Word document read only

Is this article up to date?

Перейти к содержанию

Writers often send their works-in-progress to beta readers. Freelance writers may send articles for approval. In either of those cases, it could be appropriate for you to make Word documents Read-only. We’ll show you how. We’ll also show you how to password protect your Word documents.

What is Read-only in Microsoft Word?

Read-only is a protective measure that you can set for your documents which can deter readers from changing the file without permission.

Document protection in Word for Windows offers similar, but slightly different options than Word for Macs. We’ll look at those differences shortly.

Can Microsoft Word Read-only files be edited?

It is important to understand that setting a document to Read-Only does not prevent that document being edited.

When a Read-only document is first opened on the recipient’s computer, it opens with a bar across the top advising that the document is in Read-only mode.

There is a button in the bar that allows the recipient to open the file with Read-only mode turned off and edit the file.

When you set a document to Read-only, the document that you protect by making it Read-only can’t be edited by anyone but you unless they choose to override the Read-only mode as described above.

Changes can be made if the document is saved under a new file name. Saving under a new name creates a new document. Changes can be made to that copy.

You can password protect the file which will limit those who can edit the file to those who have the password.

You can mark a file as Final, but like Read-only, the recipient can still choose to edit the file.

How to make Word documents read-only

MS Word for Windows and Macs both allow you to apply Read-only protection to your entire document.

You can set a file to be Read-only without requiring a password. Remember, if the document is not password protected, the Read-only setting can be changed by anyone.

Passwords are entirely optional but highly recommended if you want to discourage changes being made to your original file by an unauthorized reader.

In the sections that follow, we’ll look first at Read-only mode in Microsoft Word for Macs, then Ms Word for Windows.

Make Word documents Read-only in Microsoft Word for Macs

The following instructions will help you make a document Read-only in Word for Macs.

With the document open, use either of the following methods.

1. Open the Review tab.
2. In the Protect section (toward the right), click Always Open Read-Only.
   
3. Save the document.

OR

1. Open the File Menu.
2. Select Always Open Read-Only.
3. Save your document.

The next time the document is opened, it should open in Read-only mode.

Password protect a document in Word for Macs

To password protect a document in Microsoft Word for Macs, use either of the following methods to open the Protect Document panel.

1. Open the Review tab.
2. Click the Protect Document button.

OR

1. Open the Tools menu.
2. Select Protect Document….

Either of the above methods will open the same Password Protect settings panel.

• In the first section of the settings panel, type a password in the first box if you want to require a password to open the file.
• Type a password in the second box if you want to require a password to modify the document.
• Click OK.
• Save your document.

When anyone opens the file, it should require a password to access it. Since you created the password, you will have to provide the recipient of the document with the password.

Make sections of a document Read-only in MS Word for Macs

It is possible to set a document as Read-only, but allow part of the document to be modified.

You might need to leave one part of a document editable if you have a form in a document. Your reader could fill the form in without being able to change the surrounding text.

Another example might be a writer who sends a document out asking for alternate ideas in one paragraph. She could set that one paragraph to be editable and the remainder of the file to be Read-only.

In Word for Macs, that is done through the use of sections.

Divide your document so that the part for which modification is allowed is in a section of its own. If you want non-contiguous paragraphs to be modifiable, place each of those paragraphs in its own section.

Let’s assume you have set a paragraph in a section of its own. To make that section of a Read-only document editable, first follow the steps above to make the entire document Read-only.

Then, click the Protect Document button in the Review tab.

OR

Select Protect Document… from the Tools menu.

1. In the Protection section, check the box labeled Protect document for….
2. The last item in that section is Forms with a Sections… button beside it.
3. Click the Sections button. Note: If your document has no sections, Forms and the Sections… button will be greyed out and unavailable. If your document includes sections, but no forms, only the Sections button will be active.
4. You will see a list of sections in your document. Every section that is checked and highlighted is protected. To make a section editable, uncheck the box next to it. Click the Ok button to save your section selection.
5. Fill in the appropriate Password fields if you want your document password protected also.
6. Click the next Ok button to save your document protection settings.
7. Save your document.

You should now have a document that is Read-only, but with a section that is editable.

If you look closely you will see a thin cursor at the beginning of the unprotected section. If you don’t want to make changes at that point you can move the cursor further into the editable section.

You can click anywhere in the protected document and possibly see your mouse or trackpad cursor flash there and disappear. That is because the only place you can type is inside the unprotected section.

No matter where you think your cursor is outside the editable area, when you start typing, you will notice you are actually typing inside the section you just set as editable.

Make Word documents Read-only in Microsoft Word for Windows

You can use either of the following methods to apply Read-only protection to your document in Word for Windows.

With your document open:

1. Open the Review tab.
2. Look for Restrict Editing in the Protect section.
3. A Restrict Editing settings panel will open. You should see three numbered sections in the panel.
   
4. In the section labeled 2. Editing restrictions, tick the box next to Allow only this type of editing in the document.
5. In the drop-down box in section 2, select No changes (Read-only).
   
6. An Exceptions setting will open. We’ll cover that shortly, but you can ignore it for now.
7. In section 3, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection. If you want to insure no one else can edit your file, enter the same password in the next two boxes and click the OK button.
   
   Otherwise, leave the password boxes empty and click the OK button to set your file Read-only but without password protection.
8. Save your document.

Password protect a document in Microsoft Word for Windows

To password protect a Word document in Windows…

1. Open the File menu and toward the bottom, select Info.
2. Choose Protect Document, then Encrypt with password.
3. Type your password in both boxes and exit the settings panel.

You can also use the Save As… process to require a password to open a document in Word for Windows. When you save your file using Save As…, near the Save button at the bottom of the Save As panel, there is a button or link labeled Other Options. Click that button to open a small list of options. One of them is General Options.

The General Options panel provides a place to fill in a password that will be required whenever the file is opened in the future.

You will see a place to fill in a password for file encryption and a second password for sharing capabilities.

If you want the file to be Read-only, in addition to requiring a password, tick the box for Read-Only recommended.

As with any of the settings listed in this article, save your document after you’ve finished.

Make parts of a document Read-only in MS Word for Windows

Unlike Word for Macs which uses sections to allow portions of a protected document to be editable, Word for Windows allows you to set specific paragraphs as modifiable without the need for specifically creating sections.

1. The first step is to make your entire Word document Read-only. Use the instructions above to do that.
2. Select the paragraph that you wish to keep editable.
3. In the Review tab, click Restrict Editing.

Later, to see which paragraphs are editable, open Restrict Editing again. Individual parts of the document that have been marked as Exceptions are now called Regions. You should see a panel with two buttons. One allows you to move to the next editable region (paragraph, etc.). The other allows you to see all of the regions you are allowed to edit.

Make your Microsoft Word document more difficult to change

As for myself, if I really didn’t want the recipients of my work to be able to edit it, I’d prefer to convert the file to PDF  before I send it.

PDFs can be set as Read-only. While an unprotected PDF can be edited with the right software, it is not nearly as straight-forward as editing a Read-only Word file.

Have you ever had a document that you can’t edit, or one in which you can modify it but not save the changes to the original files, leaving you with only the option of saving it as a new file? You might be wondering why this happens. As for what causes a Word document to become ‘read-only’?

Situations like this mostly happen due to multiple reasons:

1. A Word document is downloaded directly off the internet, such as an email attachment. Their read-only setting is set by default in MS Word to protect your computer, but you have the option of changing it yourself manually if needed.
2. Because of some settings by you or someone else. This is a normal situation too. For example, if you are not the only user who can log in on a computer, others might have made some settings for your Word document, or someone gave you a file with editing restrictions. These restrictions can be easily removed.
3. The Word document is saved in an unsafe folder (you can change its location).
4. Your antivirus software protects you from potentially opening unsafe files, thus making the document read-only (you can add the file or folder to the exclusion list).
5. OneDrive is full (you can check the amount of used space).
6. MS Office is not activated (check your account and license status).

To edit and save a Word document that’s in a read-only mode, you need to know how to change the file back to normal. In this article, you’ll learn effective solutions to solve Word document read-only problems.

Disable the “Read-Only” Command in Word Document

The “Read-Only” command is for preventing unintended changes in a Word file. Word files with Read-Only attributes can be read/opened, renamed, or edited but cannot be saved in the original file.

To disable this command, simply follow the steps below:

Step 1. Right-click the document that is in the read-only mode.

Step 2. Select the “Properties” option.

Step 3. Click “General”.

Step 4. Unchecked “Read-only” then click “OK”.

The Word file should now be savable.

Turn Off “Always Open Read-Only”

If your file is set to “Always Open Read-Only”, this means that you’ll have to see the message and manually select the option each time you open the file. Here‘s how to turn off this setting.

To turn off “Always Open Read-Only”:

Step 1. Open the Word document.

Step 2. Click on the “File” tab in the top left corner of the screen.

Step 3. Select “Info” from the menu that appears.

Step 4. Click on “Always Open Read-Only” in the “Protect Document” drop-down to turn the setting from yellow-highlighted to normal.

Now, the next time you open this document, you will no longer see the message asking if you want to open read-only.

Disable “Restrict Editing” in Word Document

Microsoft Word’s “Restrict Editing” feature allows you to limit the type of edits and formats that can be made to a document, and by whom. This is useful if you want to prevent someone from accidentally making changes to your document or if you need to collaborate on a document with others but only want certain people to be able to make certain changes.

To disable “Restrict Editing” in a Word document:

Step 1. Open the restricted Word document.

Step 2. Click the “File” option.

Step 3. Click the “Info” option.

Step 4. In the Info option, click the “Protect Document” button.

Step 5. Select the “Restrict Editing” option.

Step 6. Now click the “Stop Protection” button. You may need to enter a password.

If you forgot its password, check out this article: How to Unprotect an MS Word Document for Editing. I use Passper for Word whenever I wanted to remove editing restrictions or recover the opening password in a Word doc.
Free Download

Stop “Marked as Final” in a Word Document

Marked as Final is used to protect sent documents. So, if you get a file from someone that is marked as Final, then you might face problems if you try to edit the document.

Step 1. Double-click the Word document to open.

Step 2. At the top of the word document, click “Edit Anyway”.

The Word document will refresh and become an editable file.

Disable “Protected View” in Word Document

Protected View is a default option for browser-downloaded Word documents and other email attachments. To help avoid putting risk in your computer, these potentially unsafe files are opened in Protected View.

Word files that are in Protected View status have all editing options hidden and disabled. Simply follow the steps below to disable the protected view default.

Step 1. Find the Word document with “Protected View” status and double-click to open.

Step 2. Find and click “Enable Editing”.

The Word document will refresh and will become an editable file together with access to all editing options.

Microsoft Word allows users to turn off Protected View settings in the Trust Center. To do this, open Word and click “File” > “Options” > “Trust Center” > “Trust Center Settings”. In the Protected View tab, uncheck all three options under “Protected View”. This will disable Protected View and allow you to open documents without having to go through the extra step of enabling editing. Keep in mind that disabling Protected View can put your computer at risk for malware and other security threats, so only do this if you trust the source of the documents.

Turn Off “Reading View” in a Word Document

Reading View default is a stripped-down read-only mode and turning it off is simple enough.

Step 1. Click the Word document’s file option.

Step 2. Find and select the “Option” tab.

Step 3. Under the “General” setting, navigate the “Start up options”.

Step 4. Uncheck “Open email attachments and other uneditable files in reading view”.

If you’re using Word in reading mode and want to turn it off, there are a couple of ways to do so. You can either change the view to “Print Layout” or “Web Layout”. Or, you can switch the options in the lower right corner of the Word interface.

Copy and Paste a Word Document

Surely, this copy and paste method won’t remove the read-only protection from the original document. However, you can copy the Word document’s text and paste it into a new Word document you can edit.

To create the copy, follow these procedures:

Step 1. Double-click to open the protected Word document.

Step 2. Click the page and Press Ctrl+A to select the entire text.

Step 3. Copy the selected text using the Ctrl+C shortcut.

Step 4. Click File on the upper-left side of the Word.

Step 5. Click New and click Blank document.

Step 6. Paste the copied document into the new Word sheet. Use shortcuts Ctrl+V.

Step 7. Save the copy as a new file. You’ll be able to edit this Word document.

If these solutions fail you and you still can’t save the file, here are other options you can try:

• Check your OneDrive storage space. Full drive storage can hinder you from saving additional documents. Sign in to your OneDrive account and manage your storage.
• Reactivate your MS Office. Expired subscriptions can reduce the functionality mode of the software.
• Save on a different folder. If you’ve been saving your files in a certain folder, try saving them to your Documents folder this time. See if this makes any difference.
• Check if the Word document is in a ZIP file. Make sure that it is not in it.
• Make sure not to open the document in the Preview pane. To check open Windows Explorer and then go to “View” then select “Panes group” and uncheck the “Preview pane”.
• If possible try to set your anti-virus software to not scan Word files.

Conclusion

Each of us has our own preferred type of document for our day-to-day use. But there are also instances where we have to share documents with/from others. So there’s still that chance that you’ll encounter read-only Word files. If that time comes, you can review the solutions in this article to change a word document from being Read-only to a normal one.