How To Unlock A Word Document

How To Unlock A Word Document? Step By Step Guide

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Have you faced this situation where you open a Word file to read its contents but cannot edit it? Since you are here, I bet you have faced this problem several times. I know it’s a hassle to constantly ask its author for the password to be able to edit it. However, why not learn how to unlock a Word document and edit it yourself (and surprise the author!)

To learn how to do so, read this post now. Here, I have explained three different methods to do so. All of these methods are pretty easy to follow and will only take a few minutes to do.

How To Unlock A Word Document If You Don’t Know Password

If you wish to learn how to unlock a Word document without password, then there are a few different methods to do so. These methods have been explained below:

1. Using The Passper For Word Unlocker Tool

Using The Passper For Word Unlocker Tool
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The Passper For Word application is a very handy third-party application for MS Word users. This is a pretty simple tool that you can use to unlock password-protected Word files if you forget the password.

If you are worried about using this app to unlock password-protected Word files, then fear not. This is a pretty well-known and trusted application that is used by many people. The best thing is that it supports all the different Word versions, from MS Word 97 to MS Word 2019.

To download Passper For Word decryption tool, you need first to download and install the application. Simply go to its official website –

After you download the file, you need to install it on your computer. Then, you can follow these steps as they have been explained, in order.

Step-By-Step Order

  1. Open Passper For Word tool
  2. When you open it, you will see two options – Recover Passwords and Remove Restrictions. Click on the first option.
  3. Then, click on Add Word File option.
  4. Here, you need to browse the word file and select it. By default, it will be in This PC > Documents (this option appears on the left, with other options like Downloads).
  5. After you are done selecting the Word file, click on the various recovery methods available here. Each recovery “attack” mode correlates to the strength of the password and how much you remember. Read the description of each to make the right selection here.
  6. Now, you are required to state how many characters the password had and what is the last password that you remember. These are completely optional if you know what the password is. If you completely forgot, select the Brute Force recovery option.

Once you are done with the steps above, click on the “Recover” option. After some time (depending on your chosen “Attack” mode), the password will be automatically generated. Now you can use it to unlock your Word file.

2. Using Microsoft Visual Basic For Applications

Using Microsoft Visual Basic For Applications
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If the last password you remember was petty small (around three to four characters), then there’s a way. If such is the case, then you can use the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications tool.

The best thing bout this process is that you don’t need to download and install the application. It already comes pre-installed on most Windows computers.

To learn how to unlock a word document that is locked for editing, follow these steps in order as explained below:

  1. First, create a new Black Document in Word
  2. Press Alt + F11 on your keyboard to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications tool
  3. Click on Insert
  4. Then, click on Module
  5. Here, you need to type this code and press the F5 button.
Sub test()
Dim i As Long
i = 0
Dim FileName As String
Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).Show
FileName = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogOpen).SelectedItems(1)
ScreenUpdating = False
Line2: On Error GoTo Line1
Documents.Open FileName, , True, , i & ""
MsgBox "Password is " & i
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
Exit Sub
Line1: i = i + 1
Resume Line2
ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub

Now, whenever you open a Word document that is password protected, Word will automatically display the password beside it. There is no need to learn how to cancel Microsoft subscription over this issue now!

3. Unrestrict Word Documents Using Passper for Word Tool

Unrestrict Word Documents Using Passper for Word Tool
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Sometimes, it’s best to learn how to unrestrict a Word document. This will remove the password requirement of the document altogether. Again, to do so, you can use the Passper for Word tool. To do so, you need to:

  1. Open Passper For Word tool
  2. When you open it, you will see two options – Recover Passwords and Remove Restrictions. Click on the second option.
  3. Then, click on the option “Select a file” and choose the protected Word document from My Computer.
  4. Finally, click on the Remove option to start unrestricting the Word document. 

4. Unrestrict Word Documents Using Inbuilt Word Features

Unrestrict Word Documents Using Inbuilt Word Features
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Did you know that there is a “hack” for accessing password-protected Word documents? By using a simple trick, you can do so without the need for any tool. Now, to learn how to unlock a password protected word document, follow the steps I have explained below:

  1. Open the password-protected Word document
  2. Go to the File menu
  3. Click on Save As
  4. Then select Save as Type
  5. From the options here, click on Word XML Document
  6. Now, close MS Word and search for the newly saved .xml file.
  7. Right-click on the file and select “Open with
  8. Now, use Notepad to open the file. It will open as a set of codes
  9. Once the file is open, press Ctrl + F to open the Find option
  10. In the Find dialog box, type Enforcement
  11. Once you find that word on your file ( it will be something like Enforcement = “1” ), change the “1” to “0”
  12. After editing it, save the file
  13. Finally, reopen the .xml file with MS Word
  14. Resave the file as a .doc file (default MS Word extension)

Now, you can open the Word file without any password! This issue is pretty similar to the problem Microsoft excel is waiting for another application to complete an ole action

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

When it comes to learning how to unlock a word document, people tend to ask questions like:

Q1. Why Should I Encrypt My Word Documents With A Password?

You should encrypt and protect your Word files if they contain highly confidential information. People do this to protect the information inside the file by password-protecting it.

Q2. Why is My Word Document Locked?

Your Word document is locked because it is password-protected by the author. Simply ask the author for the password, or learn how to unlock a word document for editing without a password.

Q3. Can You Unlock A Word Document Without A Password?

Yes, you can unlock a word document without a password. You can take three steps to do so:

1. Use Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications.
2. Use the Passper for Word tool.
3. Converting the Word file into a .xml file and changing the codes in it.

Final Words

Now that you know the various ways how to unlock a word document, it’s time to get done with it. Open that Word file that has been giving you trouble and follow any of the three methods explained above and see the magic happen!

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