Problem with citation fields: "This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked"

Question

Word 2010 does not allow a modification of a citation field saying that "This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked."

By "modifying the citation field" I mean pressing Alt+F9 on the field to make the actual code visible (say, {CITATION Axt07 \n  \t  \m Axt00 \n  \t  \l 1033 }), and then manually trying to edit the code (say, change the order of citations so that Axt00 goes before Axt07).

Technical details:

1. Word is from a legal copy of Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Student
2. Office has been activated
3. The document is not marked as Final, i.e., I can edit any other text normally
4. The issue happens on all citation fields, in various Word documents, i.e., this is not an issue with some concrete document

Any ideas how this might be solved?

[EDIT]: This only happens if I insert the citation field through the "Insert Citation" button on the ribbon. If I manually insert a field through Ctrl+F9, I can edit, and then re-edit, it normally.

Answer 1

There is a workaround: right-click the field and select "Edit Field" from the context menu. The field code is editable in the dialog that appears. For me, this works even if Word says "the selection is locked."

Answer 2

I also have this problem with a document using fields.  All solutions out there seem to relate to activating the Office product, but this is not the problem in this case.

I am using Microsoft Professional 2010 which is Activated.

Does anyone have any answers to this problem?

I have asked another question with my specific circumstances here as this question is nearly a year old now.

Answer 3

I'm afraid, repairing Office does not help. The issue continues to occur in all documents, either old or just-created.

Are there any other possible solutions?

Answer 4

Try creating a new Word document and check if the issue occurs.

If it works in new word document, then follow the section ‘Control how fields are updated’ in the article below and check if the issue still persist in the existing document.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/insert-and-format-field-codes-in-word-2010-HA101830917.aspx#BM5

If the issue is also with new Word documents, repair Office 2010 and verify the status. To do so, go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features >Select the Office 2010 suite installed > Click on Change > Repair > Continue.