How to password protect a Word document

By Konrad Krawczyk August 9, 2014

It doesn’t matter who you are, what your background is, or what you do for a living. If you use a computer, you probably have some Word documents on your Mac or PC that you wouldn’t want other people to find and read.

Related: Best Microsoft Office alternatives

Thankfully, it’s easy to secure a Word 2013 document with a password. In this guide, we’ll show you how to do just that. In future updates, we’ll add instructions on how to secure Word and Word-compatible documents in other Word-like programs, like OpenOffice, and others.

How to password protect a Word document

First, open the Word document that you want to secure with a password. Then, click File, and hit Protect Document underneath Info.

Step 1 word — Image used with permission by copyright holder

From there, click Encrypt with Password.

Step 2 word — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Word will then prompt you to type in a password. Pick one out, but keep in mind that if you forget what it is, you’ll lose access to that document.

step 3 word — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Once you select a password, Microsoft Word will prompt you to type it in every time you want to open that doc. Remember, this only protects the single target document. Each Word document you want to protect with a password must be done on an individual basis.

Related: How to password protect a PDF document

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Konrad Krawczyk

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…

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