Protect a document from unauthorized changes

Microsoft Office Word 2003

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You digitally sign a file or a macro project by using a digital certificate.

  1. If you don't already have a digital certificate, you must obtain one.

    ShowHow?

    You can obtain a digital certificate from a commercial certification authority, such as VeriSign, Inc., or from your internal security administrator or Information Technology (IT) professional. Or, you can create a digital signature yourself using the Selfcert.exe tool.

    To learn more about certification authorities that offer services for Microsoft products, see the Microsoft Security Advisor Web site.

    Note  Because a digital certificate you create yourself isn't issued by a formal certification authority, macro projects signed by using such a certificate are referred to as self-signed projects. Depending on how Microsoft Office digital-signature features are being used in your organization, you might be prevented from using such a certificate, and other users might not be able to run self-signed macros for security reasons.

  2. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Security tab.
  3. Click Digital signatures.
  4. Click Add.
  5. Select the certificate you want to add, and then click OK.

ShowRequire a password to open or modify a document

Security  Use strong passwords that combine upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Weak passwords don't mix these elements. Strong password: Y6dh!et5. Weak password: House27. Use a strong password that you can remember so that you don't have to write it down.

  1. Open the file.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click Security.
  3. Do one of the following:

    ShowCreate a password to open

    1. In the Password to open box, type a password, and then click OK.
    2. In the Reenter password to open box, type the password again, and then click OK.

    ShowCreate a password to modify

    1. In the Password to modify box, type a password, and then click OK.
    2. In the Reenter password to modify box, type the password again, and then click OK.

ShowTip

To create a long password— up to 255 characters— click Advanced, and select an RC4 encryption type.

ShowHave Microsoft Word recommend opening a document as read-only

You can suggest, but not require, that users open a document as read-only. If a user opens the document as read-only and changes it, that person can save the document only by giving it a different file name.

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. Click Security.
  3. Select the Read-only recommended check box, and then click OK.
  4. Click Save Button image on the Standard toolbar.

ShowPrevent users from accidentally changing a form

You can protect a form when it is in progress and also protect the final version to prevent users from making changes as they fill it out.

ShowProtect a form as you are designing or changing it

This method provides a helpful way to test how the final version of the form will work.

  • On the Forms toolbar, click Protect Form Button image.

Note  You can manually reset form fields by clicking Reset Form Fields Button image on the Forms toolbar.

ShowPrevent users from making changes to a form

Before you distribute a form that users will view and complete in Microsoft Word, you must protect it so that users can enter information only in the designated areas.

Note  When you protect a document by using the following method, any information in form fields will be reset.

  1. On the Tools menu, click Protect Document.
  2. In the Protect Document task pane, under Editing restrictions, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box, and then click Filling in forms in the list of editing restrictions.
  3. To protect only parts of a form, click Select sections, and then clear the check boxes of the sections you don't want to protect.

    Note  To protect only parts of a form, those parts must be in separate sections (on the Insert menu, click Break to create section breaks).

  4. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
  5. To assign a password to the form so that users who know the password can remove the protection and change the form, type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password. Users who don't know the password can still enter information in the form fields.

ShowTip

Users can check spelling and grammar in unprotected sections of a form. For example, in an employee review form, you might not protect a section designated for employee comments. Users can proof their text in that section before submitting the form.

ShowAllow comments or tracked changes only

  1. On the Tools menu, click Protect Document.
  2. In the Protect Document task pane, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box.
  3. Do one of the following:

    ShowLet reviewers change the document by inserting comments and tracked changes

    1. In the list of editing restrictions, click Tracked changes.
    2. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
    3. Type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password.

    ShowLet reviewers insert comments only

    1. In the list of editing restrictions, click Comments.
    2. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
    3. Do one of the following:
      • To assign a password to the document so that users who know the password can remove the protection, type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password.
      • To encrypt the document so that only authenticated owners of the document can remove the protection, click User authentication.

ShowProtect formatting

  1. On the Tools menu, click Protect Document.
  2. In the Protect Document task pane, select the Limit formatting to a selection of styles check box.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. In the list of formatting styles in the Formatting Restrictions dialog box, select the check boxes for the styles you want to allow, and clear the check boxes for the styles you don't want to allow in the document.

    ShowTip

    To limit formatting to the minimum number of recommended choices, click Recommended Minimum. You can restrict formatting to fewer choices, but doing so removes styles that Microsoft Word uses in certain features, such as tables of contents and bulleted or numbered lists.
  5. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
  6. Type a password in the Enter new password (optional) box, and then confirm the password.
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