Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: On Windows
• Method 2 of 2: On Mac OS X
• Tips
• Warnings

In this article, we are going to show you how to protect your Microsoft Word document with a password. You can do this in Word for Windows and Mac OS X, but not in OneDrive.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: On Windows

1. 1 Open a Microsoft Word document. To do this, double-click on the Word document that you want to password protect. The document will open in Microsoft Word.
   • To create a document, start Microsoft Word and click Blank Document.
2. 2 Click on File. It's a tab in the upper-left corner of the Word window. The File menu opens.
3. 3 Click on the tab Intelligence. You will find it at the top of the left panel.
   • If nothing happened, you are already on the Details tab.
4. 4 Click on Document protection. This lock-shaped icon appears below the document name at the top of the page. A menu will open.
5. 5 Click Encrypt using password. It's near the top of the menu. A window will open.
6. 6 Enter password. Do this in the Password text box in the center of the window.
7. 7 Click on OK. This button is at the bottom of the window.
8. 8 Re-enter your password and then press OK. Now, to open the document, you need to enter the password.
   • You can delete a document without opening it or entering a password.

Method 2 of 2: On Mac OS X

1. 1 Open a Microsoft Word document. To do this, double-click on the Word document that you want to password protect. The document will open in Microsoft Word.
   • If you haven't created a document yet, do so now.
2. 2 Click on {MacButton. This tab is at the top of the Microsoft Word window. A toolbar appears below the tab bar at the top of the window.
3. 3 Click on Document protection. This lock-shaped icon is on the right side of the toolbar. A pop-up window will appear.
4. 4 Enter password. Enter your password in the Password field at the top of the window. Now, to open the document, you need to enter the password.
   • To prevent users from editing the document, enter a different password in the lower text box in this window.
5. 5 Click on OK. This button is at the bottom of the pop-up window.
6. 6 Re-enter the password (s) and then press OK. Now, to open the document, you need to enter the password.

Tips

• If on Mac OS X you decide to set passwords for opening and editing a document, enter two different passwords.

Warnings

• If you forget your password, you will not be able to recover the document.