Objective 1.2: Prepare Documents For Review

  • 1.2.1 Restrict editing.
  • 1.2.2 Mark a document as final.
  • 1.2.3 Protect a document with a password.

OBJECTIVE 1.2: Contents

1.2.1 Restrict editing.

Restricting Editing

When you share a document to obtain comments from peers or colleagues or for someone to make revisions to sections of the document, you don’t want reviewers to modify the document at will by changing the formatting, adding or deleting content, inserting graphics, or making other modifications. Documents that contain important data or that you plan to use as the focus of a report or presentation can be protected before you share them. You can use options available in Word to restrict the types of changes users can make to a document, specify who can edit a document, and mark which sections of a document specific individuals can edit.

To control how a document can be edited, you set options in the Restrict Editing pane.

Screenshot of the Restrict Editing pane. The options to restrict editing and restrict formatting are selected.

Use the settings in the Restrict Editing pane to allow specific people to edit all or part of the document

The pane has three sections:

1. Formatting restrictions 

Select the check box in this area to limit formatting to a specific set of styles and to prevent users of a document from modifying styles and applying local formatting. From the Restrict Editing pane, you can open the Formatting Restrictions dialog box, where you can select the set of styles that is available to users working with the document. You can allow all styles or a set of styles designated by Word, specify that no styles can be applied, or select the specific styles you want to use.

  • The options at the bottom of the Formatting Restrictions dialog box control whether users can switch themes or substitute quick styles and whether settings for automatic formatting can override the restrictions you specify.
Screenshot of the Formatting Restrictions dialog box.

Select the styles and formatting options you want to allow in a document

2. Editing restrictions 

Use the Editing Restrictions area to control the types of changes users can make to the document. The options include:

  • No changes (Read only) This prevents users from making revisions, although you can set up exceptions that allow specific users to edit all or certain sections of the document.
  • Tracked changes Revisions made to the document are indicated by revision marks. Tracked changes cannot be turned off without removing protection from the document, and removing protection can be controlled by defining a password.
  • Comments Users can add comments to the document, but they can’t make revisions to the document’s content itself. For this option, you can set up exceptions for specific users.
  • Filling in forms This option lets you restrict input to filling in form controls (such as check boxes and list boxes) that are part of a document.

If you select No Changes (Read Only) or Comments, you can use the Exceptions area to specify users who can edit the whole document or sections of it. Exceptions apply to the complete document by default, but you can apply exceptions to a particular section of a document by selecting that section and then designating the people who can edit it. You can also allow everyone to edit specific sections, and you can apply different exceptions to different sections of a document. Clicking the More Users link opens the Add Users dialog box, where you can specify the names of people who are granted an exception.

If you specify editing exceptions, you and other users can locate and display the sections of a document that a specific user can edit by selecting the check box beside a user’s name in the Restrict Editing pane.

Screenshot of the Restrict Editing pane showing options for locating and showing sections of a document a user can edit.

Use the menu to locate sections that a specific user can edit and to remove editing permissions

3. Start Enforcement 

After you define the formatting and editing restrictions you want to apply to the document, use the Start Enforcing Protection dialog box to define a password that’s required to remove protection from the document.

See Also: For more information about comments, see “Insert and manage comments” in “Objective 1.3: “Manage document changes.”

To restrict editing and formatting

1. On the Review tab, click Restrict Editing.

2. In the Restrict Editing pane, select the options you want to apply:

• To specify a set of styles users can apply, select the Limit formatting to a selection of styles check box, and then click Settings. In the Formatting Restrictions dialog box, select the set of styles and formatting options you want to make available in the document, and then click OK.

• To control the type of editing allowed in the document, select the Allow only this type of editing in the document check box, and then choose from the options in the list. Define exceptions by selecting a section of the document and then choosing which users can edit the selected section.

3. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.

4. In the Start Enforcing Protection dialog box, if you want to prevent other readers from removing the protection without permission, enter and reenter a password. Then click OK.