Locking Paragraphs So They Cannot be Edited

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 16, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

Karen edits environmental reports and develops templates for them. She wonders if she can lock boilerplate text, only a few paragraphs, so that the user of the template cannot modify that text. Karen doesn't want to restrict writing or password protect the template; she just wants to lock particular paragraphs.

There are three ways you can approach this task. First, the absolute foolproof way to include the text is to simply take a picture of it using a screen-capture program and then include the picture in your document. Someone could obviously delete the image, but they cannot change text that is no longer text.

The second approach is to use one of the controls available through the Developer tab of the ribbon:

Select the paragraphs you want to protect.
Display the Developer tab of the ribbon.
In the Controls group, click the Group tool and then, from the resulting options, click Group.

That's it. The text in the selected paragraphs cannot be edited. You can later edit the paragraphs, if you desire, by again selecting the paragraphs and then choosing to ungroup them. (That's an option available when you click the Group tool.)

The third approach is more traditional, and it should be used if you want to protect the text using a password. (That way you can, at a later point, unprotect the text so you can update it in some way.) Basically, what you do is to insert Continuous section breaks before and after the text you want to protect, and then use the tools provided in Word to protect just those sections of the document. The detailed instructions for this approach can be found in this WordTip.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13759) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Modifying Behavior of the Open Dialog Box

The Open dialog box is one that few of us think about, but you can control how it behaves with a little bit of macro ...

Discover More

Splitting Your Spreadsheet Window Into Panes

Need to keep different areas of the same worksheet in view at the same time? Excel makes this relatively easy through the ...

Discover More

Storing a User's Location before Running a Macro

Macros are often used to process information in a workbook. If your macro makes changes in what is selected in the ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Changing Smart Quotes to Primes

Smart quotes can be helpful in giving your document a more finished look, but you may not want them after any of the ...

Discover More

Permanently Turning Off the Tracking of Formatting Changes

The Track Changes tool can be a great asset when you are working on a document with others. It can also be a hassle if ...

Discover More

Different Layout for a Portion of a Page

Got a document layout that requires a portion of the page to be in one layout and another portion to be in a different ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is nine more than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

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.