How To Unlock Selection In Microsoft Word

Use A Product Key to Activate Microsoft Word 2016If you have been using the trial version of Microsoft Word 2016 on your computer and the evaluation period is now over, you will need to buy a product key to unlock selection and edit your documents.You can purchase a product key directly from Microsoft and it will activate your copy of MS Office.

  1. When you try to open a Excel workbook, PowerPoint presentation, or Word document on your mobile device, you might receive a message stating that the file is locked for editing by another user. Typically, you will be able to open the file as read-only, but you won’t be able to edit it.
  2. Unlock Word Document for Editing. Here are the steps of how to unlock a word document that is locked for editing (Read only) and how to enable editing in word. Open the locked Word doc, click 'Review' and select 'Restrict Editing' (in the Protect group). Click 'Stop Protection' and then enter the password in the pop-up window.

You've just completed a very important letter for your boss. You were under instruction to never let anyone else see the highly sensitive information in the letter. So the first thing you did when you completed the letter was to set access restriction by assigning a password to it. That was four days ago, now as you attempt to make a few edits to the document before sending it to your boss, you discover that none of the passwords you regularly use will work.

You're sure you remember the password, but every time you type in a different version of the password, Word promptly notifies you that it is the wrong one. Before you quickly begin re-typing the document, read on. In this article, we are going to share with you the various ways to unlock Word document whether you have the password or not.

1. Unlock Word Document without Password(4 Options)

1. Unlock Word Document without Password

There are 3 main types of password in a Word document, namely Password to Open, Password to Modify and Password to Restrict Editing. Therefore, we will describe 4 solutions based on these 3 passwords.

1.1 How to Open Locked Word Document

It is quite frustrating if you cannot open a Word document and read the content. In this part, you will learn 2 methods to open a password protected word file. The 2 solutions below are ranging from easy to difficult.

Method 1 - Unlock Word Opening Password Using a Trustworthy Tool

If you have forgotten the password and it is more than 3 characters long, you will need a third-party tool to help you unlock the Microsoft Word document. The good news is we have a tool that is not just very easy to use and highly effective, but also very fast to unlock the password. Passper Word Password Unlocker is designed to make the unlock process simple and effective even if you don't have a single clue of the correct password. When you use Passper for Word, you'll be able to unlock the password in a matter of minutes.

  • Unlock opening password for Word document with 4 attack methods. The smart strategies and algorithm greatly shorten the recovery time, and thus increase the success rate.

  • Remove edit restrictions on Word files in 3 seconds if you are only allowed to read it. (100% unlock rate)

  • You can unlock the password protected Word document on your computer and your data won't be saved on our server. So your data privacy is 100% guaranteed.

  • It is very easy to use even if you are a novice user of computer or MS Word.

  • The program supports MS Word version 97, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019.

  • Passper, a sub-brand of iMyFone, has served 100,000 users all over the world. Importantly, the developer iMyFone has been reviewed by world-famous software sites, including Macworld, Techradar, iPhone Life, Makeuseof, Engadget, etc.

Follow these simple steps if you applied an opening password to the document but you have either misplaced the password or you don't remember it and you can't access the document:

Step 1: Download and install Passper for Word on to your computer. Run the program as soon as the installation is complete and then select 'Recover Passwords' from the main window.

Step 2: Click on the 'Add' button to browse the files on your computer for the document you want to unlock.

Once the document is added to the main program, you should see 4 different attack modes. The attack mode you choose will depend on how much information you remember about the password, the length of the password and the possible characters in the password. Choose an attack mode for your particular situation.

Step 3: Once you've selected a suitable attack mode, click 'Recover'. The program will immediately begin using the information you have provided to try and find the password for the document. Please be patient while the program recovers the password. The time you have to wait will be determined by how much you know about the password and the attack mode you chose.

When the process is complete, the program will display the recovered password in the resultant interface. You can then use the password to unlock the document.

Method 2 - Unlock Word File without 3rd-Party Software

If you are unwilling to install any 3rd-party software on your computer, you can also use this method to unlock the Word document without password. That being said, we must warn you that this method will only work if the password is 3 characters or less, any password longer will not be able to recovered. Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Begin by creating a blank document in Word.

Step 2: Hit 'ALT + F11' on your keyboard to open Microsoft Visual Basic applications.

Step 3: Tap on 'Insert' button, then click 'Module'.

Step 4: Type in the following codes into the Module:

Sub test()
Dim i As Long
i = 0
Dim FileName As String
Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).Show
FileName = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).SelectedItems(1)
ScreenUpdating = False
Line2: On Error GoTo Line1
Documents.Open FileName, , True, , i & '
MsgBox 'Password is ' & i
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
Exit Sub
Line1: i = i + 1
Resume Line2
ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

Step 5: Now hit 'F5' on your keyboard to run the code.

Step 6: Find the protected document in the File Explorer and open it. It will be opened in read-only mode with the password displayed on a small box.

Tip

If you failed to use this method, you can choose to unlock Word document online. By using those online services, you need to upload your Word document to their servers. Therefore, your data security is not 100% ensured. Considering this, using an offline tool will be a better choice.

1.2 How to Unlock A Word Document for Editing

When a Word document is protected with Password to Modify, you can edit the content but cannot save the original document. This kind of document can be unlocked by saving as a new file. However, if your Word document is locked with Password to Restrict Editing, you can't make any changes to it unless you remove the editing restrictions completely. In this part, we are going to address 2 most effective solutions for you.

Method 1 - Remove Editing Restrictions Using Passper for Word

In addition to unlocking Word opening password, Passper for word can also help you remove editing restrictions placed on a Word document and make it editable. Here's how to do that:

Step 1: Open Passper for Word on your computer and this time select the option 'Remove Restrictions'.

Step 2: Import the restricted Word file into the program by clicking on the 'Select a File' option and browsing for the file.

Step 3: Now click on the 'Remove' button to allow the program to begin removing the restrictions placed on the document.

How

In a few seconds, all restrictions will be removed and the document will be editable.

Method 2 - How to Unrestrict A Word Document via Inbuilt Feature

If you would rather not use any 3rd party software to unlock Word document for editing, you can try the following method although you will need to modify certain details of the document for it to work. Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Start by opening the password-protected Word document.

Step 2: Navigate to 'Save As' > 'Save as Type' and click 'Word XML Document (*.xml)'.

Step 3: Close Microsoft Word.

Step 4: Now find the new .xml file you've just created (it should be in the same folder as your Word Document).

Right-click on it and open with a TXT editor such as WordPad or Notepad. If you have another word processor on your computer other than Word, you can use that too.

Step 5: With the document open in Notepad or other TXT editor, hit 'Ctrl + F' on your keyboard to open the 'Find' dialogue box.

Step 6: Type in 'enforcement' and you should find either w: enforcement='1' or w: enforcement='on'.

Step 7: Replace the '1' with a '0' or the 'on' with an 'off'. This will disable the enforcement which will unlock the Word document.

Step 8: Once you've made these changes, save the .xml file and close it.

Step 9: Now go back to the location of the .xml file, right-click on it and open it in Microsoft Word.

How To Unlock Selection In Microsoft Word

Step 10: Once the file is open, go to 'File > Save As' from the 'Save as Type' section, choose 'Word Document (*.docx) from the drop-down menu. You can also choose to rename the file although that is not necessary unless you want to preserve the old protected document.

Step 11: Click 'Save' and the next time you open this document, you will not be required to enter a password.

2. How to Unlock A Document in Word with Password

When you know the password, you can easily unlock the document. Here's a step by step guide to help you do that:

For Word 2007 and Earlier

Step 1: Open the Word document you want to unlock and then click on the 'Office' button.

Step 2: Click 'Save As', and then tick 'Tool Button > General Options'.

Step 3: Choose 'Password to Open' and then enter the password to unlock the document.

For Word 2010 and Newer

Step 1: Open the Word document and then click on 'File > Protect Document'.

Step 2: On the drop-down menu, click on 'Encrypt with Password' and enter the password, then click 'OK' to complete the process.

So, the next time you lock yourself out of your Word document, don't panic! There are a lot of ways to unlock the password protected file.

How to Lock and Unlock a Word Document? This is the most frequently asked query by MS Office Word users. Many users need to lock Word document while others want to unlock word document. For different questions related to lock or unlock of the word document, we have come up with this technical essay that covers multiple queries asked by different users regarding how to lock and unlock word document. Let’s get started.

A Quick Glance regarding multiple users queries that this article answers:

  • How to unlock a word document?
  • How to unlock word document 2016?
  • How to Lock word document?
  • How to Lock and Unlock a word document?
  • How to unlock Microsoft word 2016?
  • How do I unlock a word document?
  • How to unlock selection in a word?
  • How to unrestrict a word document?
  • How to quickly unlock word document?

Need to Lock and Unlock Word Document 2016, 2013, 2010

There are multiple files that are comprised of very crucial and delicate data or information; thus, such files need to be locked so that the content of such files doesn’t get copied, altered, or deleted. Microsoft Word offers the brilliant function of lock and unlock word files to keep your important data files. In the next segment of this post, we will be discussing the correct process of lock and unlock Microsoft Word 2016 and later versions file.

Also Read: Best Way to Recover Deleted Word Document 2016 for Free

DIY Approaches to Lock and Unlock a Word Document

Approach 1: How to Lock a Microsoft Word File?

A user can protect or lock a word document by adding a password to it. By following this, next time whenever when the user needs to open the same file, the MS Word will ask the user to enter the password to open the file. Follow the below-mentioned methods to know how it works:

The first method to Lock Word File:

  • Select and open the document that you desire to lock and hit “Save as”. On the new screen that appears click on “Tools” from the left side of the dialog box.
  • Now select “General Options” from the list and move to next step.
  • By clicking General Options you will get fields:
  1. Password to Open
  2. Password to modify
  • After that enter a password for “Password to Open” that users require to open Word document. And enter another password for “Password to Modify” that the user needs to alter or make changes in the Word document.

The second method to Lock an MS Word 2010 File:

  • Launch Word File and navigate to the “Review” tab and click the “Restrict Editing” option.
  • Now you will get two options after clicking Restrict Editing:
  1. Formatting Restrictions
  2. Editing Restrictions
Unlock selections in word 2016
  • Select “Allow only this type of editing in this document’ and elect option ‘No Changes (Read-Only)’ from the list of options.
  • Now point your cursor to the next part of the file and choose the area of the text that you don’t require to protect. The unselected part of the text will get protected.
  • You can select Everyone option provided under Exceptional tab else leave the field as it is.
  • In the end click, Yes, Start Enforcing Protection and you will see a dialog box on your screen as shown:
  • Input a password of your choice and click OK. The selected part of the file will get locked or protected.

Approach 2: How to Unlock Word Document?

In the above part, we have discussed how to protect a word document. Now By reading this portion of the article, you will get to know how to unrestrict a Word document. Follow the curated steps to learn how to unlock selection in word.

  • Double-click on Word file to open and enter the password to open it. Navigate to “Save as” from the MS Office button.
  • Click option “Tools” from the dialog box displayed on your computer screen.
  • Choose “Security Options” and eliminate the password fields. Hit OK to remove the password.

In case you have forgotten the password to edit the file then follow these steps to unlock an MS Word document:

Selection Is Locked Word 2013

  • Copy your Word file content and create a new Word file
  • Now paste the copied content in the new word file that you have created in the above step. After that Navigate to the Review tab.
  • In the protection tab click “Restrict editing and formatting pane’ and Hit ‘Stop Protection’.
  • Now your MS Word file is unrestricted.

Unlock Selections In Word 2016

Time to End

How To Unlock Selection In Microsoft Word 2016

I hope now you can easily lock and unlock a word document with the above discussed DIY tricks. In case you are unable to work with your MS Word Doc or DOCX file then it may be possible that your word file is corrupt or damaged. So in that scenario, you can use DOC File Recovery Tool to recover maximum possible that from your corrupt .doc and .docx files. The software is capable to repair and recover word documents and saves them into the new document on your computer.