If you regularly create and give PowerPoint presentations at school or work, you may have at one point wished there was a way to secure your documents with a password easily. After all, you may have sensitive and/or confidential information on those documents that you would prefer to have locked down.
Thankfully, it’s easy to secure a PowerPoint document with a password. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do just that using Microsoft PowerPoint.
We also have steps for setting a password with other presentation software like OpenOffice Impress, a free PowerPoint-like piece of software that’s compatible with Microsoft’s PowerPoint (.ppt) documents.
How to set a password in Microsoft PowerPoint
Password protecting a PowerPoint presentation is straightforward. However, it is only possible in the desktop version of Microsoft PowerPoint. You can enter a password to open a presentation in the Microsoft 365 web version, but you cannot set a password.
In Microsoft PowerPoint on your desktop:
Step 1: Open the presentation you want to protect.
Step 2: Select File, then Info, then Protect Presentation.
Step 3: Select Encrypt with Password, then enter a password. Select OK to confirm.
Note that you have some options for control over the document using passwords. For example, you can set one password for editing the document and another for simply reading it. This lets you determine who can access the presentation to an extent. It is also possible to restrict access to specified individuals. These options can be found in the Protect Presentation submenu.
Finally, you can also set a digital signature to the presentation. This will register attempts to view the document.
How to password protect a PowerPoint document in OpenOffice Impress
First, launch OpenOffice Impress and open the document that you want to put a password on.
From there, click Tools at the top, and open Options.
In the Options window, click Security on the left, and hit the Options button in the upper right corner.
Check the box next to “Recommend password protection on saving,” and hit OK. The next time you save your document, OpenOffice Impress will prompt you to type in and confirm the password you want to use to guard that document.
Make sure to select a strong password. Just because other people commonly use weak passwords like “123456” doesn’t mean that you should too. Feel free to check out this guide on how to make a good, solid password.
Note that passwords set in one application may not work if opened with different software.
Keeping your work secure is important. Make sure you’re employing secure passwords on allof your senstive data, and learn how to password protect a PDF document.
