Word why read only

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You may find that when you are opening files, they open as read-only. Read-only means you can only view or print. In some cases, this is for added security, such as when you are opening files from the internet, and other times, it can be due to a setting that can be changed. Here are some scenarios where a file opens read-only and some steps you can take to change that.

My antivirus is causing files to open read-only

Some antivirus programs may protect you from potentially unsafe files by opening them read-only. You may need to check with your antivirus provider to learn how to adjust these settings. BitDefender, for example, has content on adding application exclusions here: How to add application or process exclusions in Bitdefender Control Center.

Are the file properties set to read-only?

You can check the file properties by right-clicking on the file and choosing Properties. If the Read-only attribute is checked, you can uncheck it and click OK.

Uncheck the Read-Only box in order to edit and save your file.

The content opens in Protected View

Files from the Internet and from other potentially unsafe locations can contain viruses, worms, or other kinds of malware that can harm your computer. This is also commonly the case with email attachments or files you’ve downloaded. To help protect your computer, files from these potentially unsafe locations are opened in Protected View. By using Protected View, you can read a file and see its contents while reducing the risks. For more information on Protected View and how to change settings, see this article: What is Protected View?

Is OneDrive full?

If the file is stored on OneDrive and your OneDrive storage space is full, you will be unable to save the document until you are under your allotted space. You can check your free space on OneDrive by clicking the OneDrive icon in the notification center and choosing Manage storage, or you can go to http://onedrive.live.com, sign in, and note the amount of used space in the lower left of the screen.

Is your product activated?

When opening an app you might get an Unlicensed Product message or an activation error. This can happen if Microsoft 365 or Office isn’t activated, or your Microsoft 365 subscription expired. For help with this, see: Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office.

If all else fails…

  • Try restarting the computer

  • Install Office updates

  • Perform an Online repair of Office

  • Check your internet connection

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Our experts and community members are discussing this topic in our Answers forums! Click that link to head over there, see what they’re saying, and participate in the conversation if you like.

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This article was last reviewed by Ben on June 21st, 2018 as a result of your comments. If you found this article helpful, and especially if you didn’t, please use the feedback controls below to let us know how we can make it better.

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If you’ve opened a document in Word but you can’t edit it, it’s probably locked for editing by someone or by a feature. Learning how to remove read only from Word should help you edit these documents even though they’ve been marked as read-only and aren’t supposed to be edited.

There are various reasons as to why people restrict their documents from being edited. Maybe you yourself made the document read-only but you forgot it, or maybe someone has it locked to ensure no unauthorized users can modify the contents of it.

Regardless, if you’ve come across a document that you must edit but it’s in read-only mode, there are various methods to fix it and to be able to edit the document.

Also, be sure to check out our YouTube channel where we made a short video going over the fixes listed in this article.

Remove Read Only From Word By Disabling Edit Restrictions

We’ll start off by disabling the Word’s built-in feature that lets users restrict their documents from being modified. If you or someone has enabled this option for your current document, it is why you can’t edit it.

Disabling the option should fix it for you.

  • Open your read-only document in the MS Word program.
  • When it opens, find the tab that says Developer at the top and click on it.
  • You’ll find several options to choose from on the following screen. Look towards to the Protect area at the top and click on the option that says Restrict Editing.
  • A new pane will appear on the right-hand side. There’s a button at the bottom of this pane saying Stop Protection. Click on the button to remove read only from this Word document.
  • If there was a password setup to restrict editing, you’ll need to enter it on the box shown on your screen. Then click on OK to unlock the document.

Your document is no longer in read-only mode and you can actually modify its contents as you wish. 

Turn Off The Trust Center Options To Remove Word Opening In Read Only

Trust Center is a feature in Word that blocks certain documents from being fully opened with editing capabilities on your computer. You can disable the feature in the program and that should fix the read only issue you’re facing with your document.

  • Launch the MS Word program on your machine.
  • At the bottom-left corner of your screen, you’ll find an option that says Options. Click on it to open the standard Word settings menu.
  • On the following screen, you’ll find an entry saying Trust Center in the left sidebar. Click on it to open the Trust Center settings.
  • You’ll see a button saying Trust Center Settings on the right-hand side pane. Click on it to open the settings menu.
  • There’ll be several options in the left sidebar of your screen. Find and select the one that says Protected View.
  • On the right-hand side pane, you’ll see three checkboxes that are enabled. Untick each of these boxes to prevent Word from opening your documents in the protected view. Then click on OK at the bottom to save your changes.
  • Launch your document in the program and you should be able to edit it.

Fix The Word Opening In Read Only For Email Attachments

MS Word actually has a number of features to protect you from various threats that are spread via Word files. One of these features opens your email attachments in the read-only mode so it can’t affect your computer negatively.

This may be the reason why your documents always open in the read-only mode. Turning this option off should fix the issue for you.

  • Open MS Word on your computer.
  • Click on the Options option at the lower-left corner and it’ll open the settings menu.
  • Click on the General tab in the left sidebar if you aren’t already there. Then on the right-hand side menu, scroll down and find the option that says Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view.

    Untick the box for the option and click on OK to save the changes.

The Word files you’ve received as email attachments should now open in regular mode letting you edit them however you want.

Disable The Preview Pane In File Explorer

Preview pane in Explorer shows the previews of your files, and for it to do that, it sometimes locks-up your files and prevents you from editing them.

A quick solution to that is to simply turn off the pane.

  • Open This PC from your desktop.
  • Click on the View tab at the very top of your screen.
  • Select the option that says Preview pane in the Panes section. It’ll disable the pane if it was enabled before.

You may now try opening your file in the program to see if it fixed the issue.

Toggle An Option In The Properties To Remove Read Only From Word

One of the possible ways to fix read only mode in Word is to change an attribute for your file.

  • Right-click on your Word document and select Properties.
  • Tick-mark Read-only and click on OK.
  • Open the Properties menu again, untick the Read-only option, and hit OK.
  • Open the file in Word and it should let you edit it.

Extract The File Before Opening It In MS Word

If you’re trying to edit a Word file that’s inside an archived format such as RAR or ZIP, you’ll want to first extract the file from it to then edit it. Directly opening the file from an archive sometimes prevents you from editing it.

  • Right-click on the archive and select Extract Here.
  • Open the file in Word and you’ll be able to edit it.

The content is in protected view This is also commonly the case with email attachments or files you’ve downloaded. To help protect your computer, files from these potentially unsafe locations are opened in Protected View. By using Protected View, you can read a file and see its contents while reducing the risks.

Contents

  • 1 How do I stop Word from opening in read only mode?
  • 2 Why do my Word documents keep changing to read only?
  • 3 Why does Word always open in read mode?
  • 4 Why are my files read only?
  • 5 Why is my Word document not letting me edit it?
  • 6 Why can’t I turn off read only?
  • 7 How do I make a Word document editable?
  • 8 How do I edit an editable Word document?
  • 9 How do I change the Read Only attribute in Windows 10?
  • 10 How do I remove read only from command prompt?
  • 11 Why are my new folders read only?
  • 12 How do I stop Word from opening in read only mode on Mac?
  • 13 How do I change a file from read only to edit?
  • 14 How do I make a Word document fillable and not editable?
  • 15 What is editable format?
  • 16 How do I make a non editable Word document editable?
  • 17 What are the different editing and formatting options in Microsoft Word?

How do I stop Word from opening in read only mode?

In the Word Options window that opens, switch to the ‘General‘ tab in the left sidebar. Then, in the right-pane, scroll down and look for the option that reads as ‘Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view’. Uncheck the box marked against the option and hit the ‘OK’ button to save the changes.

Why do my Word documents keep changing to read only?

Turn Off The Trust Center Options To Remove Word Opening In Read Only. Trust Center is a feature in Word that blocks certain documents from being fully opened with editing capabilities on your computer. You can disable the feature in the program and that should fix the read only issue you’re facing with your document.

Why does Word always open in read mode?

The reason why it defaults to Reading mode is because the document is opened in Read-only mode. Because it’s an email attachment, Outlook saves a copy of the attachment in the temporary folder first before asking Word to open it with Read-only rights.

Why are my files read only?

A file that’s marked as read-only usually implies that the file shouldn’t be altered or that great caution should be taken before making changes to it. Other things besides files can also be read-only like particularly configured flash drives and other solid state storage devices like SD cards.

Why is my Word document not letting me edit it?

If you cannot edit your Word document, it’s probably protected with a password. In case you don’t want to enter the password every time you access the document, you’ll need to disable document protection, and delete the password.

Why can’t I turn off read only?

If your folder keeps reverting to read-only it could be due to a recent Windows 10 upgrade. Many users have reported that when upgrading their system to Windows 10, they encountered this error. Read-only is a file/folder attribute that lets only a specific group of users read or edit the files or folder.

How do I make a Word document editable?

Creating Fillable Forms Using Microsoft Word

  1. Enable Developer Tab. Open Microsoft Word, then go to the File Tab > Options > Customize Ribbon > check the Developer Tab in the right column > Click OK.
  2. Insert a Control.
  3. Edit Filler Text.
  4. Design Mode button again to exit the mode.
  5. Customize Content Controls.

How do I edit an editable Word document?

Edit a Microsoft Word document

  1. Click the. Edit. tab.
  2. Select the text that you want to edit.
  3. Using the tools in the edit toolbar, change the required formatting including font style, paragraph alignment, list formatting, and indentation options.

How do I change the Read Only attribute in Windows 10?

Follow the steps below:

  1. Right-click the folder, then select Properties.
  2. Go to Security tab, then click Advanced.
  3. Click Change to the right of Owner.
  4. Enter Users into the box, then click OK.
  5. Enable the checkbox Replace owner on sub containers and objects, then click Apply.

How do I remove read only from command prompt?

Remove read only from SD card using CMD

  1. Connect your SD card to your computer based on Windows 11/10/8/7.
  2. Press Windows + R key to open theRun dialog.
  3. When it display you the command prompt, type diskpart and press Enter.
  4. Type list disk and hit Enter.
  5. Type select disk n.
  6. Type attr disk clear readonly.

Why are my new folders read only?

Read-only is a file/folder attribute which gives permission only to a specific group of users to edit the files or folders.If you can’t change a folder from its read-only state, that means that you don’t have sufficient permissions to do so. Try to log in as an administrator and try again.

How do I stop Word from opening in read only mode on Mac?

Right-click its icon, and select “Get Info” to enter the file’s Info window. 2. Check if the selection “Locked” in General is enabled. If so, disable it and the files will quit Read-only mode.

How do I change a file from read only to edit?

Some read-only files can be changed to allow for edits by removing the read-only attribute in the file properties.

  1. Right-click the file and select Properties.
  2. Uncheck the box for Read-only and click OK.

How do I make a Word document fillable and not editable?

Head on to the “Protect” section on the ribbon and click the button labeled “Protect Document.” You should then click the button named “Restrict Formatting and Editing.” On the options that appear, select the one that says “Allow only this type of editing in the document” and pick “Filling in forms.” Once you’re done,

What is editable format?

Editable file is simply any electronic file that can be used for office automation and computer-assisted processing, i.e. any file that can be edited, changed or updated (at least) in the environment of its native application.

How do I make a non editable Word document editable?

How to convert DOCX to DOC

  1. Upload docx-file(s) Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.
  2. Choose “to doc” Choose doc or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)
  3. Download your doc.

What are the different editing and formatting options in Microsoft Word?

To help understand Microsoft Word formatting, let’s look at the four types of formatting:

  • Character or Font Formatting.
  • Paragraph Formatting.
  • Document or Page Formatting.
  • Section Formatting.


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Is your Word document opening in read-only mode? You’ll need to turn off this protected view mode before you can make changes to the file. Fortunately, this is really easy to do! This wikiHow article will walk you through changing a read-only Microsoft Word document into one that’s unlocked and ready to edit.

Things You Should Know

  • Word files may be read-only due to Protected View, password protection, or file permissions in Windows or macOS.
  • If you’re using Windows, right-click the file, select «Properties,» click the «Properties» tab, then remove the Read-only attribute.
  • On a Mac, click the file, go to «File» > «Get Info» > «Sharing & Permissions,» and allow «Read & Write» permission.
  1. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 1

    1

    Understand which documents are likely to be protected. Any Microsoft Word document which you download from the Internet (e.g., an email attachment or a file from a website) will have read-only protection assigned to it whenever you open it. You can disable this protection when first opening the document.

  2. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 2

    2

    Open the Word document. Double-click the Word document for which you want to remove the read-only protection.

    • If the Word document is currently open, close it and re-open it.

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  3. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 3

    3

    Look for a pale yellow banner. If you see a yellow banner with the phrase «Files from the Internet can contain viruses» written across the top of the Word document, your document qualifies to have its read-only status removed using this method.

    • If you don’t see this banner even after closing and re-opening the Word document, try one of the other methods in this article.
  4. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 4

    4

    Click Enable Editing. This button should be on the right side of the banner. Doing so will refresh the Word document and remove the read-only protection. You should now be able to edit the document.

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  1. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 5

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    Open the Word document. Double-click the Word document from which you want to remove the protection. It will open in Word.

  2. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 6

    2

    Click the Review tab. This tab is in the upper-right corner of the Word window. Doing so opens the Review toolbar at the top of the Word window.

  3. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 7

    3

    Click Restrict Editing. You’ll find this option on the far-right side of the Review toolbar. Clicking it prompts a pop-out menu to appear on the right side of the window.

  4. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 8

    4

    Click Stop Protection. It’s at the bottom of the pop-out menu. You should see a pop-up window appear at this point.

    • If you or another user on your computer’s account created the protection without a password, clicking Stop Protection will automatically remove the protection.
  5. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 9

    5

    Enter the password when prompted. Type the document’s password into the «Password» text box, then click OK. This will immediately remove the Word document’s read-only lock if the password is correct.

    • If you don’t know the password, you’ll have to copy and paste the file’s contents instead.
  6. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 10

    6

    Save your changes. Press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac) to do so. From now on, the file won’t be read-only protected unless you re-enable editing protection.

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  1. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 11

    1

    Go to the Word document. Find the folder in which the Word document is stored.

    • If the file isn’t actually on your computer (e.g., it’s on a flash drive or a CD), move the file onto your computer before proceeding.
  2. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 12

    2

    Open the Word file’s properties. This will vary depending on your computer’s operating system:

    • Windows — Click once the Word file, right-click the Word file, and click Properties in the drop-down menu.
    • Mac — Click the Word file, click the File menu item in the top-left side of your Mac’s screen, and click Get Info.
  3. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 13

    3

    Find the «Permissions» section. On a Windows computer, you’ll find the proper options in the «Attributes» section near the bottom of the Properties window.

    • On a Mac, you’ll have to click the Sharing & Permissions heading near the bottom of the window.
  4. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 14

    4

    Disable the read-only protection. Again, this process will differ depending on whether you’re using Windows or a Mac:

    • Windows — Uncheck the «Read-only» box near the bottom of the window, click Apply, and click OK.
    • Mac — Click the Read option to the right of your name, then click Read & Write in the menu which appears.

      • You may first have to click the lock in the bottom-left corner of the Get Info window and then enter your Mac’s password before you can do this.
    • If this option is greyed out, unchecked, or otherwise not set to «Read-only», you’ll have to try copying and pasting instead.
  5. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 15

    5

    Try to edit the file. Open the Word document by double-clicking it, then try to edit it. Keep in mind that you may first have to remove the online read-only lock before doing so.

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  1. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 16

    1

    Understand how this works. If your primary goal is to edit the Word document, you can copy the Word document’s text and paste it into a new Word document and then save the new document onto your computer. While doing this won’t remove the read-only protection from the original document, it will create an editable copy.

  2. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 17

    2

    Open the protected Word document. Double-click the Word document to do so.

  3. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 18

    3

    Click anywhere on the document. This will place your mouse cursor on the document’s page.

  4. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 19

    4

    Select the whole document. Press either Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to do so. You should see the entire document become highlighted.

  5. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 20

    5

    Copy the selected text. Press either Ctrl+C (Windows) or Command+C (Mac). This will copy the document’s text to your computer’s clipboard.

  6. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 21

    6

    Open a new Word document. Click File in the upper-left side of the Word window, click New on the left side of the window, and click Blank document to open a blank Word document.

    • On a Mac, click the File menu item, then click New Blank Document at the top of the drop-down menu.
  7. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 22

    7

    Paste in the copied text. Press either Ctrl+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac) to paste the locked Word document’s text into the blank document.

    • This may take a few seconds if the original document was particularly large or contained images.
  8. Image titled Remove the 'Read Only' Status on MS Word Documents Step 23

    8

    Save the document as a new file. Press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac), then enter your document’s name and click Save. You’ll be able to edit the document you just created like usual.

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  • Question

    My documents are in Microsoft Office as PDF files and they are read only. How do I turn read only off?

    Community Answer

    Save it as a new document, delete the old one, and rename the new one. This should allow you to edit it.

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  • Another way to remove the read-only protection from a Microsoft Word document is by converting the Word document into a PDF with the SmallPDF online converter, downloading the converted PDF, and then converting the PDF back into a Word document with SmallPDF.

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  • It’s much easier to copy the protected document’s text and paste it into a new document than it is to try to crack Microsoft’s security.

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If Word keeps locking you out of your own documents, here are some tricks you can try on Windows.

fix word document open read only mode

Microsoft Word, by default, opens the documents downloaded from the internet in Read-Only mode for added security reasons. Other times, it can be due to the document owner adding edit restrictions to the document to be used in read-only mode to prevent modifications.

In any case, you can change the edit restrictions in Microsoft Word to stop the documents from opening in read-only mode. Here we show you how to disable document protection, change file attributes and turn off the built-in safety features to remove the read-only status on MS Word documents.

1. Disable Read-Only Mode in File Properties

tun off read only file attribute

In Windows, you can mark files as read-only to discourage other users from modifying the original content of the file. If the read-only file attribute is turned on, you can open and read the file but cannot delete, overwrite or edit the original content.

If your document opens in read-only mode, check the file properties and turn off the read-only mode file attribute to allow modifications in MS Word.

  1. Right-click on the file you want to change file attributes for and select Properties.
  2. In the Properties window, open the General tab.
  3. In the Attributes section, uncheck the Read-only option.
  4. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.
  5. Now the document will not open in read-only mode in MS Word.

2. Turn Off Edit Restrictions for Microsoft Word Documents

Document owners can use the built-in Restrict Editing feature in Microsoft Word to prevent unauthorized users from making unintended modifications. The Restrict Editing mode uses password or user authentication as the file protection method.

So, if there is a file restriction, you will need to have access to the password or be an authenticated owner to remove the editing restrictions.

To remove Editing Restrictions for a Word document:

  1. Open the read-only document in MS Word.
  2. Next, open the Review at the top.
    restrict editing MS Word
  3. In the Protect section, click on Restrict Editing.
    stop protection ms word
  4. In the right pane, click the Stop Protection button.
    enter password word file
  5. If the document is password protected, it will ask you to enter the password. Punch in the password and click OK.

That should remove all the editing restrictions and allow you to modify the Word document.

3. Turn Off Protected View for Word

Protected View is part of Microsoft’s Trust Center, where you can manage the security and privacy settings for the Microsoft Office programs. When enabled, Protected View opens documents in read-only mode and disables most editing functions.

MS Word, by default, uses Protected View to protect the user from malicious internet files disguised as genuine Word documents. However, if you trust the read-only document to be genuine, you can disable Protected View temporarily in MS Word to edit your document.

To disable Protected View in MS Word:

  1. Open the MS Word program.
  2. Click on File and then select Options.
  3. It will open the Word Options window. In the left pane, open the Trust Center tab.
    trusted center settings
  4. Next, click on Trust Center Settings under the Microsoft Word Trust Center section.
  5. In the left pane, click on the Protected View tab.
    disable protected view
  6. In the right pane, uncheck the following options: Enable Protected View for files originating from the internet, followed by Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations, and then Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments
  7. Click OK to save the changes and open the Word document. It will now open without any restrictions.

4. Turn Off «Open E-mail Attachments in Reading View»

disable open email other uneditable attachments reading view 1

You can configure MS Word’s startup options to open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view. This is a security feature to help prevent malicious email attachments and other documents that originated from the internet from infecting your computer.

However, it can also prevent you from editing legitimate documents by opening them in read-only mode. Try to disable this option to see if that helps you resolve the problem.

  1. Launch the MS Word program on your PC.
  2. Click on File and select Options.
  3. In the General tab, scroll down to Start up options.
  4. Next, uncheck the Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in the reading view option.
  5. Click OK to save the changes.
  6. If you open an attachment file in MS Word, it should now open in default mode.

5. Disable the Preview Pane in File Explorer

When enabled, the Preview pane shows the preview of your selected files in File Explorer. However, to do so, File Explorer may end up locking your file resulting in read-only mode in MS Word.

Try turning off the Preview pane in File Explorer to fix the problem.

Disable Preview pane in Windows 11:

  1. Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
    file explorer view
  2. In File Explorer, click the View drop-down.
    turn off view pane file explorer
  3. Then, go to Show and unselect Preview pane.

Disable Preview pane in Windows 10:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Next, open the View tab at the top of your screen.
  3. Click on the Preview pane to disable the option.

6. Check If Your Antivirus Is Blocking Documents

Similar to MS Word, third-party antivirus includes built-in safety features to stop users from opening potentially dangerous files downloaded from the Internet.

However, your antivirus can also block genuine files and prevent them from opening default mode in MS Word. If you have a third-party antivirus, check if it is causing Word files to open in read-only mode.

You can disable your antivirus temporarily to determine if it is causing the issue. Once disabled, open the Word file and check if it opens in default mode with editing privileges.

If so, check your antivirus program for application or process exclusion settings, including the Ransomware shield setting. If the issue persists, consider switching to less intrusive antivirus software.

7. Online Repair Your Microsoft Office App

MS Office features a built-in repair option to fix issues that may be preventing the program from working correctly. If you determine the problem to have occurred due to a software glitch, run the repair tool to fix any issues with the app.

  1. Press Win + R to open Run.
  2. Type control and click OK to open Control Panel.
  3. In Control Panel, go to Programs > Programs and Features.
    repair microsoft office control panel
  4. Select the Microsoft Office app from the list and click Change. Click Yes when prompted by User Account Control.
    Microsoft office online repair
  5. Select Online Repair and click the Repair button. This requires an active Internet connection to download necessary Office files and fix any issues.
  6. Click Repair once more to confirm the action. The repair process may take some time, so wait until complete.
  7. Once done, restart your PC and check for any improvements.

Fix Microsoft Word Opening Documents in Read-Only Mode

Microsoft Office is among the most targeted platform by the threat actors to carry out attacks through malware. To mitigate these attacks and protect user data, Microsoft Office applications use several safety features to prevent users from opening malicious files.

However, these safety features can also block genuine files and open them in read-only mode. If you trust the file source, you can disable these safety features in MS Word settings and open the documents in default mode.

Table of Contents

  1. How do I turn off read only in Word 2010?
  2. How do I restrict editing in Word 2010?
  3. How do I permanently turn off read-only?
  4. Why are my Word documents opening in read-only mode?
  5. How do I turn off editing marks in Word?
  6. Can you lock a Word document for editing?
  7. How do you remove read only in Microsoft Word?
  8. How do you change a read only document in word?
  9. How do you remove read only from a file?
  10. Why did my file open read-only?

You may find that when you are opening files, they open as read-only. In some cases, this is for added security, such as when you are opening files from the internet, and other times, it can be due to a setting that can be changed.

How do I turn off read only in Word 2010?

Remove read only

  1. Click the Microsoft Office Button. , and then click Save or Save As if you have previously saved the document.
  2. Click Tools.
  3. Click General Options.
  4. Clear the Read-only recommended check box.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Save the document. You might need to save it as another file name if you have already named the document.

How do I restrict editing in Word 2010?

To start out with, launch Word 2010 document on which you want to restrict editing. Navigate to Review tab and click Restrict Editing. What is this? You will see Restricting Formatting and Editing pane at the right sidebar providing numerous options to restrict editing.

How do I permanently turn off read-only?

Here’s how:

  1. On File Explorer, right-click on OneDrive, and then select Properties.
  2. On the General tab under Attributes, uncheck Read-only, and then click OK.
  3. There will be a prompt asking if you want to apply changes to all folders, subfolders, and files. Click OK.

Why are my Word documents opening in read-only mode?

The content is in protected view This is also commonly the case with email attachments or files you’ve downloaded. To help protect your computer, files from these potentially unsafe locations are opened in Protected View. By using Protected View, you can read a file and see its contents while reducing the risks.

How do I turn off editing marks in Word?

From the File tab, select Options. Click the Display tab. In the section Always show these formatting marks on the screen, un-check everything except Object Anchors. Press OK.

Can you lock a Word document for editing?

Click File > Info > Protect Document and select Restrict Editing. Your document then displays a Restrict Editing pane on the right-hand side of the document for formatting and editing restrictions. Here, you can give people permission to read your document, select what parts they can edit, and choose how they do it.

How do you remove read only in Microsoft Word?

If want to remove read only from this Word document, you just need to right-click on this document file, select Properties. Uncheck the box next to “Read-only”, and then click on OK.

How do you change a read only document in word?

To make a Word document read-only, you can change an attribute on the file in Windows: Step 1: Close the Word document. Step 2: Right click on the document, and select Properties. Step 3: In the Properties dialog, select General tab, check Read-only checkbox, and then click Apply followed by OK.

How do you remove read only from a file?

Delete Read Only Files in Mac OS X Using Finder Open Finder. Find the file that you want to delete and click to highlight it. Click File at the top of the Finder menu, then select Get Info. Select the “Privilege” option in the Sharing & Permissions section. Click on the box next to “Owner.”. Set the file to Read & Write status. Delete the file

Why did my file open read-only?

You may find that when you are opening files, they open as read-only. In some cases, this is for added security, such as when you are opening files from the internet, and other times, it can be due to a setting that can be changed.

More from The Question & Answer (Q&A)

When I open a file from a network folder, Word always opens it in readonly mode.
How to stop Office from doing this. I want it to just open it as normal and I don’t need office to do any security procedures.

Any idea how I can get this resolved?

Malvineous's user avatar

Malvineous

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asked Oct 31, 2013 at 6:39

Tristan's user avatar

  1. Run the Office 2010 application with the problem. Notice that this procedure has to be done individually with each of the applications in MS Office suite (great!).
  2. Click on the Office button on the upper left-hand corner and select “Options”
  3. In the “Options” dialogue box, select “Trust Center” (on the left)
  4. Click on “Trust Center Settings” (on the right)
  5. Select “Protected View”
  6. Disable any of all the protected view options by unticking the check boxes.
  7. Click OK when done.

From http://quantumtunnel.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/microsoft-office-2010-issue-with-opening-files-as-read-only

P.S. Do you have write permissions?

answered Oct 31, 2013 at 8:17

TheSAS's user avatar

TheSASTheSAS

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Go into Word Options there’s a check box under Start up options: Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view. Uncheck the box and click OK. This should remove the readonly.

answered Feb 8, 2016 at 20:49

Lynne Okazaki's user avatar

Try turning off the Preview Pane and Details Pane in the File Open dialog box from within the Office application. If you are opening the files directly from Windows Explorer, try turning off the Preview Pane in Windows Explorer as well.

There seems to be an issue with the Preview Pane issuing a temporary lock on the file in order to preview its contents. If the file is opened while this lock is in place, it will open in read-only mode. The problem is worse with larger files over slower network connections.

For more information, and other possible solutions/workarounds, visit The Definitive ‘Locked File’ Post.

answered May 6, 2015 at 20:53

mwolfe02's user avatar

mwolfe02mwolfe02

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I just went to file properties, and applied Read Only, and after that removed again (click apply to take effect). After that, the file started to open correctly.

answered Apr 5, 2016 at 10:05

Francisco Monteiro's user avatar

If you’ve tried everything else and it’s still opening as Read-Only despite that box not being checked in the properties. Close all instances of MS Word and try again. That was the only thing that ended up working for me.

answered Dec 19, 2016 at 22:48

Samuel's user avatar

SamuelSamuel

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This post solved my problem, I think best is to try disabling the add-in, they may cause word to be opened in safe more, at least this happened in my case. Please read @DanielJackson’s answer in that post.

answered Mar 16, 2018 at 14:41

hagrawal7777's user avatar

Not sure if this is the case for anyone else, as I have tried and failed several times using the above suggestions.
Only to realise that I opened the file which was in a compressed folder…
You might want to check that.

answered May 16, 2019 at 5:22

user1036912's user avatar

1

After dedicating hours of my life to trying every one of the above suggestions, I found the problem was not ‘read-only’ mode, but ‘read’ mode!

All I had to do was click on print layout (the open book icon) in the Status Bar on the footer of a Word page. Now feeling rather foolish; but am not too proud to tell the story in case others may be affected by the same (hopefully) temporary dumbness.

But thanks to all of the above contributors for their clear explanations. I have learned from them.

answered Jul 19, 2020 at 16:26

Bill Young's user avatar

If the file was downloaded from the internet then right click on the file > Properties and then unblock it

unblock file

If the file was opened directly from a network drive then check the file’s permissions

answered Oct 31, 2013 at 8:14

phuclv's user avatar

phuclvphuclv

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1

I found that I had an Excel Add In (Asap Utilities) installed. I re-installed it and the problem (after a few minutes of opening, the files already opened in Excel became ‘Read Only) seems to have gone away.

answered Nov 21, 2020 at 9:16

Bathinda Helper's user avatar

I have just encountered this problem with Microsoft Excel. The error message was saying the problem comes from the sharing options. Lo and behold, when I right-clicked my problematic excel file, clicked on share with,and then clicked on my username, the problem has disappeared. Now I can happily modify and save my file. I have just found this solution so now I just hope it lasts through windows explorer/computer restart. I hope this simple solution works for others as well.

answered Sep 8, 2015 at 16:17

caraboo's user avatar

  1. Word >>> File
  2. In the “Options” dialogue box, select “Trust Center” (on the left)
  3. Click on “Trust Center Settings” (on the right)
    THEN «Trusted Locations»
  4. Where do you store your files? Add your file directories to the ‘Trusted Locations’ List

MicroSoft has default locations to store your files. If you store your data elsewhere on your PC or Network, then add the directories to «Trusted Locations’ List so that your files do not open as protected.

Keep all internet and Outlook attachment files protected under the «protected view» section

answered Dec 20, 2019 at 18:46

user1123229's user avatar

If word opens as ‘read only’ close it and go to task manager by alt + ctrl+dlt. then you will find a winword file under process even you close your word file. end this winword and re open your word file and it is not read only. This worked for me.

Pierre.Vriens's user avatar

answered Feb 27, 2020 at 5:27

Kalana Ratnhaweera's user avatar

My antivirus (Avast) tricked me into accepting some sort of ransomware shield feature which took it upon itself to lock a bunch of my folders including My Documents. This caused the Read Only disaster. I went into Avast|Protection|RansomwareShield and disabled the whole stupid shield (which was also blocking — er…protecting — My Photos and a bunch of other folders). MS Word worked fine after that.

answered Dec 15, 2020 at 17:36

GundoDude's user avatar

1

For me it was cured by turning off the ‘auto save’ feature … Why? Who knows, but it worked.

answered Nov 13, 2021 at 1:45

Phil's user avatar

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Office applications like Word periodically, and sometimes, without the consent of a user converts a file to ‘Read-only’ mode while it is being used. The change in default status can be annoying since the mode allows no editing. Nevertheless, you can fix this issue, here’s how!

Apart from you, if someone else has access to your PC then, chances are he/she has locked it accidentally or deliberately to prevent anyone from making changes to the contents of a file. If Microsoft Word documents are opening in Read-only mode on your Windows 11/10 PC, then here are the steps you need to take to fix the issue, then you can remove read-only mode in Word by following these methods:

  1. Disabling Edit Restrictions
  2. Unchecking ‘Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view’.
  3. Changing Word File Properties
  4. Disabling the Preview Pane In File Explorer.

Let’s cover the methods described above in a bit of detail.

1] Disable Edit Restrictions

Open the Read-only Word document.

Go to the ‘Review’ tab and under it look for the option that reads ‘Restrict Editing’.

read-only mode

Click the tab. Then, in the new pane that opens, look for the ‘Stop protection’ button. It should be visible at the bottom of the pane. Hit the button.

When prompted for the password, request the person who configured it to provide it to you.

Enter the password to remove Read-only mode.

2] Uncheck ‘Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view’

Sometimes when you receive a word file as an attachment and try to open it to edit it, you cannot do it since it opens in the ‘Read-only’ mode.

Open the Word file on your computer. Click the ‘File’ tab and go to ‘Options’.

In the Word Options window that opens, switch to the ‘General’ tab in the left sidebar.

Word opens documents in Read-only mode

Then, in the right-pane, scroll down and look for the option that reads as ‘Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view’.

Uncheck the box marked against the option and hit the ‘OK’ button to save the changes.

Hereafter, any Word files you receive as email attachments should now open in regular mode letting you edit them however you want.

3] Change Word File Properties

Right-click the Word document that opens only in ‘Read-only’ mode and select ‘Properties’.

Un-check the box marked against ‘Read-only’ option.

4] Disable the Preview Pane In File Explorer

This ahs helped some. See if it helps you; else reverse the changes.

Go to ‘This PC’ section and click on the ‘View’ tab.

Now, simply select the option that says ‘Preview pane’ in the Panes section. This will disable the pane if it was enabled before.

That’s it!

Ezoic

A post-graduate in Biotechnology, Hemant switched gears to writing about Microsoft technologies and has been a contributor to TheWindowsClub since then. When he is not working, you can usually find him out traveling to different places or indulging himself in binge-watching.

Why is my Word document suddenly read only?

Turn Off The Trust Center Options To Remove Word Opening In Read Only. Trust Center is a feature in Word that blocks certain documents from being fully opened with editing capabilities on your computer. You can disable the feature in the program and that should fix the read only issue you’re facing with your document.

Why are my Excel spreadsheets opening as read only?

Excel spreadsheets may be Read Only due to their location. If the spreadsheet is on a network folder and you do not have appropriate network permissions to make make changes in the folder, the spreadsheet is Read Only. Spreadsheets sent as email attachments and previewed within the email program are also Read Only.

Why are my files read only?

You may find that when you are opening files, they open as read-only. In some cases, this is for added security, such as when you are opening files from the internet, and other times, it can be due to a setting that can be changed.

How do I permanently turn off read-only?

Here’s how:

  1. On File Explorer, right-click on OneDrive, and then select Properties.
  2. On the General tab under Attributes, uncheck Read-only, and then click OK.
  3. There will be a prompt asking if you want to apply changes to all folders, subfolders, and files. Click OK.

How do I force Excel to read-only?

Here’s how to enable this setting.

  1. In Excel, select “File” and click Save As.
  2. Excel 2019 users, select “Browse“.
  3. Choose “Tools” > “General Options” at the bottom of the window.
  4. Select the check-box for “Read-only recommended“, then select “OK“.
  5. Select “Save“.

Why can’t I remove Read-Only attribute Windows 10?

As mentioned above, third-party antivirus software is also responsible for the issue – you can’t remove read-only from folder Windows 10. This is because your antivirus program detects the files as a threat and stops you from accessing. In this situation, you can try disabling them temporarily.

Why does read-only keep coming back?

If your folder keeps reverting to read-only it could be due to a recent Windows 10 upgrade. Many users have reported that when upgraded their system to Windows 10, they encountered this error. Read-only is a file/folder attribute which lets only a specific group of users read or edit the files or folder.

How do I log into Windows as an administrator?

Method 1 – Via Command

  1. Select “Start” and type “CMD“.
  2. Right-click “Command Prompt” then choose “Run as administrator“.
  3. If prompted, enter a username and password that grants admin rights to the computer.
  4. Type: net user administrator /active:yes.
  5. Press “Enter“.

What does unset read-only mean?

Read-only is a file attribute, or a characteristic that the operating system assigns to a file. In this case, read-only means that the file can be only opened or read; you cannot delete, change, or rename any file that’s been flagged read-only. Right-click the file or folder icon.

How do I turn off hidden attributes?

Go to Control Panel and open Folder Options. 2. Go to the View tab and select “Show hidden files and folders”. Then uncheck “Hide protected operating system files”.

How do I make all files read-only?

Solution

  1. Open Windows Explorer.
  2. Browse to the file or folder you want to hide.
  3. Right-click the file or folder and select Properties.
  4. Check the box beside Read-only.
  5. Click OK.

How do I turn off compatibility mode word?

My document title says [Compatibility Mode]

  1. On the File menu, click Save As.
  2. On the Format pop-up menu, click Word Document (. docx).
  3. If you are using Word for Mac 2011, make sure that the Maintain compatibility with Word 98-2004 check box is clear.
  4. Click Save.

Why can I not edit my Word document?

The Word file may be set to open in read-only mode, which is why you are unable to edit it. 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.

How do I enable editing in Word 2020?

Enable editing in your document

  1. Go to File > Info.
  2. Select Protect document.
  3. Select Enable Editing.

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