my document is showing read only

Question

I opened a word document that I produced and it is opening as read only. When I look at preferences, the read only box is not checked. What do I need to do so that I can make changes to this document?

Answer 1

If your Word document is opening as read-only, there are several potential reasons for this behavior:

1. Antivirus Software: Sometimes, antivirus programs may open files as read-only if they are deemed potentially unsafe. You might want to check your antivirus settings to see if this is the case.
2. Library Settings in SharePoint or OneDrive: If the document is stored in SharePoint or OneDrive, certain library settings such as "Checkout Required" or specific validation columns can cause files to open in read-only mode. Check if these settings are applied to the library where your document is stored.
3. Protected View: If the document is opening in Protected View, even if you have enabled the setting to open Office documents as read/write, it may still restrict editing. You can adjust the Protected View settings in Word to allow editing.

To resolve the issue, you can try the following steps:

• Save the document under a different name to see if that allows you to edit it.
• Check your antivirus settings and adjust them if necessary.
• Review the SharePoint or OneDrive library settings if applicable.
• Change the Protected View settings in Word to allow editing.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider checking if the document is marked as read-only in its properties or if there are any permissions issues related to the file location.

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References:

• File is read-only
• SharePoint files open as read-only

Answer 2

Hi Kamela,

Thank you for bringing this up and I know it can be confusing when a document you created suddenly opens as read only even though the preference box is not selected. Another possible cause is that Word may have automatically locked the file because it thinks the document is currently in use especially if the file did not close properly the last time or if a hidden temporary file is still present in the same folder. You can resolve this by closing Word completely, checking the folder where the document is stored and removing any temporary files that begin with the tilde symbol before reopening the document. You can also try moving the file to a different location on your device to refresh its file state, which often clears the read only lock. To help determine the root of the issue are you opening this file from your local computer or a shared location where another process might be keeping it locked?

I hope this answer is helpful if you have further questions feel free to reply back

Regards,

Marcelo