Applying password to multiple existing Word documents at one time

[User]

We have a large collection of Word documents which are classified by subject
in a number of folders.

We would like to password protect all Word documents in a folder with a
single common password and would like to do this as a bulk process, rather
than assigning a password on a document-by-document basis.

Is there a 3rd party utility which will provide for bulk assignment of a
password to multiple documents at one time?

Thanks in advance for any ideas. Document by document assignment of
password will prove very expensive in terms of labor, and such a utility
would pay for itself very quickly.

 

[Graham Mayor]

The following macro will do that. Don't forget the password!

Public Sub PasswordAll()

Dim FirstLoop As Boolean
Dim myFile As String
Dim sPassword As String
Dim PathToUse As String
Dim myDoc As Document
Dim Response As Long

PathToUse = InputBox("Path To Use?", "Path", "D:\My Documents\Test\Merge\")
sPassword = InputBox("Enter Password")

On Error Resume Next
Documents.Close SaveChanges:=wdPromptToSaveChanges
FirstLoop = True
myFile = Dir$(PathToUse & "*.doc")
While myFile <> ""
Set myDoc = Documents.Open(PathToUse & myFile)
If FirstLoop Then
With ActiveDocument
.Password = sPassword
.WritePassword = sPassword
End With
FirstLoop = False

Response = MsgBox("Do you want to process " & _
"the rest of the files in this folder", vbYesNo)
If Response = vbNo Then Exit Sub
Else
With ActiveDocument
.Password = sPassword
.WritePassword = sPassword
End With
End If
myDoc.Close SaveChanges:=wdSaveChanges
myFile = Dir$()
Wend
End Sub