protecting documents

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I would like to protect my Word document by offering others a "view only" so that it can not be copied/cut-pasted/edited. I thought "read only" might work but it does not...a read only user can stil "save as" another doc with their edited changes!! I know there are some Adobe Acrobat files that oyu can view or print but can't cut/paste or edit---can this be done in Word? This is not of national security, but I wanted to discourage others from plagiarizing easily or removing my ID fromthe document. Surely one of you much brighter than me has a solution for this!!!
 
This really can not be done. If another person can view your document then
there is little you can do to make it much harder for them to
copy/cut-pasted/edited their own version of it (e.g., they could print it,
then scan it and the door is open). Even if you took away the printer, they
could turn the monitor upside down on a copier, copy it, scan it, and its
theirs again.
 
Although it's often requested, there is no such function in Word. You
can protect a Word document against editing by applying a password in
the Tools > Protect Document dialog -- although the protection is
ridiculously easy to break -- but not against copying or printing. For
that, use Acrobat.
 
Gentlemen: Thanks for responding so quickly. First time I stumbled onto this site and used it, and you saved me a lot of time continuing on a fruitless search

----- Jay Freedman wrote: ----

Although it's often requested, there is no such function in Word. Yo
can protect a Word document against editing by applying a password i
the Tools > Protect Document dialog -- although the protection i
ridiculously easy to break -- but not against copying or printing. Fo
that, use Acrobat

meded00 said:
I would like to protect my Word document by offering others a "view only" so that it can not be copied/cut-pasted/edited. I thought "read only" might work but it does not...a read only user can stil "save as" another doc with their edited changes!! I know there are some Adobe Acrobat files that oyu can view or print but can't cut/paste or edit---can this be done in Word? This is not of national security, but I wanted to discourage others from plagiarizing easily or removing my ID fromthe document. Surely one of you much brighter than me has a solution for this!!
Click to expand...


-
Regards
Jay Freedma
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/wor
 
For protection against most users, but not against someone who is intent on
getting around your protection... Tools => Protect => Forms and type in a
password. This is very easy to get around but most users don't know how.
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory:
<URL: http://addbalance.com/word/index.htm>

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide)
<URL: http://addbalance.com/usersguide/index.htm>

See also the MVP FAQ: <URL: http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

meded00 said:
I would like to protect my Word document by offering others a "view only"
Click to expand...
so that it can not be copied/cut-pasted/edited. I thought "read only" might
work but it does not...a read only user can stil "save as" another doc with
their edited changes!! I know there are some Adobe Acrobat files that oyu
can view or print but can't cut/paste or edit---can this be done in Word?
This is not of national security, but I wanted to discourage others from
plagiarizing easily or removing my ID fromthe document. Surely one of you
much brighter than me has a solution for this!!!
 
Is there anyway to avoid allowing a password-protected document from being inserted into a new document, thus killing your password protection?
 
Don't let the person who might do this have access to your document? In
other words, no there is not.
--

Charles Kenyon

See the MVP FAQ: <URL: http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

Lisa M said:
Is there anyway to avoid allowing a password-protected document from being
Click to expand...
inserted into a new document, thus killing your password protection?
 
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