How to Lock Down Your Microsoft Word Documents and Excel Spreadsheets (2024)

You've created an important or confidential file in Microsoft Word or Excel, and you want to keep it private or at least secure. Perhaps you want to make sure that only you and certain people can read or edit it. Maybe you want to restrict the types of modifications that someone can make to the file. You may even want to assure readers that this is the final version. You can do all that and more if you know which tools to use in Word and Excel and how they work.

The latest versions of Microsoft Word and Excel serve up several options for securing your documents, including read-only mode, password protection, editing restrictions, and digital signatures. You can also mark a document as final so people know it hasn't been changed since the last time you saved.

These options work in Word and Excel 2010 and later, but we’ll be using the Microsoft 365 versions of the two programs for this guide. The ability to mark a document as final and read-only are two separate options in this version but is combined in older releases.

Use Read-Only Mode in Word

Make sure that no one else can edit a document by making it read-only. In Word, click the File menu. Select Info > Protect Document to view your security options. Select Always Open Read-Only. Now save the document, close it, and then reopen it.

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Word flashes a message that the author would like you to open this as read-only unless you need to make changes. Click Yes to open the document in read-only mode. A message appears telling you that you can only view the document since you don’t have permission to edit it.

Of course, anyone can say no when asked if they’d like to open the file as read-only and launch it in edit mode. Rather, the goal is to make it easier for people to open the document as read-only to lessen the chances of making unintended changes.

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To remove the read-only restriction, open the document in edit mode. Click the File menu, go to Info, click the Protect Document button and select Always Open Read-Only.

Use Read-Only Mode in Excel

The steps are virtually the same in Excel. Click the File menu, select Info, click the Protect Workbook button, and select Always Open Read-Only. Save and close the workbook. Open it and you’ll see the message that the author would like you to open it in read-only mode. To remove the restriction, open the workbook in edit mode. Click the File menu, go to Info, click the Protect Document button and select Always Open Read-Only.

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Encrypt With a Password in Word or Excel

You can encrypt a document or workbook so that only people with the correct password can edit or view it. In Word, go to File > Info > Protect Document. In Excel, go to File > Info > Protect Workbook. Choose the Encrypt with Password option. You’re prompted to create a password for the file. Type and then retype the password you want to use. Be sure to use a complex but memorable password because there’s no way to retrieve or reset the code if you forget it.

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Save the file, close it, and reopen it. Word or Excel prompts you (and anyone else) to enter a password to access the file.

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To remove the password, go back to File > Info > Protect Document or File > Info > Protect Workbook and choose the Encrypt with Password option. In the pop-up window that appears, delete the obscured password and click OK. Resave and close the file. The next time you open it, you won't be asked for a password.

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Restrict Format Editing in Word

You can limit the ways in which your Word document can be edited. In Word, go to File > Info > Protect Document and select Restrict Editing.

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On the right side of your document, a Restrict Editing pane appears for formatting and editing restrictions. Here, you can give people permission to read your document, select which parts they can edit, and choose how they do it.

Check the box next to Limit formatting to a selection of styles to prevent people from changing the formatting of your document. Click Settings to open a Formatting Restrictions pop-up window, which shows all style changes that are allowed by default. You can keep that as is, change it to the Recommended Minimum, or change it to None. If you're not sure which setting to pick, choose Recommended Minimum.

You can also check any of the three options under Formatting to allow AutoFormat to override formatting restrictions, block the ability to switch themes or schemes, and block the ability to switch QuickStyle Sets. If you're not sure, leave these three settings unchecked. Click OK to close the Formatting Restrictions window.

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Restrict Content Editing

Under Editing Restrictions, check the box next to Allow only this type of editing in the document to set how readers of the document can change content in the document. Click the drop-down menu underneath to choose between four options:

• Tracked changes turns on Track Changes in the document and restricts all other types of editing.

  See Also

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• Comments allows readers to insert comments in a document without making modifications.

• Filling in forms lets readers fill in forms you create but not change the content.

• No changes (Read only) puts your document in read-only mode so no changes can be made.

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Apply Editing Exceptions

If you check the option for Comments or No changes (Read only), you can create exceptions for people to be able to edit certain parts of your document. In the Exceptions section, select any parts of the document that you want to be editable and then check the box for Everyone.

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Enforce Protection

Once everything has been set, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection and then type and retype a password and click OK. Save the document, close it, and then reopen it to confirm that the editing controls on the top ribbon have been grayed out. If you allowed editing in certain sections of the document, click in that area and the controls become accessible again. You can also click the button for Find next region I can edit or Show all regions I can edit to find the editable areas.

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To turn off the protection, click the Review tab and click the Restrict Editing icon. Click the Stop Protection button at the bottom of the Restrict Editing pane, enter the password, and click OK. Uncheck the options for Formatting and Editing restrictions that appear on the pane.

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Protect a Worksheet in Excel

You can protect a specific sheet in an Excel workbook to control which changes people are allowed to make to it. For this, go to File > Info > Protect Workbook > Protect Current Sheet.

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At the Protect Sheet window that pops up in your current worksheet, create and type a password to secure the sheet. Keep the box checked for Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells to prevent any locked cells from being edited. Under the setting for Allow all users of this worksheet to:, check any boxes to allow people to perform the associated actions. Otherwise, leave the settings as is and click OK. Retype the password to proceed.

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Save the workbook and then reopen it. Try to delete or revise any cell, and you should receive a message telling you that the cell or chart you’re trying to change is on a protected sheet. To make a change, click the Review menu, select Unprotect Sheet, and then type the password.

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Protect Workbook Structure in Excel

You can also protect the entire workbook to prevent people from adding or removing individual sheets. go to File > Info > Protect Workbook. Click the option for Protect Workbook Structure. At the workbook, type and retype a password when prompted and then click OK.

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Right-click on any sheet tab and you’ll notice that the commands for Insert, Delete, Rename, Move or Copy, Hide, and Unhide are all grayed out. To unprotect the workbook structure, go back to File > Info > Protect Workbook. Click the option for Protect Workbook Structure. Enter the password when prompted and then resave the workbook.

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Add a Digital Signature in Word or Excel

To protect your document or workbook with a digital signature, go to File > Info > Protect Document or File > Info > Protect Workbook and select Add a Digital Signature. This tells people who read your document that you and no one else signed it, indicating that you were the last person to revise and save it.

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To create a digital signature, you'll need a signing certificate. The first time you do this, Word or Excel flashes a message asking if you want to set up a digital signature. Click Yes, and a Microsoft support page will pop up to help you find a digital ID. Try the links for the various providers to get a digital ID. Then, click the Add or remove a digital signature in Office files link. Scroll down the page to learn how to add a digital signature.

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After you add the digital ID, return to the Protect Document or Protect Workbook button and again click Add a Digital Signature. Fill out the necessary fields and click the Sign button. You may be asked to confirm the digital signature, then click OK.

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Your document or workbook is now digitally signed and made read-only. A message explains that the file has been signed and marked as final and that if anyone tampers with it, the signature become invalid. Anyone who opens the document will see the notice of your digital signature.

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Mark as Final in Word or Excel

Instead of using a digital signature, you can still mark the document as final in a more unofficial way. Go to File > Info > Protect Document or File > Info > Protect Workbook and choose Mark as Final. You’re informed that the document or workbook is now final and will be saved. By marking a file as Final, you disable typing, editing, and proofing capabilities and a message will appear to any reader that the document has been finalized.

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Anyone who opens the file will see a message at the top of the screen informing them of the file’s status. However, a reader can still make changes to it if they click the Edit Anyway button. When that button is clicked, they can then edit and resave the document.

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The ultimate goal of this option is not to prevent anyone from editing the file but to tell readers that this is the recommended final version. If someone still wants to edit the file further, their actions will be recorded. When a document or workbook is marked as Final, then edited again, the original person who locked it is still shown as the author, while the other person will be saved as the one who last modified it.