Lock a Word doc for limited editing

This guide is applicable for when you'd like to share a Word document for editing but only want to allow certain parts to be changed

Step 1 - Open up Restrict Editing

Step 2 - Select the editing criteria

Once this new menu has opened on the right of the document, Tick the box in #2 and keep the dropdown list as follows:

Go ahead and highlight the text that you would like people to be able to edit and then click Everyone on the right menu (assuming you'd like anyone to be able to edit this section). For example, I have marked the title as something that should be edited. You'll be able to confirm this as the text will be encased in square brackets []

Repeat this process for every piece of text you want to be editable

Step 3 - Locking the document

Once you are happy that you have marked the areas that can be edited, go ahead and click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection on the right. A popup will appear to enter a password (optional) to ensure that users cannot remove the protections you just implemented without the password. I'd recommend not making it complex in this circumstance to remember

Note: This is NOT required but without a password anyone will be able to remove the restrictions

Extra - Unlocking the document

If you'd like to unlock the document just follow step 1 and then the Yes, Start Enforcing Protection button would've been replaced by the following:

Just go ahead and click Stop Protection, at which point you'd be prompted with a password to enter if one was set up