If you lot've opened a document in Word but you can't edit it, information technology's probably locked for editing past someone or by a feature. Learning how to remove read only from Word should help you edit these documents even though they've been marked equally read-only and aren't supposed to be edited.

In that location are various reasons every bit to why people restrict their documents from being edited. Perchance you yourself made the document read-only but y'all forgot it, or maybe someone has it locked to ensure no unauthorized users can modify the contents of it.

Regardless, if you've come across a document that you must edit but information technology's in read-only mode, there are various methods to fix information technology and to be able to edit the document.

Also, be sure to check out our YouTube channel where we made a short video going over the fixes listed in this article.

Remove Read Merely From Give-and-take By Disabling Edit Restrictions

We'll get-go off by disabling the Word's congenital-in feature that lets users restrict their documents from being modified. If you or someone has enabled this pick for your electric current document, information technology is why you can't edit it.

Disabling the option should fix information technology for you.

  • Open your read-only document in the MS Word program.
  • When it opens, notice the tab that says Programmer at the summit and click on it.
  • You'll find several options to choose from on the post-obit screen. Wait towards to the Protect expanse at the top and click on the option that says Restrict Editing.
  • A new pane will announced on the right-hand side. At that place's a button at the bottom of this pane saying End Protection. Click on the push button to remove read only from this Word document.
  • If there was a password setup to restrict editing, you lot'll need to enter information technology on the box shown on your screen. Then click on OK to unlock the certificate.

Your document is no longer in read-only manner and you tin can actually modify its contents every bit yous wish.

Plow Off The Trust Center Options To Remove Word Opening In Read Only

Trust Center is a feature in Word that blocks certain documents from being fully opened with editing capabilities on your computer. Yous can disable the feature in the plan and that should ready the read but issue you're facing with your certificate.

  • Launch the MS Discussion program on your car.
  • At the bottom-left corner of your screen, y'all'll discover an option that says Options. Click on it to open the standard Word settings menu.
  • On the following screen, you'll find an entry saying Trust Center in the left sidebar. Click on information technology to open the Trust Center settings.
  • You lot'll run into a button proverb Trust Center Settings on the right-hand side pane. Click on it to open the settings menu.
  • In that location'll be several options in the left sidebar of your screen. Find and select the 1 that says Protected View.
  • On the correct-hand side pane, you'll run across three checkboxes that are enabled. Untick each of these boxes to prevent Word from opening your documents in the protected view. Then click on OK at the bottom to save your changes.
  • Launch your document in the program and you lot should be able to edit it.

Fix The Word Opening In Read Only For Email Attachments

MS Word actually has a number of features to protect you from various threats that are spread via Give-and-take files. One of these features opens your email attachments in the read-only manner so it can't affect your computer negatively.

This may exist the reason why your documents always open in the read-only mode. Turning this selection off should fix the issue for yous.

  • Open MS Give-and-take on your calculator.
  • Click on the Options option at the lower-left corner and it'll open the settings carte du jour.
  • Click on the General tab in the left sidebar if you aren't already there. And so on the right-mitt side menu, scroll downwards and find the option that says Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view.

    Untick the box for the option and click on OK to relieve the changes.

The Word files yous've received equally e-mail attachments should now open up in regular fashion letting you edit them however y'all want.

Disable The Preview Pane In File Explorer

Preview pane in Explorer shows the previews of your files, and for it to do that, it sometimes locks-up your files and prevents you from editing them.

A quick solution to that is to simply plow off the pane.

  • Open This PC from your desktop.
  • Click on the View tab at the very superlative of your screen.
  • Select the option that says Preview pane in the Panes department. It'll disable the pane if information technology was enabled before.

Yous may now try opening your file in the program to encounter if it fixed the event.

Toggle An Choice In The Properties To Remove Read Simply From Give-and-take

One of the possible means to fix read only style in Discussion is to change an attribute for your file.

  • Right-click on your Discussion document and select Backdrop.
  • Tick-mark Read-just and click on OK.
  • Open the Properties menu again, untick the Read-only selection, and hit OK.
  • Open the file in Word and information technology should allow you edit it.

Extract The File Earlier Opening It In MS Word

If you're trying to edit a Word file that's within an archived format such as RAR or ZIP, you'll desire to first excerpt the file from it to then edit it. Directly opening the file from an annal sometimes prevents you from editing it.

  • Right-click on the archive and select Extract Here.
  • Open up the file in Word and yous'll be able to edit it.