In the work, it is often necessary to send the documents to colleagues, customers or leaders for review, but the most afraid thing is that the other party accidentally changes the contents of the original documents or edits them directly on them, resulting in a completely unrecognizable document. At this time, if the document can only be annotated but not modified, the problem will be solved. Today, let's talk about how to achieve this requirement and what tools and methods are available.
Why do you need to add a password to word that cannot be modified and can only be annotated?
Word only allows this function of annotation, which is especially practical in actual work. For example, if you send the draft contract to the legal department for review, you want them to only propose amendments instead of directly changing the contract text. Or send the first draft of the report to the leader for review, who can comment on the comments nearby, but will not delete important contents by mistake. There are also teachers correcting homework for students, editing and reviewing the author's manuscript, etc. These scenes need to allow documents to be annotated but not modified.
Word only allows comment effect preview
before treatment:
after treatment:
method one: use HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to restrict word editing to annotations
recommended Index:★★★★★
Advantages:
1. Targeted design. Unlike other tools, which bury this function in a pile of complex settings, the interface is very intuitive. All you have to do is check "restrict editing passwords" and then select "only annotations". It's as simple as that.
2, real batch processing capacity. You only need to select all these documents, set them once, and process them with one click. All documents will be protected according to the same rules.
3, local processing to ensure security. All operations are done on your own computer, and documents do not need to be uploaded to any cloud server.
Disadvantages:
【 HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ] needs to be downloaded locally to use.
Operation steps:
1. Download and open 【 HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ], select [word Tool] on the left, and then select [Word Add Password Protection] on the right].
2. Click [Add File] at the top right, or drag the word to be encrypted to the specified location to complete the file upload.
3. Click [Next] to open the [Restricted Editing Password] button, check [Annotation Only] below, and fill in the password when lifting the restriction according to the requirements.
4. Click [Next], and the tool will start adding passwords to word documents to restrict editing in batches, and will give prompt in time after completion.
Method 2: Use Microsoft Word's own functions to restrict editing to comments
.Recommended Index:★★★☆ ☆
advantages: Completely free, no need to install any third-party software. As a native feature of Office, it has the best compatibility. After setting, it can correctly display permission restrictions on any device that supports Office.
Disadvantages: cannot be batch processed, each document needs to be set up separately. The action path is deep, and unfamiliar users may need to search the tutorial to find the correct setting location. Lack of unified password management function, each document password needs to be recorded separately.
Operation steps:
1. Open the Word document to be set and click the "File" menu.
2. Select the "Information" tab and click the "Protect Document" button.
3. Select "Restrict editing" in the drop-down menu ".
4. Check "Only allow this type of editing in the document" in the sidebar on the right ".
5. Select "Annotation" in the drop-down box, set the password and click "Yes, Start Forced Protection".
Method 3: Use Word macro recording (semi-automatic) to lock Word from being modified and only annotated
recommended Index:★★★☆ ☆
advantages: Repeated operations can be implemented within a single Word, slightly improving efficiency. Recorded macros can be reused in other documents.
Disadvantages: Macro security settings may be blocked by the system. Only one open document can be processed at a time, batch processing capacity is limited, and macro compatibility between different Word versions may be problematic.
Operation steps:
1. Open Word and click "View"-> "Macro"-> "Record Macro".
2. Name the macro and assign shortcut keys to start recording.
3. Set "Restrict Editing" as annotation according to the above manual steps.
4. Stop recording and save the document.
5. Press shortcut keys to apply macros to other documents, but open them one by one.
Method 4: Use Adobe Acrobat Pro (Convert to PDF) to keep word unmodified
recommended Index:★★★☆ ☆
advantages: PDF format is more secure, cross-platform compatibility is excellent. You can set up complex rights management, including printing, editing, etc.
Cons: Need to convert to PDF, losing the editing flexibility of Word. Acrobat Pr is not specially designed for Word documents and is relatively circuitous in operation.
Operation steps:
1. Open the document with Word and save it as PDF format.
2. Open PDF files with Acrobat Pro.
3. Click "Tools"-> "Protection"-> "More Protection".
4. Select "Use password for security settings".
5. Restrict editing and allow comments in permission settings.
Method 5: Use LibreOffice (open source alternative) to prevent word from being modified
recommended Index:★★★☆ ☆
advantages: completely free open source, feature-rich. Supports batch processing macros, which can theoretically be automated.
Cons: Compatibility with MS Word is sometimes problematic. The setup interface and operation logic are different from Word and need to be re-learned.
Operation steps:
1. Start the LibreOffice software, select the "Open File" function, find the Word document you need to set (supports. doc and. docx formats), and import it into the workspace of the software.
2. Click "File" in the menu bar at the top of the LibreOffice, find the "Properties" option from the drop-down menu and click, select the "Security" tab in the pop-up dialog box to enter the permission setting interface.
3. In the security setting interface, you first check the "Open Document with Password" option and enter the password, then find the document protection related options, and set the editing restriction to "Recommended Read-Only" or completely restrict editing.
4. In the drop-down menu of protection options, the system provides the "read-only (suggested)" option by default. You can select "custom" to set permissions more finely, such as allowing comments, allowing specific operations such as filling in forms, etc.
5. Click "OK" to save the settings after all the settings are completed, and then click "File"-> "Save As" again. Note that the save format is "Microsoft Word Document (.docx)" to ensure compatibility with Word.
Method 6: Use OnlyOffice (enterprise-level online documents) to prevent word from being edited but can comment
recommended Index:★★☆ ☆ ☆
pros: Open source free, support for private deployment. Collaborative editing is powerful and permission control is fine.
Disadvantages: You need to build your own server or use its cloud service. The configuration is relatively complex for an individual user.
Operation steps:
1. First, you need to install and deploy OnlyOffice services on your own server, or directly access the official online OnlyOffice platform, register and log in to your account.
2. After successful login, enter the document management interface, and click the upload button to upload the Word document to the system. Batch upload of multiple files is supported.
3. After the upload is completed, find the target file in the document list, right-click and select "Properties" or "Settings" to enter the detailed access permission configuration page.
4. Find the editing permission option in the permission configuration area and select the "View and Comment" level from the drop-down menu, so that users can only add comments and cannot modify the original text.
5. After the permission is set, click the Generate Sharing Link button, copy the link and send it to the relevant users who need to review the document via email or instant messaging tool.
good tools should make the job easier, not more complicated. Whether it is contract review, report review, job correction or manuscript review, setting appropriate document protection rights can not only ensure document security, but also facilitate collaborative communication. Choose the right tool for you to make document management more efficient and orderly.
Keyword：Word restricts editing to only add comments , Word can only comment but not modify content , Word only allows comments