Standard Operating Procedures IT

How To Remove Word Password Protection

Author Confluence SyncLast edited by System (+2)Updated Jul 6, 2026

How To Remove Word Password Protection covers the step-by-step process for stripping password protection from a Microsoft Word document using a free XML editing workaround — no third-party tools required. This guide is useful for any ALTA team member who needs to edit a protected Word file and no longer has access to the original password.

3 views1 min read Source

In effect since Jun 19, 2026 · next review Dec 16, 2026 (in 128 days).

Reading tools

MicrosoftTeams-image (12).png

Directions to Remove Word Password Protection:

Open the password protected document in Word.
Save the document as "XML" using "Save As", then in doc type dropdown, select XML. Save.
Open the XML document in Wordpad or Notepad (right click in folder, open with… Wordpad…)
Search for "enforcement" (Ctrl-F)
Find text starting with "w:enforcement"
Change the "1" to a "0" (or "on" to "off")
Now save this xml document
Open the XML document in Word (right click in folder, open with… Word…)
"Save as" to save it as a .docx document (in doc type dropdown, select .docx. Save.)

Now the document has the password protection removed!

#	Action	Detail
1	Open the protected document	Open normally in Microsoft Word
2	Save as XML	File → Save As → change file type to XML
3	Open XML in Notepad/Wordpad	Right-click the file → Open with → Notepad or Wordpad
4	Search for "enforcement"	Use Ctrl + F, search for `w:enforcement`
5	Change the value	Edit `1` → `0` (or `on` → `off`)
6	Save the XML file	Save from Notepad/Wordpad
7	Reopen XML in Word	Right-click the file → Open with → Word
8	Save as .docx	File → Save As → change file type to .docx

How To Remove Word Password Protection

Directions to Remove Word Password Protection

Documents