6 Ways to Fix Microsoft Word Opens Files in Read-Only Mode in Windows 10 or 11

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Fix 1: Modify File Properties

If the issue in question is limited to a select few Word documents, the read-only file attribute may be enabled for those files. Here’s how to fix it.

Step 1:Right-click on theWord file> selectProperties.

Step 2:Under theGeneraltab, uncheck theRead-onlybox in the Attributes section. Then, clickApply>OK.

Fix 2: Disable Preview Pane in File Explorer

ThePreview pane featurein File Explorer lets you preview your files without opening them. For this to work, File Explorer may set your files to read-only mode. To avoid this, disable the Preview pane feature in File Explorer.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Eto open File Explorer.

Step 2:Click theViewmenu at the top > go toShow> uncheckPreview pane.

Fix 3: Disable Editing Restrictions for Password-Protected Files

Microsoft Word may open a document in read-only mode if the document owner has imposed editing restrictions. If you have the password for the file, you can easily remove the read-only restriction for that document by following the steps below.

Step 1:Open thepassword-protected documentin Word.

Step 2:On theReviewtab, clickRestrict Editingin the Protect group.

Step 3:On the Restrict Editing pane on the right, click theStop Protectionbutton.

Step 4:Enter thepasswordfor the file and clickOK.

Fix 4: Turn off Open Email Attachments in Reading View

Another reason Word may open your documents in read-only mode is if you’ve previously configured it to open all your email attachments in reading view. Here’s how to change that.

Step 1:Open Microsoft Word and click theFilemenu at the top left.

Step 2:SelectOptionsfrom the left pane.

Step 3:In theGeneraltab, scroll to theStart up optionssection in the right pane. UncheckOpen e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading viewand hitOK.

Fix 5: Disable Protected View in Word

Protected View is a security feature in Word that keeps your PC safe from malicious files. When enabled, Word will open any suspicious files in read-only mode. However, if you’re confident about the legitimacy of your Word document, you can temporarily disable the Protected View feature.

Step 1:In the Microsoft Word window, clickFile>Options.

Step 2:In the Word Options window, switch to theTrust Centertab from the left column and click onTrust Center Settings.

Step 3:By default, all three options in the Protected View tab are checked. To disable Protected View, uncheck all three checkboxes and clickOKto save changes.

Fix 6: Repair Microsoft Office

Microsoft provides a handy repair tool for the Office suite. It can automatically detect and resolve anyproblems with your Office programs, including Word. You can run this tool as a last resort if Microsoft Word still opens your files in read-only mode.

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectInstalled appsfrom the list.

Step 2:Scroll down to locate the Microsoft Office product on the list. Click thethree-dot menu iconnext to it > selectModify.

Step 3:SelectOnline Repairand clickRepair.

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Last updated on 16 August, 2024

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