Allowing Only Form Field Changes

Word includes the ability to protect your document so users can only make changes to the document within form fields. Typically this is done just before saving your newly created form document as a template. Without such protection, people can still use the form fields, but they can also make changes anywhere else desired in the document. If you require this type of document protection, follow these steps:

1. Display the Review tab of the ribbon.
2. Click the Protect Document tool (Word 2007) or the Restrict Editing tool (Word 2010 and later versions) within the Protect group. Word displays the Protect Document pane (Word 2007) or the Restrict Formatting and Editing pane (Word 2010 and later versions) at the right side of your document.
3. In the Editing Restrictions section of the pane, choose the Allow Only This Type of Editing In the Document check box. Word enables the drop-down list under the checkbox.
4. Using the drop-down list, choose Filling In Forms.
5. In the Start Enforcement section of the pane, click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection. Word displays the Start Enforcing Protection dialog box. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Start Enforcing Protection dialog box.

6. Enter a password (twice) in the dialog box. (You can get by without entering a password, but that would mean that anyone can turn off your protection.)
7. Click on OK.
8. Save your document.

With this type of protection turned on, people can still load and read the document. The only difference is that they cannot change anything in the document, except what you set up for them to change in form fields. (Don't confuse the protection discussed in this tip with the protection afforded by the file password options. That type of protection was discussed in other issues of WordTips.)

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10414) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Allowing Only Form Field Changes.