How To: Password Protect Excel & Word Docs allowing Read Only access Microsoft Office

When Microsoft changed to the new version of the Office Suite (2010) they changed the entire structure of the program. Most everything is still there, you just have to figure out how to find it. One of the features that we used a lot with the old version of Excel and Word was the ability to password protect a spreadsheet or document from changes, but still allow read only access to the file so the rest of the staff could get information they needed, but not accidentally modify the file.

In the old version it was pretty easy, the setting was found under the passwords and permissions, but in Excel and Word 2010 the passwords and permissions section somehow lost the simple, yet effective, ability to make the file have a pop-up window that prompts for a password for editing or a single click button for read only.

After much frustration and digging around help forums, I found where the moved that feature to in the new version:

Go to FILE
Go to SAVE AS
Go to the "Tools" button down by the Save button
Choose General Options from the drop down menu
Fill in the "Password to Modify" (passwords are case sensitive)
Confirm the Password
Save the Document

Now the document should prompt for a password or a single button read only click when it is opened.

If you need to remove the password, simply go back into the options using the same series of commands you used to set it and then erase the password from the field and save it. Now the document will be open for editing by anyone.

This process does not encrypt the file, you can use the password and permissions menus for that if you need ultra security. This process in the video is just for making sure that anyone can read the file, but only those with the password can edit the file, thus protecting the public file from accidental editing.