How to Remove Password from Word Document

Whether you're streamlining access to a shared file or trying to open a document whose password has been long forgotten, needing to remove a password from a Word document is a common challenge. The solution, however, isn't one-size-fits-all. Your success depends entirely on the type of password protection applied to the file.

Microsoft Word uses two fundamentally different kinds of passwords: a password to open the document and a password to restrict editing. Understanding which one you're dealing with is the first step to unlocking your file. This guide will walk you through how to remove password from Word document.

Part 1. If There is a "Password to Open" on Your Word

"Password to Open" is the most secure type of protection. When a document is encrypted with a password to open, the entire file's contents are scrambled. Without the correct password, the file is unreadable by anyone, including Microsoft.

Method 1. How to Remove Password from Word Document When You Know the Password

If you have the password and simply want to remove the protection for easier access, the process is straightforward.

Step 1. Open your Microsoft Word document and enter the current password when prompted.
Step 2. Navigate to the File tab in the top-left corner.
Step 3. Select Info from the sidebar menu, and then click on the Protect Document drop-down arrow.
Step 4. In the drop-down menu, choose Encrypt with Password.

Step 5. A dialog box will appear showing the password field filled with dots. Completely clear this field, leaving it blank, and then click OK.

Step 6. Finally, save the document by clicking the Save icon or pressing Ctrl+S. The password protection is now removed.

Method 2. How to Remove Open Password from Word Document via TunesKit File Password Recovery [Without Password]

If you have forgotten the password to open your Word document, the situation is difficult. It is critical to understand Microsoft's official policy: Microsoft cannot retrieve forgotten passwords. The encryption is a security feature, and there is no backdoor or master key. This means your only viable option is to use third-party password recovery software.

The recommended software here is TunesKit File Password Recovery, which is a professional file password recovery tool for Microsoft files. This software provides multiple recovery modes to speed up the process. For instance, it offers a "Combination Attack" if you remember parts of the password (like its length or starting character), in addition to standard Dictionary and Brute-Force attacks.

Step 1Choose feature to recover password

After the software installation, open it on your computer. You will see three options: Excel/Word/PPT, PDF, and RAR/ZIP. You should select the first one. On the next window, choose the Recover office Password feature, which can help you retrieve your Word open password.

Step 2Select a mode to recover password

Add your file to the box with dotted lines. Three attack modes here: Dictionary Attack, Combination Attack, and Brute Force Attack. You can select one of them to recover your Word open password. Click the Start Recover button to start recovering your file password.

Step 3Remove a "Password to Open"

Now, you have known the open password. Follow the steps in the Method 1, you can remove the open password in your Word file.

Part 2. If There is a "Restrict Editing" Protection on Your Word

This type of password doesn't prevent you from opening a document; it only limits what you can do within it, such as making edits or formatting changes. This protection is significantly less robust than file encryption and is much easier to remove, even if you've forgotten the password.

Method 1. How to Remove Password from Word Document with Its Editing Password

If you know the editing password, turning off the restriction takes only a few clicks.

Step 1: Open the protected Word document. You will not be asked for a password to open it.
Step 2: Go to the Review tab in the main ribbon.
Step 3: Click on Restrict Editing. A pane will appear on the right side of your screen.
Step 4: At the very bottom of this pane, click the Stop Protection button.
Step 5: You will be prompted to enter the password. Type it in and click OK. The editing restrictions are now lifted. Remember to save the document to make the change permanent.

Method 2. How to Remove Editing Restriction Password from Word Document via TunesKit File Password Recovery [Without Password]

If you've forgotten the editing restriction password, you can also use TunesKit File Password Recovery to remove the password directly. Apart from the Recover Office Password feature, this tool also has the Remove Office Restriction feature, which allows users to remove the editing restriction password in one click and helps you get full editing access for your files.

Step 1Choose feature to remove password

Download and install the tool on your computer. In this software, you should select Excel/Word/PPT first. Next, choose the Remove Office Restriction feature.

Step 2Remove password from Word

Add your Word file to the dotted line box. Click the Start Remove button to remove the password in one click.

Method 3. How to Remove Password from Word Document by Renaming Word File Extension [Without Password]

If you don't know the editing password and also don't want to use a third-party tool, renaming the Word file extension is a good alternative way to remove editing password from the Word file. This way is a little bit complex.

Step 1: Rename the Word file extension from .doc or .docx to .zip.
Step 2: Open the ZIP file and then double-click the Word folder. In this folder, find settings.xml. Click it and delete it from the folder.
Step 3: Change the name of the ZIP file extension back to .doc or .docx, and now you can edit the Word file.

Method 4. How to Remove Password from Word Document by Word XML Document [Without Password]

The last way to remove password from your Word is saving the file as Word XML Document (.xml). This way is more complex than any other method in this part. If other method are not working, you can try this method finally.

Step 1: With the document open, go to File > Save As.
Step 2: In the "Save as type" drop-down menu, choose Word XML Document (*.xml). Save this new version of the file to your computer.

Step 3: Locate the .xml file you just saved and open it with a plain text editor like Notepad.
Step 4: Once the file is open, press Ctrl+F to open the search tool. Search for the term w:enforcement.
Step 5: You will find a line of code that includes w:enforcement="1" or w:enforcement="on". Carefully change the 1 to a 0 (so it reads w:enforcement="0") or on to off.

Step 6: Save the changes to the .xml file and close the text editor.
Step 7: To complete the process, rename the file back to its original Word Document (*.docx) format.

Part 3. Conclusion

Removing a password from a Microsoft Word document is a task that ranges from trivial to nearly impossible. If you know the password, you can remove any protection in under a minute. If you've forgotten it, your path forward depends entirely on whether the file was encrypted or simply restricted. The good news is that whether which situation, TunesKit File Password Recovery can help you remove password from your Word file.