How do you unlock Microsoft Word 2003?

Ctrl+D brings up the Format Font dialog box. No telling why it locked up
Word.

Table of Contents Show

Part 1: Why Is the Selection Locked?
Part 2: How to Unlock Selection in Word
2.1 Disable 'Mark as Final'
2.2 Disable 'Restrict Editing'
2.3 Update to A New Version
2.4 Activate Your Microsoft Office
How do you unlock Word when it is locked?
Can you unlock a Word document without the password?
How do I unlock Microsoft Word to enable editing?
Why Microsoft Word is locked?

If Word is locked up, you can usually force it to close by right-clicking it
on the Windows Task Bar and choosing Close. If Windows then says that it's
not responding, you can then close it.

If Ctrl+D repeatedly makes Word lock up, then I'd suspect that there was an
installation glitch. You might try Help - Detect and Repair to see if that
resolves the problem. If not, then post back here, and there are other
things to try to resolve the problem.

Automatic update of the embedded and linked objects is extremely powerful feature of Microsoft Word, but it could be boring for a large document. Locking a link prevents the object from being updated by the original application file, such as an Excel spreadsheet file.

You can create a link while working in Word or while working in another application. You have already seen several ways to embed objects:

Choose Insert -> Object and click the Create New tab:
Choose Insert -> Object and click the Create From File tab:
Choose Edit -> Paste Special:
Drag-and-Drop

The difference is that you must click the Link to File check box or the Paste Link option button, or you select Link Here from the drag-and-drop pop-up menu.

Word can update links in two ways, automatically and manually:

With automatic links, Word updates the links whenever you open the destination file and whenever the source information changes while the Word document is open.
To specify how links are updated, follow these steps:
  1.   Choose Edit -> Links to display the Links dialog box:

  2.   The Links dialog box lists all of the links in the active Word document. Select one or more. To select multiple links, click once on the first link, press Ctrl, and then click once on each of the other links that you want to edit. If you have several links and want to select them all, click once on the top link, press Shift, and then click once on the last link in the list.
  3.   Choose Automatic for automatic links, or choose Manual for manual links. You can specify different options for different links.
With manual links, Word updates the links only when you decide to update them.
There are two methods to update links manually. The simplest is to position the cursor somewhere in the linked object and then press F9. The other is to choose Edit -> Links.
Using Edit -> Links may be quicker, however, if you have several links in your document because this method enables you to see a list of all links. On the other hand, you can also press Ctrl+A to select everything in your document and then press F9. (Unfortunately, Ctrl+A doesn't select links inside headers, footers, and comments, although it's rare that linked objects are placed in these areas.) This updates all fields in your document, not just linked objects.

The default setting is to update all links automatically when the information in the source file changes, but you can specify either method for any link.

You can lock and unlock a link in the Links dialog box. However, you can also lock a link by selecting a link and pressing Ctrl+F11; unlock the link by pressing Ctrl+Shift+F11.

Rather than locking a link, why not set the link to Manual and then just don't update it-to ensure that you don't accidentally manually update it. If, for instance, you press Ctrl+A to select the entire document and then press F9 to update the table of contents, index, and cross-references, you are also updating unlocked manual links.

A quick tour into the Microsoft community highlighted how droves of people are grappling with the problem of how to unlock a selection in Word versions. Well, this may sound a small issue if you are an expert, but plenty of users are still in the dark regarding how to unlock selection in Microsoft Word.

If you are among those looking for a solution, then worry no more because we are here for you. In this article, we shall elaborate on how to unlock selection in the Word 2003-2019.

Part 1: Why Is the Selection Locked?

There are scores of Microsoft Word users who are stuck because they cannot apply changes to their documents. Whether it is Word 2007, 2010, 2013, or the latest versions, this problem is not new. When you try to apply various changes to your Word document and instead receive a notification at the bottom that reads, "This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked" then know you are experiencing a selection locked problem. This problem is not caused by a single issue but arises because of several reasons.

It could be that your Word document is restricted, or your word document is marked as final. Other causes that are related to the software itself is when you are using a trial version of Microsoft Office, or your version requires to be activated.

Part 2: How to Unlock Selection in Word

Depending on the causes, you will fix the selection locked problem differently.

2.1 Disable 'Mark as Final'

This problem is common with all office versions. When your document is marked as final, you won't be able to type or edit the document. Once you receive a Word document that is marked as final, you'll see a yellow banner at the top of the document. You just need to click on the "Edit Anyway" button, and your file will be unlocked.

2.2 Disable 'Restrict Editing'

If a Word document is restricted, it means that you can't perform some tasks like editing without being granted permission. This is often used with Word documents that carry vital data that shouldn't be tampered with by unauthorized persons. Several users use passwords as permissions for editing. If you know the password, it is just a matter of inputting the password and start editing.

Here is how to do it:

Step 1: Navigate to Review>Restrict Editing.

Step 2: You'll see a "Stop Protection" button in the lower right corner. Click on it.

Step 3: The "Unprotect Document" dialog will appear. Enter the password and you'll be able to edit the file.

However, if you don't know the password and someone else who has the password is inaccessible, then the best way is to unlock a selection in Word documents via a password unlocker.

Passper for Word is a popular password unlocker. It guarantees a 100% success rate for all Word versions. The program doesn't require any technical knowledge, and you can unlock the selection in your MS Word documents with one simple click.

Free Download for Win 10/8.1/8/7/XP

I'll show you how to use the program.

Step 1 Launch Passper for Word to display the primary window. Click the "Remove Restrictions" tab on the main window to proceed.

Step 2 Click on the "Select a File" option and upload the locked Word document to the program.

Step 3 When the file is uploaded, click the "Remove" button at the bottom right of the screen. Wait several seconds for the program to unlock the selection on your Word document. When it is done, you should see a notification on the screen that restrictions on your word document have been removed. You are now free to edit your document.

2.3 Update to A New Version

If you are using a trial version and have expired, then this would likely result in the locked selection problem. This is majorly common with Office 2007. Because your trial version has expired, the only plausible option is to upgrade to the full version. If you are using the Office Home and Student 2007 trial versions on your computer, then you can buy the disc version to obtain the product key. This key will allow you to activate the trial version.

2.4 Activate Your Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office often gives a grace period before you enter the valid product key. During this time, some of the features that are not in the package you purchased will be temporarily enabled.

When the grace period expires, and you fail to enter the valid product key, several features on your Office will be disabled. This is what is referred to as a reduced functionality mode, where a locked selection problem also comes in. Since most functionalities are disabled, your Office is barely reduced to a viewer, and you can't modify or create new Word documents. It is important to note that no existing file will be subjected to harm in this mode. The solution is to enter the valid product key and activate your Office Word. When you do this, you will access all the functionalities, and you can modify and create new documents again.

Here, you can find products keys for Microsoft 2013 and Microsoft 2016.

Conclusion

With the wealth of information above, you should be able to turn things around if your Word document is in the locked mode. If you have any questions about the 4 methods or you find any other workable methods, you can leave us a comment below.

How do you unlock Word when it is locked?

In Word versions 2019 to 2010 and Microsoft 365, enter the password to unlock Word under "File" > "Protect Document" > "Restrict Editing" and then click "Stop Protection". In Word versions 2007 to 2003, enter the password in the menu via "Tools" > "Stop Protection".

Can you unlock a Word document without the password?

Press Alt+F11 again to close the VBA editor, click on the protected text to open the Restrict Editing menu. Click Stop Protection. It will stop protection without the password.

How do I unlock Microsoft Word to enable editing?

Enable editing in your document.

Go to File > Info..

Select Protect document..

Select Enable Editing..

Why Microsoft Word is locked?

The file might be locked because: The file is shared and another user is currently editing it. An instance of the Office app is running in the background with the file already opened. The file has been marked as Final and can no longer be updated.