how to edit a password protected word document

So, you may be wondering how to lock a Word document without passwords and whether Word files are the best format to use for confidential and sensitive information. Non-technical users can trivially remove any editing restrictions and, in many cases, brute force the document open password in seconds, hours, or days. However, we have outlined in a previous blog just how inadequate Microsoft Word password protection is. Select from the drop-down menu the option ‘Encrypt with Password’.Select the File menu, click on the Info tab, and then press the Protect Document button.Open the Office document you would like to protect.The procedure to password-protect a Microsoft Word document is extremely simple Users are also unaware of how little protection passwords actually provide, with Google searches on ‘How to password protect a Word document’, or ‘How do I create a simple Word file that is password protected’ remaining ever popular. However, though the company confidently asserts that “we have to stop using passwords”, its Microsoft Word application still secures documents with this outdated form of protection. These problems have only been exacerbated by the invention of brute force tools (which can try hundreds of combinations a second), instant forms of communication, and phishing attacks.Īll of this has led tech giants such as Microsoft to start asking why we are still using passwords at all. Passwords can be easily guessed if they are not secure, or passed on to somebody who is not supposed to know it by an insider. However, the same flaws in password security that existed in ancient times still exist today.

Used liberally by the Romans, and then used even more liberally during World War I and II, it was perhaps inevitable that this security mechanism would be adopted from the earliest form of computing. Passwords have been used as a method of security since ancient times, when sentries would challenge those wishing to enter a restricted area to verbalize a particular word or phrase.

How to edit a password protected word document