1. How To Password Protect A Word File 2016
2. Unlock Protected Word Document

It depends on how you protected it. If you used Tools/Protect Document then you're in luck. Create a new document and use Insert/File to insert the contents of the protected document. Now if you protected it with a password to open then that's another story. There are some password cracking utilities out there but the success rate depends on what you used for the password and those that actually work aren't free. I created a password that contained numbers, symbols and alpha characters both upper case and lower case, no words which can be found in the dictionary, and used 9 characters. I tested some popular password cracking software which claims they can crack a password of any length provided it is a dictionary word, and up to 9 characters using brute force.

How To Password Protect A Word File 2016

I let the utility run on a PC I wasn't using for 123 hours, 49 minutes, and 5 seconds. It never cracked the password - I finally gave up! Also note that the utility uses so many resources it's next to impossible to run additional software while it is running. Something else to keep in mind, if you purchase such a utility you are giving your credit card number to a known crack.

Unlock Protected Word Document

Please post all follow-up questions to the newsgroup. Requests for assistance by email can not be acknowledged. Beth Melton Microsoft Office MVP Word FAQ: TechTrax eZine: MVP FAQ site.