Unprotect Word files when you do not know the password

Unprotect Word files when you do not know the password

Problem

You may need to unprotect a document but do not know the password to do this.

Resolution

Note that this method only works with Word documents that are protected from editing, not files that require a password to open.

  1. Open the Word file in question (doc, docx)
  2. Choose “File”, “Save File As”, and make sure the file format is set to “Rich-Text-Format (*.rtf)”. *Close the file in Word (important!)
  3. Open the new Rich-Text file with a text editor (e.g. Notepad or Notepad++ (http://notepad-plus-plus.org/)). You can do so by dragging and dropping it into the editor window, or choose “File”, “Open File”, and set the file format to “All files (.)”.
  4. Find (ctrl-f) “passwordhash” and replace the string that follows with something else (e.g. “nopassword”). Save and close the file in your text editor.
  5. Re-open the modified Rich-Text file in Word, go to “Review”, “Restrict Editing” and click on “Stop Protection” (german version: “Überprüfen” – “Bearbeitung Einschränken” – “Schutz aufheben”). Uncheck all tick-boxes.
  6. Done. You’ve unprotected your Word file without ever knowing the password.

Optional: Convert your file back to its original file format by selecting “File”, “Save As”, and choosing the original file format.

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