Before digging deep to remove passwords from Word documents, here are some insights about MS Word. Just like other outstanding services of Microsoft, MS Word facilitates you with its outstanding features. It allows you to work on professional documents, reports, letters and resumes. Apart from all the top-notch facilities, MS Word comes up with another feature to keep up with files/documents’ security. Using password protection for securing the content is the easiest way. It allows you to get the files and documents end-to-end encrypted.
But what if you forget the password of the Word document? Commonly users try to enter different mismatched passwords that further make the Word document inaccessible. Well, you cannot break it; instead, you can remove the Word password. This article will help you to get answers on how to take a password off a Word document. Here are some efficient solutions to remove password from Word document.
Word files not opening might often be caused by file corruption. In this case, it is recommended to repair Word using a special tool. The software is able to find and correct the errors, restoring the document.
Part 1. How to Remove Password Protection from Word Document with Password
If you are looking for ways to remove passwords from Word documents, here is a stepwise procedure. You can follow the steps if you already know the password. It helps you to unprotect the Word document and decrypt it.
In the case of Word 2010/2013/2016
Step 1: Open the password-protected Word document with the correct password.
Step 2: Now, in the top ribbon, select the File option, and in the next window, select Protect Document.
Step 3: Select the Encrypt with Password option in the drop-down menu.
Step 4: As the Word document is protected via password, a dialogue box with the correct password will appear on the screen. Remove the password from the textbox and click OK to complete the action.
In the case of Word 2007
If you are using Word 2007, then you should follow the following steps:
Step 1: Launch the password-protected Word document by entering the password.
Step 2: Now click on the top-right icon in the document, and in the drop-down menu, select the Prepare option.
Step 3: In the next list of options, select Encrypt Document.
Step 4: A dialogue box will appear on the screen with a password. Remove the password and click OK to continue.
In the case of Word 2003
For all those using Word 2003, follow this guide to remove passwords from Word documents.
Step 1: Open the Word file by entering the right password.
Step 2: From the top ribbon, select the File option followed by selecting Save As in the next window.
Step 3: In the Save option window, click Tools and select the Security options.
Step 4: A new dialogue box will appear with the Security option. Remove the password from the Password to open textbox and click OK to save changes.
Once complete, you successfully remove the password from the Word document.
Part 2. How to Remove Password from Word Document without Password
Stuck in a situation where you cannot access the Word document as you forgot the Word file password? There are four methods to remove passwords from Word files without passwords.
Method 1. Remove Password from Word File with A Word Password Remover
Utilizing third-party Word password remover to remove passwords is the most straightforward approach. You can perform both tasks, i.e., recover the forgotten passwords and remove the passwords to get access to Word documents. In this regard, one of the best Word document password removers is PassFab for Word. If you are wondering how to take a password off a Word document with PassFab for Word, then here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Download and install the PassFab for Word on your PC. Once the software is successfully installed, launch it.
Step 2: Click Add to select the password-protected Word document.
Step 3: Once the file is selected, click Open to continue.
Step 4: As the Word file is added, now select the mode, i.e., select dictionary attack to recover password from an existing dictionary or select Brute Force with Mask Attack in case you remember a few elements of your password. The third mode, Brute Force Attack, is chosen when you are entirely out of a clue for the password.
Step 5: Click Start to continue.
Step 6: As soon as the password is recovered, copy the password to unlock the Word file.
Once the password is recovered, the next step that can be performed is to remove the password from the Word document with the known password. Follow the steps mentioned in Part 1 to remove the password from the target Word document.
Method 2. Remove Password from Word File By Renaming Word File Extension
Another possible answer for removing passwords from Word files is by renaming the Word file extension. However, it is somehow complicated, as by default, Windows hides the file extensions, so to change the file extension, you need to unhide it first. Any mistake in the process can make the original document inaccessible. Here is how you can progress:
Step 1: Rename the .doc or .docx extension to .zip. It could be done under the option of ‘rename’ in the top ribbon. Click Yes to continue.
Step 2: Next step is to launch the ZIP file in windows explorer.
Step 3: Now open the word folder and navigate to the option of settings.xml. Delete from the list.
Step 4: Once done, rename the file back to the .doc extension. It would enable editing in the Word file.
Method 3. Remove Password from Word File by Saving As Rich Text Format
If you don’t remember your Word document’s password, don’t worry. Here is another efficient solution to remove Word passwords. Changing the file format can help you. It will make the Word file accessible. RTF format serves best for the pursuit. It is a widely readable format by different processors and programs and saves the file in a smaller size.
Here is how you can save the Word file to RTF format to remove the password:
Step 1: Launch the targeted password-protected Word document and click the Microsoft icon in the top left corner.
Step 2: Next step is to save the document in Rich text format. Click the Save as option and select Rich Text Format as the file format.
Step 3: In the next step, reopen the document in Rich text format in Notepad.
Step 4: Press Ctrl+F to launch the Find prompt in the Notepad. In the box, type ‘passwordhash.’
Step 5: Once you find it, replace it with ‘withoutpassword.‘ Save changes and exit Notepad.
Step 6: Relaunch the RTF file in MS Word and click the Review option.
Step 7: In the Review option, select the Restrict Editing option followed by selecting Restrict Formatting and Editing.
Step 8: Uncheck the options, i.e., Formatting restrictions and Editing restrictions.
Method 4. Remove Password from Word Document Online
If none of the methods works to remove passwords from Word files, then the only way left is to pursue the online platforms. The online doc password remover allows you to utilize the feature freely. Some of them will offer free service. All you have to do is select the target Word document or drag and drop the file and click Start. The online website will remove the password of your Word document.
Aspose is a free online Word document password remover that unlocks files in various formats, such as DOTX, PDF, DOC, and ODT. Moreover, you can save the unlocked documents in desired formats. This online platform allows you to unlock multiple files simultaneously. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Start the process by clicking the file drop area to upload the targeted Word document or drag-drop the file.
Step 2: The unlocking process will start automatically as soon as the file is uploaded.
Step 3: A downloadable link will appear on the screen once the file is unlocked. Click on the link to download the unlocked Word document.
Conclusion
This article presents all solutions for removing passwords from Word files, with or without passwords. Here you get a recommendation for a third-party Word password remover designed to recover passwords for Word. Moreover, renaming the Word file extension, saving Word files in rich text format, or removing passwords online are other ways to help remove Word document passwords.
