How to set a password for an Office document in
Windows
To add an encryption password to Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, use these
steps:
1. Open the Word (Excel or PowerPoint) document.
2. Click on File.
3. Click on Info.
4. On the right side, click the Protect document menu. Note: In Excel, the option
will appear as "Protect Workbook," and in PowerPoint, it'll be displayed as
"Protect presentation."
5. Select the Encrypt with Password option.
6. Type a password to protect the document.
7. Click the OK button.
8. Retype the password.
9. Click the OK button.
Once you complete these steps, every time you open the document, you'll be prompted to
enter a password to decrypt its contents.
When setting up a password for an Excel, PowerPoint, or Word document, consider that
without a password it'll be virtually impossible to open the document, so make sure to keep
the password in a safe place.
How to Password Protect a Word Document on Mac
You can easily password protect a document on a Mac using Microsoft Word.
Caution: If you lose or forget your password, you cannot recover it. Without a password,
encrypted data cannot be restored.
Step 1. Open the document you want to add a password in Word. Then click "Tools". From
the drop-down menu, select "Protect Document".
Step 2. On the Password Protect Window, under Security, set a password to open and modify
this document. When you're finished making your selections, click "OK".
You can check the box for Read-only recommended making your Word document in read-
only status to avoid content change without your permission.
How to remove a password from an Office document
To remove the password of an Office document (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint), use these
steps:
1. Open the Word (Excel or PowerPoint) document.
2. Type the current password to access the file.
3. Click the OK button.
4. Click on File.
5. Click on Info.
6. On the right side, click the Protect document menu.
7. Select the Encrypt with Password option.
8. Clear the current password.
9. Click the OK button.
After completing the steps, anyone without a password will be not able to open and edit the
Office document.
Protecting Notepad (.txt file)
Use Windows File Encryption Tool to Password Protect
Notepad File
Step 1. Right-click on the target Notepad text file and choose Properties.
Step 2. Under the General tab, click the Advanced button and then select Encrypt Contents to
Secure Data on the new window. There you can also compress the contents to save disk
space. Click OK and then Apply.
Step 3. Continue clicking the Encrypt the File Only option and click OK.
Step 4. Your text file should be added with a lock icon.
Protect PDF document
Password Protect PDF Files in Windows and macOS
Method 1: Use Microsoft Office to Create Password Protected PDFs
When you encrypt and password protect a document you created using a Microsoft Office
program (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint), you can save it as a PDF that is also password
protected.
1. Open your Microsoft Office file in the respective application.
2. Click File > Save As…
3. Then Save as type list box, then select PDF.
4. Click the Options button, then check the option Encrypt the document with a
password.
5. Please enter your password, then confirm it. Next, choose a password you don’t
normally use if you plan to share the document with others.
That’s it! When you open the document in your PDF viewer, you will be prompted to enter a
password.
Method 2: Password Protect a PDF Using Adobe Acrobat
If the document you want to password protect is already a PDF, you can use Adobe Acrobat
to add a password. If you haven’t purchased a license for Adobe Acrobat, you can download
a 30-day trial of Adobe Acrobat.
1. Launch Adobe Acrobat and open the PDF you would like to password-protect.
2. Click File > Properties, then select the Security tab.
3. Click in the Security Method list box, then choose Password Security.
4. Choose the level of compatibility you want. Depending on the version, you can
enable support as far back as Adobe Acrobat 3.0. If the user you are sending
your PDF to doesn’t have a compatible version of Adobe, they won’t be able to
decrypt it and open it.
5. Check the Require a password to open document, then enter your password.
Adobe Acrobat will give you an indication of how secure your password is. You
can also restrict editing with a password if you so choose.
6. Click OK to confirm changes.
Method 3: Password Protect a PDF on a Mac Using Preview
If you own a Mac, you can password protect documents natively in macOS.
1. Open your PDF file in the Preview app by double-clicking it.
2. Click File > Save.
3. Check the Encrypt box, then enter your password and verify it.
4. Click Save.
And there you have it: three ways to password-protect a PDF file. First, password-protected
PDF files are encrypted, which means there’s no way to “bypass” the PDF to see the
contents. Second, the PDF must be decrypted to be viewed. This is a standard built-in to the
PDF format, and it works the same regardless of what program created the PDF and what
program is being used to view the PDF.
One last reminder: make sure you choose a strong password that can’t be guessed or
cracked.
