Protecting your documents with passwords and permissions is important to ensure the security and privacy of your sensitive information. Fortunately, MS Word 2021 provides several options for securing your documents, including password protection, encryption, and permissions. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps for protecting your Word documents using these features.
Password Protection
Password protection is a basic form of security that allows you to restrict access to your documents by requiring a password to open them. To password protect a Word document in MS Word 2021, follow these steps:
Step 1: Click on the File tab in the top left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Click on Info and then click on the Protect Document button.
Step 3: Select Encrypt with Password.
Step 4: In the Password dialog box, enter a strong password and click OK.
Step 5: Confirm the password by re-entering it in the Confirm Password dialog box and click OK.
Your document is now password-protected, and anyone who tries to open it will be prompted to enter the correct password.
Encryption
Encryption is a more advanced form of security that scrambles your document’s content so that it can only be read by authorized users. To encrypt a Word document in MS Word 2021, follow these steps:
Step 1: Click on the File tab in the top left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Click on Info and then click on the Protect Document button.
Step 3: Select Encrypt with Password.
Step 4: In the Password dialog box, enter a strong password and click OK.
Step 5: In the Protect Document dialog box, select the option to Encrypt contents and attachments for added security.
Step 6: Click OK to save the changes.
Your document is now encrypted, and anyone who tries to open it will be prompted to enter the correct password. Note that if you forget the password, you will not be able to open the document, and it cannot be recovered.
Permissions
Permissions are a more flexible and powerful form of security that allow you to control who can access your document and what they can do with it. To add permissions to a Word document in MS Word 2021, follow these steps:
Step 1: Click on the File tab in the top left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Click on Info and then click on the Protect Document button.
Step 3: Select Restrict Access.
Step 4: In the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane, select the options that you want to allow or restrict, such as editing, commenting, or printing.
Step 5: Set up user permissions by selecting the More users button and then adding users and setting their permissions.
Step 6: Click OK to save the changes.
Your document is now protected by permissions, and only authorized users will be able to access it and perform the actions that you have allowed.
Protecting your documents with passwords and permissions is a crucial step in ensuring the security and privacy of your sensitive information. By using the password protection, encryption, and permissions features in MS Word 2021, you can ensure that your documents are secure and accessible only to authorized users.
