subject: Protecting Word From Viewing - How To Password Protect A Word Document? [print this page] Using a password is a very effective way to protect word document from being viewed by others. Only the people who have the right password can open the file and view the file content. And it takes only few steps to set a password for a specific word document.
To define a password for a word document, you just need to follow the instructions as below.
Step 1. Open the document that you want to protect.
Step 2. Click "File" menu at the main interface.
Step 3. Click "Save as" to open the "Save as" window.
Step 4. Click "Tools" and select "General Options".
Step 5. Enter the password that you prefer. I suggest you use a long password which is much safer. But the password should be easy to remember for you.
Step 6. Click "OK" to complete the process.
Step 7. Click "OK" and exit the "Save as" window. And you successfully set a password for your file.
It takes only 7 steps to set a password and prevent others from viewing your word document. That will protect your privacy and sensitive information from most people. But the document is not actually secure to some extent.
Although the password can stop others from viewing the file content, the document is still visible to them. If other people can see the document, they can copy or remove it. If they have a copy of the document, your data and information stored in the document is definitely in danger.
They can use password recovery software to unlock the password you have set for the document. And then they can open the document without the password and easily view the information you stored in the document. That will lead to really bad the consequence.
The safest way to protect a file is to hide it from others. That is, you need to make the file invisible to others so that they cannot see it or copy it. I am not talking about using the "Don't show hidden files, folders, and drives". This can be easily reset by choosing the reverse.
The best way to hide a file is to use a data protection tool. A good protection application can not only password protect but also hide and lock any files or folders from others. Anyone who wants to see the protected documents must enter the right password the log into the application. You don't need to worry about the documents will be seen and copied by others.
