If you still cannot edit that file, or this is happening with all Word documents, follow these steps to perform a full repair of your Office installation.
Another frequent inquiry is “How to fix Microsoft Word won’t let you edit?”.
First, open the document in Microsoft Word and then click on the Review option. Click on the Restrict Editing option. If any of the restriction boxes are selected, then uncheck them. Close down the document and reopen it. Disabling the Restrict Editing feature should solve this issue.
There are instances when you open a document that has Editing Restrictions from earlier Word versions, and as such, you cannot edit the document whether you have password permissions to it or not. This issue happens whenever password protection is given to protect a Word document, but not when using Information Rights Management.
Moreover, why can’t I edit a shared Word document?
If you are trying to open a word document that is available in a shared network and you are unable to edit it, then most likely someone else has the file opened and already editing it. If that’s the case then the file will only open in Read-only mode, unless you remove the file owner.
How to enable or disable editing in Microsoft Word?
1 Open the Word document that you can’t edit and go to File menu. 5 Disable Restrict Editing and remove blocked authors. 6 When prompted, type in the password and hit OK.
How to change restrict editing settings in Microsoft Word?
To change the Restrict Editing settings, follow the steps given below: First, open the document in Microsoft Word and then click on the Review option. Click on the Restrict Editing option. If any of the restriction boxes are selected, then uncheck them. Close down the document and reopen it.
Why can’t I edit a file?
Let’s take a quick look at some of the reasons why you might not be able to edit the file. If you had a crash with the file open previously, it’s possible that the application still has it locked. This is usually the cause when you open a file and it says that the file is read-only because you already have it open.
Why can’t I edit a worksheet or presentation?
If a worksheet or presentation is locked for editing and can’t be edited in the Windows desktop applications, it may be that the file is already being edited by someone else, or they have the file checked out. Not sure what “checked out” means? This article might help: Check out or check in files in a document library.