Protect Document

Have you ever wanted to password protect a file in Microsoft Office for extra security? Here is the way to do it with JAWS!

Steps for encrypting a file with a password in Microsoft Office

1. Open the file you’d like to password protect in Microsoft Word.
2. Use Alt + F to open the backstage view. Your focus should be on the Info tab.
3. Use tab to navigate through the info tab until you reach “Menu – control what types of changes people can make to this document. Protect document submenu.” Press enter.
4. A menu will open. Use the down arrow to navigate to “Encrypt with password”. Press enter.
5. A window will open with a password edit. Type the password you’d like to use for this file. Remember – the password can be anything you’d like and does not have any length or complexity requirements. Press enter when you’ve entered your password.
6. Confirm your password. Enter the password one more time and press enter.
7. After adding a password, you’ll end up back in the backstage view. Press escape to return to your document.

How do I know it’s working?

To verify the password protection is working – close Word and reopen it. Now, open your password protected file. You should be prompted with a dialog and password edit box. While the edit box is on the screen, your document is not being displayed.

Audio Notes

Listen to me describe the process above and use JAWS to get it done.