In the Microsoft Word 2016 application, you can choose to lock down changes to a document you have created. This is especially helpful if you plan to share the document with other people and want them to contribute to the content. With Word’s restrictive editing settings, you can choose what level of access other users have to your document, including the locking of fonts, styles, and other formatting options.

Step 1:


Launch the Word 2016 application from your PC’s Start menu in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Step 2:

Open an existing Word document or else use the template options on the welcome screen to start creating a new file.

Step 3:

Go to the “Review” tab in the ribbon bar at the top of the window.

Step 4:

Click on the “Restrict Editing” button, which appears in the section of the ribbon bar labeled “Protect.”

Step 5:

Check the box underneath “Editing restrictions” if you want to block all content changes from other users in Word. A drop-down menu will become active, where you can choose whether to make the document completely read-only or allow other users to add comments and tracked changes.

Step 6:

Use the checkbox beneath “Formatting restrictions” if you only want to control what styles and formatting elements can be used by other Word users. Click on the “Settings” link to view the advanced restriction options. In the pop-up window that appears, you can choose which defined styles can be accessed by other editors. Any other custom formatting options, such as bold text and font size, will be disabled by default.

Step 7:

Click the button labeled “Yes, Start Enforcing Protection” when you are satisfied with your restriction settings. A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to set a password on the document. Enter the same password twice and then click the “OK” button to complete the process. Now you and other users with the password can remove the editing restrictions at any time and regain full control over Word settings.

To learn more about Word’s editing restriction options, consult the Microsoft support site.