Password-Protect a Document in Microsoft Word:

You can password-protect a document in Word so that only authorized users can open or modify its contents. Note that a skilled hacker may be able to break the encryption, but password protection may work in some cases. To enable this feature:

1. Open the document you want to protect.
2. Click Tools, then click Options, and select the Security tab.
3. Next to "Password to open" type in the password necessary to view the document.
4. Next to "Password to modify" type in the password necessary to make changes to the document.
5. The above two choices are mutually exclusive.
a. So, for example, if you only want to prevent users from editing your document, but don’t mind them reading it, ignore step 3 and follow step 4.
b. And, if you decide to create a password to modify your document only, realize that another user will still be able to edit and save your document under a different file name.
6. I can not stress this point enough: REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD!
7. Click OK to save your changes