Protect text box in word

You may have an enclosed text box within the content in your MS Word document. By default, the text box moves with the content. If you do not want it to move with the content, you must lock the text box.

If you are sharing your document with others, you may not want them to change the content within the text box. Again, you can lock the text box.

Word allows you to lock the text box for the above cases. Thus, by locking the text box, you can:

  • Prevent the text box from moving with the content.
  • Protect the contents of the text box.

We will explain both methods stepwise. Let us start.


Method #1: Prevent the text box from moving with the content

Step #1: Open the Word document

Open the Word document that has at least one text box.

Note that if you add more lines/text to the top of the paragraph, the text box moves down with the text.

Step #2: Enable Drawing Tools

Click the bottom of the text box to select it.

Drawing Tools tab will be visible on the top menu bar.

Step #3: Lock the text box position

Click on the Format tab under Drawing Tools to change the ribbon.

In the section Arrange, click on the Wrap Text icon to open a drop-down menu.

In the drop-down menu, click on Move with Text to remove the tick mark next to it.

Note that now the tick mark appears against Fix Position on Page.

Now, the text box remains locked on the page and will not move with the text.


Method #2: Protect the contents of the text box.

Step #1: Open the Word document

Open the Word document that has at least one text box.

Step #2: Restrict editing

Click on the Review tab on the top menu bar to change the ribbon.

Under section Protect, click on the Restrict Editing icon to open the Restrict Editing drop-down menu.

In the Restrict Editing drop-down menu, click the checkbox under Editing Restrictions so that a tick mark appears in the box.

In the box under the checkbox, select No Changes (Read only).

Step #3: Select the exceptions

Now select the entire document with Ctrl+A.

Holding the Ctrl key down, click on the text boxes to unselect them.

In the Restrict Editing drop-down menu, under Exceptions (optional), click on the box beside Everyone. Ensure a check mark appears in the box.

Under Start enforcement, click on Yes, Start Enforcing Protection to open a dialog box.

Step #4: Enforce the Protection

In the Start Enforcing Protection dialog box, click to enable Password.

Enter a password of your choice in Enter new password (optional).

Repeat the password entry in Reenter password to confirm.

Note: if you do not enter a password, no one, including you, will be able to edit the text box ever again. The same will happen if you forget the password you have entered.

Click on Ok to change the Restrict Editing dialog box.

The editable text in the document will have a yellow highlight.

Step#5: Remove the highlight

In the Restrict Editing dialog, click on Highlight the regions I can edit to remove the tick mark in the box.

Exit the Restrict Editing dialog by clicking on the X button on the top right-hand corner.

Word will remove the yellow highlight in the document.

Now, anyone can edit the document. But to edit the text box contents, they will require a password.


Conclusion

Follow our instructions to lock a text box. You can prevent the text box from moving with the text. You can also disallow editing the text box contents.

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.

Locking text boxes in a Word document lets you prevent others from tampering with or making inadvertent changes to these text-entry controls. By doing so, you promote error-free performance of any Visual Basic for Applications programs that rely on the text boxes. Locking text boxes also prevents changes that could make a document visually unfit for presentation. A simple way of locking text boxes is to use the Restrict Editing command, which allows you to single out text boxes for restricted editing.

  1. Click the «File» tab and then click «Options.» Click «Customize Ribbon» in the left pane, select the «Developer» check box to indicate you want to show the Developer tab and then click «OK.» This tab has a button whose appearance makes it easy to verify the locked state of text boxes.

  2. 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.

  3. Under Editing Restrictions, select the “Allow Only This Type of Editing in the Document” check box. This confirms that you want to restrict access to at least some parts of the document. Click the drop-down list under Editing Restrictions to display a list of editing types to restrict and select «No Changes.»

  4. Select all parts of the document except for the text boxes that you want to lock. Select the «Everyone» check box under Editing Restrictions in the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane to indicate that anyone can edit the selected areas.

  5. Select just the text boxes. Select the check boxes under Editing Restrictions for those users whom you do not want to lock out of the text boxes. If you want to lock the text boxes for everyone, leave all user check boxes unchecked.

  6. Click the «Yes, Start Enforcing Protection» button under Start Enforcement. Click the «Password» option in the dialog box that appears to specify a simple password protection scheme for the document. Type a password in the two text boxes provided. Click «OK» to lock the text boxes.

  7. Click the «Developer» tab, then observe the Design Mode button in the Controls group. The button is disabled, indicating you can’t click it to enter design mode, which is the mode for editing text boxes. This indicates you successfully locked the text boxes.

word logo

Locking text boxes is a great way to protect specific content in your document from changing, either accidentally or intentionally. Here’s how to lock your text boxes in Word.

Locking Text Boxes in Word

Let’s say you’re working on a document that other people on the same network have access to and you want to lock your text boxes, so they don’t get edited by mistake.

RELATED: How to Protect Parts of a Word Document from Editing

To make this work, we’re going to need to use the tools provided in the Developer tab. The developer tab is hidden by default, so go ahead and enable the tab to appear on the Ribbon if you haven’t already.

Once you have the Developer tab enabled, go ahead and open up your document that has the text boxes you want to lock and switch to the “Developer” tab. Here, select “Restrict Editing” in the “Protect” section.

Restrict editing in developer tab

Note: The Restrict Editing option is also available on the Review tab, but only appears if you have enabled Developer tab.

A Restrict Editing pane appears on the right where you can restrict editing permissions for all, or certain parts, of the document. Here, check the box next to “Allow only this type of editing in the document” in the “Editing restrictions” section, then keep “No changes (Read only)” selected in the drop-down menu in the same section.

Restrict permissions 2

Next, you need to select all of the content in your document except for the text boxes you want to lock. The easiest way to do this is to hit Ctrl+A to select everything in the document and then hold the Ctrl key while clicking each checkbox, in turn, to remove them from the selection.

Once you’ve selected the content, check the box next to “Everyone” under “Exceptions.” This makes it so that everyone is still able to edit the selected content.

exceptions to restrictions

Finally, select “Yes, Start Enforcing Protection” at the bottom of the “Restrict Editing” pane.

Start Enforcing Protection

Once selected, you’ll be prompted to enter a password for additional protection. Type a password and then click “OK.”

enter password

You’ll notice all the content except for the text boxes is now highlighted, meaning your text boxes can no longer be edited while the highlighted content can.

To remove the protection restrictions on the document, click “Stop Protection” at the bottom of the “Restrict Editing” pane.

stop protection

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Word provides tools and features that allow you to create custom documents. One type of document you can design is a fillable form, which lets you add content controls — such as text controls, which are text boxes in which other users can enter text. After you create a form, you can lock it so that anyone who works with the document cannot change or delete the text boxes or other controls, although they can still type into them.

Step 1

Display the Developer tab of the ribbon if it is not already visible. Select the «File» tab and click «Options.» Select «Customize Ribbon.» Select the «Developer» check box in the Main Tabs list under Customize the Ribbon and click «OK.»

Step 2

Add a text control. Place the cursor where you want the text box to appear. Select the «Developer» tab and click «Design Mode» in the Controls group. Click «Rich Text Content Control» to allow users to format the text or type an entire paragraph or select «Plain Text Content Control» to limit the text they can add.

Step 3

Set the text box properties. Click on the control to select it. Click the «Developer» tab and click on «Properties» in the Controls group to open the Content Control Properties dialog. Choose the options you want to apply and click «OK.»

Step 4

Lock the form. Press «Ctrl-A» to select the entire document or click «Select» in the Editing group of the Home tab and click «Select All.» Click on the «Developer» tab and click «Restrict Editing» in the «Protect» group.

Step 5

Select «Allow Only This Type of Editing in the Document» in the Editing Restrictions section and choose «Filling in Forms» in the drop-down list. Click the «Yes, Start Enforcing Protection» button and save the document.

References

Writer Bio

Tricia Goss’ credits include Fitness Plus, Good News Tucson and Layover Magazine. She is certified in Microsoft application and served as the newsletter editor for OfficeUsers.org. She has also contributed to The Dollar Stretcher, Life Tips and Childcare Magazine.

Image Credit

Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

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