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Protect and Restrict Forms and Documents
Microsoft Word provides several options for protecting and restricting access to forms and documents. Here is an overview of the steps to protect and restrict forms and documents:
Protecting a document:
Open the document you want to protect.
Click the “Review” tab on the ribbon.
Click “Protect Document” and select “Restrict Editing.”
In the Restrict Editing pane, check the “Allow only this type of editing in the document” checkbox.
Choose the editing restrictions you want to apply from the drop-down menu.
Set any additional formatting or editing restrictions in the “Exceptions” section.
Click “Yes, Start Enforcing Protection” and enter a password if desired.
Restricting editing in a form:
Open the form you want to restrict.
Click the “Developer” tab on the ribbon. If you don’t see this tab, go to “File” > “Options” > “Customize Ribbon” and check the “Developer” box.
Click “Restrict Editing” in the “Protect” group.
In the Restrict Editing pane, check the “Allow only this type of editing in the document” checkbox.
Choose “Filling in forms” from the drop-down menu.
Set any additional formatting or editing restrictions in the “Exceptions” section.
Click “Yes, Start Enforcing Protection” and enter a password if desired.
Adding a password to a document:
Open the document you want to password-protect.
Click “File” > “Info” > “Protect Document” (or “Encrypt with Password” in older versions of Word).
Enter a password in the “Encrypt Document” dialog box and click “OK.”
Re-enter the password when prompted and click “OK.”
Note: Keep in mind that password-protecting a document does not necessarily prevent others from accessing or editing it. It is still possible for someone to gain access to the document if they know the password, or if they have access to a user account with permission to open the document.
