August 2007
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Password Protect Microsoft Word and Excel Documents
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Contents
Microsft Word and Microsoft Excel both have the ability to assist you in protecting your document's security. This "How Do I" document provides you with the steps necessary to protect your document from prying eyes.
Please remember than when password protecting a document, the person who is receiving the document must also have the password or they will not be able to view or modify it.
IMPORTANT: Do not include the password in the same email as the file you are sending. If the email is intercepted the person intercepting it will have both the document and the password, defeating the purpose of password protecting the document in the first place.
Once you have completed your document there are only a few simple steps required to protect it.
First left-click on the "Tools" menu and then select "Options" from the drop down menu.
On the "Options" screen that appears you must left-click on the 'Security' tab to display the window shown below.
Once you have clicked on the 'Security Tab' you must enter a password in the 'Password to Open:' box. Doing this prevents anyone from being able to open the document without the password you assign.
Remember to use a unique password that will not be easy for someone else to figure out.
Click on OK once you have chosen a password. The window shown below will appear asking you to verify the password you entered.
Once you have done this save the document as you normally would and forward it as usual.
If you require assistance with attaching the document to an email message refer to 'Attaching Password Protected Files to Email Messages'.
Once you have completed your document there are only a few simple steps required to protect it.
First left-click on the "Tools" menu and then select "Options" from the drop down menu.
On the "Options" screen that appears you must left-click on the 'Security' tab to display the window shown below.
Once you have clicked on the 'Security Tab' you must enter a password in the 'Password to Open:' box. Doing this prevents anyone from being able to open the document without the password you assign.
Remember to use a unique password that will not be easy for someone else to figure out.
Click on OK once you have chosen a password. The window shown below will appear asking you to verify the password you entered.
Once you have done this save the document as you normally would and forward it as usual.
If you require assistance with attaching the document to an email message refer to 'Attaching Password Protected Files to Email Messages'.
If you have questions about attaching your now-password protected documents to an email message please refer to the How Do I...
<Understand Email Attachments
There is only one extra step required when you are trying to open a password protected Word or Excel file that you have received.
As you are opening the file in the normal way,
you will see the dialogue box below open up. It requires that you
enter the password chosen by the person who created the file. Enter it into the white box and hit OK and the file will open.
©2003, The University of Western Ontario. Permission is granted
to copy in whole or in part provided that due credit is given to the
authors, the Division of Information Technology Services, and The
University of Western Ontario.
ITS Help Desk
<helpdesk@uwo.ca>
Last updated: May 8, 2003
Reviewed: August 10, 2007
