form Word 5
  1. Now we have a blank template, we are ready to start adding information to the form. To highlight a range of responses available on forms we will create a simple form with the following responses:
  • Name (Plain Text Response)
  • Age (Drop-Down List)
  • D.O.B. (Date Response)
  • Sex (Check Box)
  1. Click on the “Developer” tab which you added earlier and under the “Controls” section; choose “Design Mode” to begin creating different control options. If you want to see what it looks like in action, remember to deselect the “Design Mode” option.

Editable Form Word 6

  1. For any answers that require a text based answer, you can add text sections. You will do this by selecting the Rich Text Content Control Editable Form Word 7 (allows users to edit formatting) or the Plain Text Content Control Editable Form Word 8 (only allows plain text without formatting) option. So for question one we will enable a plain text response. Write the question and then at the end of the question select the plain text response in the tool bar.Editable Form Word 9
  1. It should look something like this:

Editable Form Word 10

10: For the ‘Age’ question we will add a drop down list.

For questions that only allow one answer such as numbers (question 2), a drop-down list is handy. Editable Form Word 12We will add simple list and populate it with age ranges. You will need to add the content control box, right-click on it, and select the “Properties” option.

Editable Form Word 13

12: Give the drop down list a title e.g. What is your age. Next, click on ‘add’ to add age ranges.Editable Form Word 14

13: When you have finished adding in the age ranges click OK.Editable Form Word 15

14: Finally on this form we are going to add in a check box for the person’s gender.  We write our options and then include check boxes Editable Form Word 16after each option.Editable Form Word 17

15: Now that your form is complete you will want to add in some permissions before sending it out so that only certain parts of the form are editable. To do this on the Review tab, in the Protect group, click Restrict Editing.

Editable Form Word 18

16: In the Editing restrictions area, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box.

Editable Form Word 19

17: In the list of editing restrictions, click No changes (Read only). Select the part of the document where you want to allow changes. For example, choose the boxes, tick boxes, and dropdown menu’s that you have created previously in this walkthrough. In the exceptions box choose tick the box everyone so that anyone can fill this form in.

Alternatively, if you have created form fields for everything that needs editing, select Filling in Forms in the editing restrictions section.

Editable Form Word 20

Well done! You have now created an editable form and learnt how to lock it so that only certain parts of the form are editable by others. The form that we created is not the most attractive to the eye and it is advised that you either use an existing template, or create a new template that can be used on multiple occasions if you are likely to be creating these regularly.

Open a Word document that has text boxes. Click the “Review” tab, then click the “Restrict Editing” button in the Protect group. Word displays a pane allowing you to manage editing permissions for specific parts of the document, including text boxes.

Contents

  • 1 How do I lock text in Word?
  • 2 How do I lock text?
  • 3 How do I restrict editing in Word 2016?
  • 4 How do I lock a text box so it doesn’t move in Word?
  • 5 Can you password protect text messages?
  • 6 Can you lock fields in Word?
  • 7 How do I protect a form in Word?
  • 8 How do I lock text boxes in Word?
  • 9 How do you anchor a text box in Word?
  • 10 What is lock anchor in Word?
  • 11 Can you hide text messages?
  • 12 How do I send a private text message?
  • 13 Is there a way to hide a text thread?
  • 14 How do I lock a form in Microsoft Word?
  • 15 How do you lock fields?
  • 16 Can you lock a Microsoft form?
  • 17 What does the anchor symbolize?
  • 18 How do I find an anchored object in Word?
  • 19 What are anchor text links?

On the Review tab, in the Protect group, click Protect Document, and then click Restrict Formatting and Editing. In the Editing restrictions area, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box. In the list of editing restrictions, click No changes (Read only).

How do I lock text?

There are a few ways to learn how to lock text messages on Android.
Signal Private Messenger: Chat Lock & Disappearing Messages

  1. Tap on your profile in the Signal app.
  2. Go to Privacy.
  3. Under Privacy, you should be able to enable or disable screen lock.

How do I restrict editing in Word 2016?

Start protection

  1. Open a document in Word 2016.
  2. Switch to the Review tab on the ribbon.
  3. Click Restrict Editing in the Protect section of the ribbon.
  4. In the Restrict Editing panel on the right, check Allow only this type of editing in the document under 2.
  5. No changes (Read only) is the default restriction type.

How do I lock a text box so it doesn’t move in Word?

Prevent text boxes from moving (Word 2010)

  1. The Text Box Tools Tab — Position Drop-Down.
  2. The Layout Dialog: The Position Tab.
  3. The Layout Dialog: The Text Wrapping Tab.
  4. The Wrap Text Drop-Down.

Can you password protect text messages?

Neither Android or iOS have a built-in way to password protect message apps, so if this is the route you want to go down then it will require third-party software. Sadly, iOS doesn’t allow third-party app lockers, so only Android users have this option.

Can you lock fields in Word?

To Lock Fields
On the toolbar ribbon, on the Review tab, under Protect, click Protect Document, and then click Restrict Formatting and Editing.

How do I protect a form in Word?

Protect the form

  1. Go to Developer > Protect Form. Note: To unprotect the form and continue editing, select Protect Form again.
  2. Save and close the form.

How do I lock text boxes in Word?

Click on the “Select sections” option and then select the section of your document where your text box is located. Click on the “OK” option and then click on the “Yes, Start Enforcing Protection” button.

How do you anchor a text box in Word?

Follow these steps to anchor an object in Word:

  1. Select an object.
  2. On the Ribbon’s Format tab, go to the Arrange group and choose Position→More Layout Options.
  3. Click the Position tab.
  4. (Optional) Set the position of an object precisely using controls in this dialog.
  5. Under Options, select the Lock Anchor check box.

What is lock anchor in Word?

When you turn on “Lock Anchor,” you can then move your image to any position on the same page as the anchor paragraph, and the object will stay in that position. However, if you move the anchor paragraph to another page, the object will also move to that page, but stay in the same relative position on the page.

Can you hide text messages?

If you want to hide your texts from the home screen, here’s what to do: Open the Messaging app on your phone. Then, tap on the three dot icon in the upper right-hand corner to access the Settings menu.Doing this will disable all pop-up messages so that no one can see them.

How do I send a private text message?

Send anonymous texts by email

  1. AT&T. SMS (a text-only message): [email protected]
  2. Metro PCS. SMS/MMS: [email protected]
  3. Sprint. MMS: [email protected]
  4. T-Mobile. SMS/MMS: [email protected]
  5. Verizon Wireless. MMS: [email protected]

Is there a way to hide a text thread?

The most simple way to hide text messages on your Android phone is by securing it with a password, fingerprint, PIN or lock pattern. If someone can’t get past the lock screen they can’t access your text messages.

How do I lock a form in Microsoft Word?

Lock/Unlock a form

  1. Step 1: Show the Developer tab on the ribbon. Right click on any of the ribbon commands. For example, right click on Home and then click Customize the Ribbon. Open Customize the Ribbon dialog.
  2. Step 2: Lock or unlock the form. On the Developer tab, click Restrict Editing command. Where is it?

How do you lock fields?

To lock a field, perform these steps:

  1. Select the field you want to lock.
  2. Update the field, if desired, by pressing Shift+F9.
  3. Press Ctrl+F11.

Can you lock a Microsoft form?

Microsoft Word provides a function called Restrict Editing that lets you either lock down the form in its entirety or allow users to access only the fillable areas within the form.

What does the anchor symbolize?

In ancient times, the anchor was viewed as a symbol that represented safety; because of this, Christians adopted the anchor as a symbol of hope.The anchor was chosen as it holds a ship in place, representing strength and security.

How do I find an anchored object in Word?

Figure 1.

  1. Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options.
  2. Click Display at the left side of the dialog box. (See Figure 2.)
  3. To view object anchors, make sure the Object Anchors check box is selected.
  4. Click on OK.

What are anchor text links?

Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink.The words contained in the anchor text help determine the ranking that the page will receive by search engines such as Google or Yahoo and Bing. Links without anchor text commonly happen on the web and are called naked URLs, or URL anchor texts.

Cimento Cola


  • #1

I have a form in word, and it is locked (so that the user only changes the
box´s that i want;
How can i, by pressing a designated key, put a X in a checkbox?
Thanks for the help,

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Jay Freedman


  • #2

Cimento Cola said:

I have a form in word, and it is locked (so that the user only changes the
box´s that i want;
How can i, by pressing a designated key, put a X in a checkbox?
Thanks for the help,

When you tab to the checkbox, press the spacebar once to check the
box, again to uncheck it, etc. There’s no provision for enabling any
other key.

Cindy M -WordMVP-


  • #3

Hi Jay,

When you tab to the checkbox, press the spacebar once to check the
box, again to uncheck it, etc. There’s no provision for enabling any
other key.

I would think you could assign a macro to ANY key that would change
the .Value of the currently form field (checking, of course, that
you’re actually in a checkbox field).

If activeDocument.Range.FormFields(_
Selection.Bookmarks(1).Name).CheckBox.Valid Then
activeDocument.Range.FormFields( _
Selection.Bookmarks(1).Name).CheckBox.Value _
= NOT activeDocument.Range.FormFields( _
Selection.Bookmarks(1).Name).CheckBox.Value

End If

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep 30 2003)
http://www.mvps.org/word

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question
or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :)

Jay Freedman


Cindy M -WordMVP-


  • #5

Hi Jay,

Are you certain? I don’t usually have much luck with that,
if the document is protected as a form. Ah, but now that I
think about it, the problem doesn’t apply to checkboxes,
since the focus can’t be IN the checkbox (as opposed to a
textbox).

Cindy Meister

Jay Freedman


  • #6

Cindy said:

Hi Jay,

Are you certain? I don’t usually have much luck with that,
if the document is protected as a form. Ah, but now that I
think about it, the problem doesn’t apply to checkboxes,
since the focus can’t be IN the checkbox (as opposed to a
textbox).

Cindy Meister

Hi, Cindy,

Yeah, I had a peek at
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/TblsFldsFms/GetCurFmFldName.htm to remind
myself of the problem, and I tried it in a document with all three types of
formfields. It does work — not any better than your code, just a little
easier to write.

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Charles Kenyon


  • #7

The use of the spacebar is standard Windows interface, I think.

Clicking on the checkbox with the mouse will also check/uncheck the box.

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory:
<URL: http://addbalance.com/word/index.htm>

Intermediate User’s Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft’s Legal Users’ Guide)
<URL: http://addbalance.com/usersguide/index.htm>

See also the MVP FAQ: <URL: http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

Someone sent me a Word doc that consists of a form full of checkboxes and freeform fields. I am trying to insert an image version of my signature and a few extra freeform text fields so I don’t have to print it and fax it, but the document appears locked. I went to Developer > Protect Document and made sure Unrestricted Access is checked, but I still can’t modify the form.

I am using Word 2007 and this is saved as .doc, probably 97-2003. How can I unlock this thing?

Edit: Also, all but a few of the ribbon menu items are disabled. I can’t change page layout, text formatting, or anything that pertains to modifying the document.

asked Apr 24, 2014 at 19:34

oscilatingcretin's user avatar

oscilatingcretinoscilatingcretin

5,00325 gold badges77 silver badges115 bronze badges

As you said it sounds like the file is locked. To open it you need to went to Developer > Protect Document, like you do, but then to enter to «Restrict Formatting and Editing». Now click Stop Protection at the bottom of the task pane and enter the password (if you know it, if the «Stop Protection» doesn’t appear the file is not locked).

If the file is locked and you don’t know the password you can try to use this guide to unlock it (disclaimer: I don’t try this guide and I don’t know if it works or not (but according to the comments in forum where I found it (with a brief search on Google) he is doing the job)).

If the «Stop Protection» doesn’t appear and you still can’t edit, comment here and I’ll try to help more.

InterLinked's user avatar

InterLinked

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answered Apr 24, 2014 at 19:58

Nirgn's user avatar

3

  1. Open your document in Word, then use «Save as…» to save it in «.xml» format.

  2. Open the .xml file in wordpad, notepad, emacs, or other text editor of your choice.

  3. Search for the string w:enforcement=»1″ (or w:enforcement=»on»).

  4. Replace the «1» with a «0» (or replace «on» with «off») to disable enforcement. (This step unlocks the document.)

  5. Save the .xml document from your text editor.

  6. Open the .xml document in Word.

  7. Choose «Save as…» and save it as a .doc or .docx file.

    Your original Word document can now be edited normally. Enjoy!

Community's user avatar

answered Jul 7, 2015 at 7:56

BiH's user avatar

BiHBiH

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1

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