Locking only specific words in a word document

I have a document in which I want to restrict editing options only on specific words or sentences, but I also want to restrict editing in whole sections. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

4 Answers

Via the exceptions option in the Editing Restrictions, you can select areas in which you want to allow editing, I.e. You can allow editing if everything except those words and sentences. (I don't think there is an easy way to restrict editing of a word based on the word, e.g. to say "disallow editing of the word "elephant" wherever it appears).

If you only need to be able to discourage editing of particular words/sentences, you could put each of them in a content control and set each control's properties to disallow editing or deletion. But any user with access to the developer tab could change those settings back (unless for example you created and distributed your document as a VSTO application).

You can lock objects from edit/delete, by this way (I think it only works on Office 2007 and later)

To protect from editing:

1. Select the text/object you would like to protect from editing/deleting.
2. Go to Developer tab (notice that by default this tab is disabled and hidden).
3. Go to Controls group and click on Group (in the drop down menu click Group again).

To also protect from deleting:

4. On the same tab and group (Developer -> Controls), click on Properties.
5. In the opened dialog check the option that says: "Content control cannot be deleted".

To remove the protection, do steps 1-3 but now choose Ungroup (this option will be available only if the selection is identical to the selection that locked).

Screenshots:

To lock from edit:

To lock from edit and delete:

As far as I know, you cannot lock specific words or sentences, but only sections of a document. You can create breaks that create the sections, and lock the sections:

1. You have to divide the document into sections by selecting Insert | Break... at the appropriate places in the document and selecting Continuous under Section Break Types.
2. Then select Tools | Protect Document...
3. This activates the Protect Document task pane.
4. Tick the check box "Allow only this type of editing in the document".
5. Select "Filling in forms" from the dropdown below it.
6. Click Sections...
7. Clear the check boxes for the sections that should remain unprotected.
8. Click OK.
9. Click "Yes, start enforcing protection".
10. Specify a password if you wish (if you do, don't forget it!), or leave it blank, then click OK.

Source

The closest thing I can think of is using a table; you can lock specific cells in a table. Well, in Word it's called "protecting" instead of locking.

There's a good tutorial here: