Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Signing a Protected Form.
Robert has developed a Word form and protected it for distribution. His users have tablet computers and they want to be able to sign the document with their tablet pens, but the pen does not work on a protected form. Robert is wondering how he can get this to work. He has tried inserting a frame, data field, and even an Excel unprotected cell to hold the signature, but all of these approaches have failed to make the pen work.
The problem is in the protection—if you protect a document or a section of a document, then you can't make changes in the protected portion. So, the answer is to insert section breaks both before and after the signature location. These can be continuous section breaks, so that they don't disturb the layout of your document. Then, make sure that all the document sections except the one for the signature are protected.
If you need help on figuring out how to apply protection only to parts of a document, just do a search on the WordTips Web site for the phrase "Protecting Parts of a Document."
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11280) applies to Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Signing a Protected Form.
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2020-07-10 15:56:00
Amy
this does not work i have the same issues as the other comments.
2019-04-23 10:57:05
Dan
I have just tried this in Word 2016 (Office 365) but it doesn't seem to work.
It will let me TYPE in the unprotected section but I can't use my Surface Pen to sign. The DRAW tab is still greyed out.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Dan
2017-07-27 10:55:10
Jim Ash
This does not seem to work with Word 2016. Would there be alternative methods to use the pen on Surface?
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: 
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