Password Protecting Documents (Word, Excel, PDF)
MS Word
Password protect a document
Help protect a sensitive or confidential document from unwanted edits by assigning a password. You can also prevent a document from being opened.
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Click File > Info > Protect Document > Encrypt with Password.
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In the Encrypt Document box, type a password, and then click OK.
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In the Confirm Password box, type the password again, and then click OK.
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NOTES:
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Passwords are case-sensitive. Make sure that the CAPS LOCK key is turned off when you enter a password for the first time.
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If you lose or forget a password, Word can’t recover your information, so keep a copy of your password in a safe place or create a strong password that you’ll remember.
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Encrypt an Excel file
When you encrypt an Excel file, you lock it with a password. Once you encrypt an Excel file, no one else will be able to open it. This is the most common and recommended technique to lock an Excel file.
Follow these steps to encrypt an Excel file:
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Click File > Info > Protect Workbook > Encrypt with Password .
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Enter a password, and click OK.
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In the Confirm Password dialog box, reenter the password you entered in the previous step.
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When you/another user tries to open the file, the following screen appears:
Add a password to a PDF
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Open the PDF and choose Tools > Protect > Encrypt > Encrypt with Password.
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If you receive a prompt, click Yes to change the security.
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Select Require A Password To Open The Document, then type the password in the corresponding field. For each keystroke, the password strength meter evaluates your password and indicates the password strength.
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Password Security - Settings let you set a password to open a PDF
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Select an Acrobat version from the Compatibility drop-down menu. Choose a version equal to or lower than the recipients’ version of Acrobat or Reader.
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Options control compatibility with previous versions and type of encryption
The Compatibility option you choose determines the type of encryption used. It is important to choose a version compatible with the recipient's version of Acrobat or Reader. For example, Acrobat 7 cannot open a PDF encrypted for Acrobat X and later.
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Acrobat 6.0 And Later (PDF 1.5) encrypts the document using 128-bit RC4.
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Acrobat 7.0 And Later (PDF 1.6) encrypts the document using the AES encryption algorithm with a 128-bit key size.
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Acrobat X And Later (PDF 1.7) encrypts the document using 256-bit AES. To apply 256-bit AES encryption to documents created in Acrobat 8 and 9, select Acrobat X And Later.
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Select an encryption option:
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Encrypt All Document Contents
Encrypts the document and the document metadata. If this option is selected, search engines cannot access the document metadata.
Encrypt All Document Contents Except Metadata
Encrypts the contents of a document but still allows search engines access to the document metadata.
Note:
The iFilter and the Find or Advance Search commands of Acrobat do not look into the PDF’s metadata even when you select the Encrypt All Document Contents Except Metadata option. You can use a search tool that takes advantage of XMP metadata.
Encrypt Only File Attachments
Requires a password to open file attachments. Users can open the document without a password. Use this option to create security envelopes.
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Click OK. At the prompt to confirm the password, retype the appropriate password in the box and click OK.
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