How to Edit Permissions on a Word Document

To change who can view or edit a Word document stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, select the file, open Details, and click Manage access. To control what people can change inside the document itself, open it in desktop Word and go to Review > Restrict Editing.

These steps cover Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024 and Word 2021 on Windows, plus OneDrive and SharePoint on the web, as of October 2026. Word for Mac has the same Restrict Editing idea under Review > Protect. You need to own the file, or have permission to manage it, to change any of these settings.

Pick the Right Permission Setting

Word documents have a few separate kinds of permissions, and changing one doesn’t change the others.

• Who can open or edit a shared file: use Manage access in OneDrive or SharePoint. This is what most people mean by document permissions.
• Which parts of the document can be changed: use Restrict Editing. You can lock the whole file or leave some sections open.
• Who can open the file at all, wherever it’s sent: add a password with Encrypt with Password.
• Business files with a sensitivity label: these permissions come from your organization. The file’s owner or IT department controls them.

A shared team report might need two of these at once: view-only cloud access for one coworker and Restrict Editing on a section nobody should change.

Change Who Can View or Edit a Shared Document

Do this from the OneDrive or SharePoint account that owns the file. Files shared in Microsoft Teams live in SharePoint, so the same steps apply there.

1. Open OneDrive or the SharePoint library in your web browser and click the circle next to the Word document to select it.
2. Click Details in the upper-right corner of the command bar. The Details pane opens on the right. The button only appears when one item is selected.
3. Under Has access, click Manage access. You’ll see the people and links that can reach the file.

4. To change one person’s permission, click their name, choose a new option under Direct access (such as view or edit), and click Apply.
5. To kill a sharing link, open the Links tab, click the Remove link icon next to it, and click Remove. Anyone who was using that link loses access.
6. To cut off everyone except you, click Stop sharing.

You can’t switch an existing link from edit to view. Remove the edit link, then share the file again and create a new link with Allow editing turned off. If someone still has access after you remove them, they’re probably getting it from a parent folder or site, so change the permission there. Microsoft’s guide to managing sharing in OneDrive and SharePoint covers each option, and our OneDrive sharing permissions guide walks through the personal OneDrive version.

Restrict Editing Inside the Document

Restrict Editing travels with the file, so it works whether you email the document or share it from OneDrive.

1. Open the document in desktop Word.
2. Click the Review tab, then click Restrict Editing in the Protect group. The Restrict Editing pane opens on the right.
3. Under Editing restrictions, check Allow only this type of editing in the document.
4. Open the drop-down list and choose how much people can do. No changes (Read only) locks everything. The list also offers Tracked changes, Comments, and Filling in forms.

5. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
6. Type a password, type it again to confirm, and click OK. The password is optional, but without one anyone can click Stop Protection and undo your restrictions.
7. Save the document.

Write the password down somewhere safe. Word can’t recover it for you. Microsoft’s read-only document instructions describe the same settings.

If you’re building a form where people should only fill in fields, our guide on how to make a fillable form in Word uses the Filling in forms option.

Leave Some Parts Editable

1. Follow steps 1 through 4 above and choose No changes (Read only).
2. Select the text that people should still be able to change. Hold Ctrl to select more than one area.
3. Under Exceptions, check Everyone, or click More users, type the names or email addresses separated by semicolons, click OK, and check those names.
4. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection and set a password.

People who open the file can click Find Next Region I Can Edit in the Restrict Editing pane to jump to the open areas. Microsoft explains this in Allow changes to parts of a protected document.

Change or Remove Existing Restrictions

1. Open Review > Restrict Editing.
2. Click Stop Protection at the bottom of the pane.
3. Enter the password if Word asks for it.
4. Change the restrictions, enforce them again if you still want them, and save.

Require a Password to Open the Document

A password to open encrypts the file, so nobody can read it without the password, even if they get a copy.

1. In Word for Windows, click File > Info > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password.
2. Type a password, click OK, type it again, and click OK.

3. Save and close the document, then reopen it to make sure Word asks for the password.

On a Mac, go to Review > Protect > Protect Document, enter a password in the box for opening the document, confirm it, and click OK. To remove a password later, go back to Encrypt with Password (Windows), clear the box, click OK, and save. Word for the web can’t add this kind of password.

Make the Document Open as View-Only

If you just want to stop accidental edits, you can have the file open in view-only mode by default. Go to File > Info and select Always open view-only (older versions call it Always Open Read-Only under Protect Document). This is a suggestion, not a lock. Anyone can choose to edit anyway, so use Restrict Editing or sharing permissions when it matters.

Organization-Managed Permissions

At work or school, a document might carry a sensitivity label or Information Rights Management (IRM) permissions. Those can limit who can open, edit, print, or copy the file, and they stay with the document wherever it goes. If you’re the file’s owner, the yellow message bar in Word may show Change Permission. Otherwise, ask the owner or your IT department, because the label’s policy decides what you’re allowed to change. Microsoft covers the details in its IRM guide for Word.

If Permissions Don’t Work as Expected

• Someone can still edit after you gave them view access. Check Manage access for an older edit link or for access inherited from a folder. Remove the extra route.
• The Restrict Editing options are grayed out. The document is probably already protected or open in Protected View. Click Stop Protection if you have the password, or click Enable Editing on the yellow bar if the file is trustworthy.
• You can’t edit a file someone shared with you. If the yellow bar says Protected View, click Enable Editing if you trust the sender. If the file is restricted or shared as view-only, ask the owner for edit access.
• Stop Protection asks for a password you don’t have. Only the person who set it can remove it. There’s no built-in way to bypass it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Restrict Editing stop people from opening the document?

No. Anyone with the file can still open and read it. To block opening, use Encrypt with Password or limit access in OneDrive or SharePoint.

Can I change permissions in Word for the web?

You can change sharing permissions from Word for the web with the Share button, and you can edit documents that have Restrict Editing applied in the allowed areas. Setting up Restrict Editing and password encryption requires desktop Word.

Do restrictions stay on if someone makes a copy?

Restrict Editing and password encryption are saved in the file, so a copy keeps them. OneDrive sharing permissions apply only to the cloud file, so a downloaded copy can be edited freely.

How do I do this for an Excel workbook?

Excel has its own controls. See our guide on making an Excel spreadsheet read-only for others.