If you have some special documents that you want to preserve for your eyes only, then you need to set a security measure to prevent other people from accessing the information. There are various ways to protect a document but encrypting your Microsoft Word document with a password is the most secure and relevant way. Here is how you can lock a document on Microsoft Word.
Steps to Lock a document on Microsoft Word
1. Open the Microsoft Word document that you want to protect.
2. Tap file Menu the select Info Tab.
3. Select Protect Document button.
4. Click Encrypt with Password.
5. Enter Password then click OK.
6. Confirm the password again.
7. Microsoft will confirm that the document has been protected.
8. The user will be prompted to provide the password to access the documents.
Other Ways to Lock Your Microsoft Word Document
Read-Only Mode
The Read-Only mode will limit any editing activity in a particular file. To set up the mode, open File > Info > Protect Document then select Always Open Read-Only. The file will be Read-Only thereafter, so every time the file is opened they will get a notification however they can choose to edit the document. To disable the read-only restriction, open the document in edit mode then tap the File menu, go to Info > Protect Document > Always Open Read-Only.
Restrict Editing Content
This tool enables the file owner to limit the ways in which the document can be edited. To restrict editing rights click File > Info > Protect Document and opt for Restrict Editing option. The Restrict Editing panel will display on the right-hand side of the document to enable the user to format and edit restrictions according to preference The user can grant permission to who is eligible to read the document, parts they can edit, and parts that can not be tampered with.
Add Digital signature
Adding a digital signature to your file will definitely rejuvenate protection. To protect your document with a digital signature, open File > Info > Protect Document and select Add a Digital Signature. The digital signature will inform readers that you are the author or the last person to edit the document.
Mark As Final
Marking a document as Final will disable typing, editing, and proofing capabilities and a message will appear to any reader that the document has been finalized. Open File > Info > Protect Document and choose Mark as Final.