I can't seem to get this to work. I have a word document that is a form and the form is protected with a password. I need to modify the form to add a graphic of a signature, and in order to do that I must unprotect it. And it keeps asking me for the password, even though I have done the above (saved as RTF, openened the RTF and saved as a new word document) for a password. Is there another trick I should know? Thanks!!!

How can I crack password of my MS word file ?

"First, open the document..."

Isn't this the point?? You can't open the document because you don't have the password. Duh!

If you can't open the file at all, then you need to use a different tool to break the password, and I'm not going to go down the road of cracker tools like that. I'll just suggest you spend some time on Google looking for "download word file password crack" or similar.

For those having problems, my resaved document was also still protected.

Selecting "Unprotect Document" from the menu will unprotect the resaved document without prompting for the password.

You are the man! I just used your advice on unprotecting a protected Word doc and it worked great (I couldn't remember the password).

Thanks again, wonder man! Matt Brown

Nice bit of lateral thinking there... saved me digging through tons of costly password cracking software. Thanks a lot!

oooh....I could just kiss you. This one just saved me a ton of hassle with a freaky boss who thinks EVERYTHING should be password protected, and that we should just retype everything from scratch so as not to mess up her stuff.

Ahhhh... the sweet smell of common sense....I am SO bookmarking this page.

Hello,

I am trying to open a word document that I have password protected, I was able to open it in read only the other day and I have no idea how I was able to do that, now I can't get the document open at all and I really need to print out the contents of the journal I have been saving since December 14, 2004. Is there a way for me to open the file so I can print it out? I am not able to safe the file in another form, however I can email it to myself, but still can't save it in another form when I do this either.

Thanks so much.

Stardust:

Rename the file and put .rtf extension. Try opening it with Notpad or somthing. If this doesn't work open the .rtf file with OpenOffice (its a free alternative to MS Office.) If it still won't open at all the file is probably corrupted. Hope you have a backup!!!

Good Morning,

I was doing searches yesterday to solve the password problem for what seemed like forever. Thank you so much for this page and your extremely helpful advice. I will bookmark and visit this site again soon - keep up your great work!

Mr Dave.. can you help me to open the Word Document with Password protect. I can't even open the file. I just set a password to protect this file, and after a month I forgot it.
Password to get in Word document file, High protect... hichici

Superb! It's always the simple, overlooked things; I don't think this method could get any simpler.

And for the record this method was used to unprotect some Microsoft press releases available for download. Oh the irony...

it worked like a charm. Thanks Dave....

Thanks! Your tip worked perfectly. Now all the admins are amazed by my mad tech skills. (i.e. Google) Saved me the trouble of having to crack the password

Filling out a job application for depended upon unlocking the form. If I get the position, I get a 'get outta debt free' card and you definitely get your chai!

One could also download "Passware" an automated password revealer for PDF, DOC, XLS, and many more at thier favorite free online store like KaZaA or Bearshare. lol

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You saved my hide with this bit of info!

Hmmm, not having any luck. Does this work in Office 2003? My document is remaining protected regardless of the format I resave to. It's important that I maintain my formatting if possible, I've tried RTF and MHT with no luck. I've also tried saving these formats as an earlier version (in Word 2003). Any thoughts?

Nordberg you are the BEST with your idea you can unprotect the whole document

Also does not work for me with Office 2003 :( Doc stays protected no matter what. I'm trying to unlock a form since the formatting doesn't fit my data.

hi alchemist and all,

always good to work with two computers in parallel...
with word 2003 I had also no chance to unprotect a protected word doc (I saved it rtf, but the document was still protected in this form).
then I tried word2000, and WOW! in the rtf format the document was protected (u can see it easily in the "forms" toolbar) but could be unprotected without the password - then I stored it as a .doc again and everything was fine

thx for the idea, but MS has fixed it in the newest office version... :-(

KR
Thomas

PS: always keep your old software... :)

Hi:
Was able to save password protected (lost!) Word doc. to text doc. per above, but when I open it in Notepad, it is all gibberish. Any way to correct that? I tried to in turn save the doc. back to a Word doc., but it still calls for the password. Thanks.

This will remove the password from a protected Doc

From - http://itmanager.blogs.com/notes/2005/04/how_to_crack_un.html

If you are using office XP or 2003, you can change the view to HTML-Code using Microsoft Script-Editor by pressing the [Alt]+[Shift]+[F11] key combination.

Search for "Password" and you will find somethimg like this:
ReadOnly
19E8E61E

To remove the protection:
-Just remowe those two lines, and after saving the document , the protection is gone.

hey dave,
My office people have protected the job search web sites with a fire wall, Is there any way that i can bypass the fire wall?

cool very cool it works...gr8 work man...

I figured out there should be one more simple step in the process, (between step 2 and 3). Step 2.5: when you have the .rtf document and just before you save it back as a .doc, just make sure you operate a change (typing one letter should do it), then save. ;)

Thank you. You saved my day(week)as I've been trying to solve this petty problem for a few days now. This hint has been really helpful.

Funny guy....nothing can be done with password protected doc files try some password recovery programs available for free downloads at misc sites. It's Nepali guy!!!!!

Dave you are the man.
just a note.
on the step of opening the .rtf
you should make sure it opens with wordpad.
in my case it opent with word.
so i had to specificly open it with wordpad.
Thank you very much again.

Worked like a charm. You rock.

Excellent tip by Andy. In my case, after opening the script editor I deleted the following line...

[HashedPassword]

(where [HashedPassword] will depend on the original password)

Then I hit save and closed the script editor. After that, choosing Unprotect Document from the Tools menu worked just fine.

Excellent tip by Andy. In my case, after opening the script editor I deleted the following line...

{w:UnprotectPassword}[HashedPassword]{/w:UnprotectPassword}

(where [HashedPassword] will depend on the original password)
(also, this post stripped out the tags that look like html, so replace the curly braces above with greater than / less than signs (like html tags))

Then I hit save and closed the script editor. After that, choosing Unprotect Document from the Tools menu worked just fine.

Great tip Andy, works perfectly and simple to do. thanks.

Sorry I'm italian and I will sure make few mistakes of language.. but: My problem is a word document protected.. I can't remeber the pass!!..
I alredy read this:
>
But I don't find the "menu"... which menu?
Please Help Me.. :(

The Menu is "Tools" on your top menu bar...
- Tools / Unprotect Document =)

Here's how I got around the read-only password in Word 2002:
Open the file
Go 'Save As'
In the Save dialog box select Tools->Security Options
Clear the "Password To Modify" text box and press OK

very nice trick..
thanks alot..
got a praise(NOT RAISE! lol) from my boss.. haha..

Trying to unlock password in a protected cell on a MAC

Sir,
I forget my word file of university that was not opened without password. how can i open it without actual password. Please help me for this solution.I am very thankful you for this act of kindness.
Regard

Can somebody tell me how Ican unlocked ms word officce 2007? This is an emergency

Hi Guys,

One question. When you dont know the password, how can you open the file and save it as RTF format ? I have been looking the responses all over the world, but when a guy doesn't have the password, how can you suggest it to OPEN FIRST ??? and thn save it in the RTF format....
Correct me, if my understanding is wrong.....

Thanks

I followed Andy's trick for office 2003 however could not locate the fields mentioned but i deleted the complete line begninig with <password>=<password ID>.... and it worked.

Sir,

I forget my word file of CURRICULUM VITAE 1 that was not opened without password. how can i open it without actual password. Please help me for this solution.I am very thankful you for this act of kindness.

Regard

i cannot open the MS word file, it needs a password to open it. i forgot the password! help! how can i crack the code? THANKS.

have file father cannot open he is 87 a vry important file how can I get into it
he has tried everything email me back asap @ mcmonday3@aol.com

Thanks dave. It was so magic. Thanks for all. It did work.

For those of you that are confused about this:

This hack is only good for Word files that have password protection on the read-only "status" of the file. This protection is used for files that the originator wants to keep unmolested. With a password protecting the file from changes, the originator can ensure his file won't be changed. HOWEVER, this hack has NOTHING TO DO WITH FILES THAT HAVE PASSWORDS TO OPEN THE FILE. Microsoft uses a very long 40bit encryption on these files. The only way to beat the password on a Word document that has been password protected for file opening is a vary good guess or a "brute force" program that will run through all of the possible combinations. Be aware that this will most likely take 1-3 days.

Good Luck!!

Perfect!!! Two-thumbs up!

Good tips. We're on Word 2002 SP3 so these didn't quite work for me. I did however go to the HTML version by using the [Alt]+[Shift]+[F11] key combination.

I couldn't find the fields listed but I did find:

(HTMLopen)DocumentProtection Forms (HTMLclose)DocumentProtection

(Had to write it that way because this blog didn't like the actual HTML tags in there)

I removed that line, causing it to complain with a dialog box while saving but it saved anyway. I then altered the form, protected the form with a password I created and then placed it back on the LAN for my users.

Hope that works for somebody else out there.

Perfect Man...Great work....You made my day! Thank you very much

I have a word document that in my PND-muddled state of mind I password protected and cannot recall. I've searched Google, but all I come up with are downloadable programs that cost over $50 USD (Just don't have that kind of money to spare) or shareware that only work on passwords that are under 4 characters long.

How do I know which one is safe to download?
How do I pick one that won't be a waste of money that I can't afford to spend?
Does anyone know of a free option? Its just one document - only of value to me as its a diary I kept while I was struggling with new motherhood.

Hope someone can help shed some light,

Tash

Great Advice.. I work with Office 2003 and was finally able to unprotect the document using the HTML editor... Amazing!!

I have a litlle bit trouble:
-I set the password for the file.doc
-2 weeks after, I changed the password of file.doc
===> I can remember the old password which I set before, absolutetly I can't remember the new pass, how should I do?

Dear Dave,

Thanks very much for listing this tip, it was very helpful. You have a great website - thanks for sharing your knowledge with us great guru.

Robin

Can I either turn off the 'save changes' confirmation box, or do a Save and Close at the same time in MS WORD? I know I want to save my changes and close the document, but don't want to do 2 clicks to have to get it done.

Hi Dave,

I have a problem in opening my MS Word document which is password protected as i forgot the password.The OS which i am using is Windows XP. I am scared to use any of the tools in the google search just because it would be virus infected. It would be great if you can help me out in sorting out this problem.Expecting your reply at the earliest...

Thanks

Very helpful the [Alt]+[Shift]+[F11] key combination worked like a charm after deleting the entire line that contains the word "Password". Save me alot of time.. Cheers

Hello,
I can't open my a important file. i forgot my file password. so please tell me how can i open it again with safty and how can i broke this file password.

Thank you dear Andy, your post at August 9, 2006 saved my life :), I needed to work with a very important document. Thanks a lot again, you deserve a huge kiss.

Your Peruvian friend, Sdenka :)

Sir, Pls Send me how to crack a word password without knowing them. actually I miss the my imported word file password and that how can i open then pls send me in my e-Mail ID = muskaandin@yahoo.co.in

hanking you in anticipation

Hellow,
Here i tried a lot to open the MS Word 2000 file which is password protected.I forgot the password which i have set for this document.Now how can i open this file please guide me.
Thank you.

First, open the document and do a "Save As..." specifying Rich Text Format (RTF). It'll end up being called something.rtf.

how can u open the document when the file is itself password protected????

Mr Dave.. can you help me to open the Word Document with Password protect. I can't even open the file. I just set a password to protect this file, and after 5 month I forgot it.
can you help me to open it.

i have a password on my word document and i forgot the password. Can i crack into it without any downloads from the internet?

Hi :)
how do i get into a word document without knowing the password? I need ur help! :(
hope u can help me

this works for formatting locked files, not for files where you need a password just to open it. open the locked file that you've "forgotten" the password for and save it as an .rtf. open the .rtf in wordpad, then click on save as. change the file extension to .doc and save. it's now unlocked. alternatively: while u have the document open in wordpad press ctrl+a and then ctrl+c. open word and press ctrl+v, this will copy and paste everything from the .rtf. ur welcome.

This amazing ..and so simple Thanks

well i have encrypted a word document in microsoft office 2007 i.e i have given a passwor & forgotten it
i tried all your tips but i am unable to open it
could u please help me?????????

Thanks Dave! Anyone still having trouble try saving the doc in HTML format. Open it > cut and paste the contents to a new word doc. Should do the trick.

Yes, It is nice to read that you can read your password protected documents.
In Your`s comments are sad that: "Open a password protected document, change the name (Save As)...bla bla bla. But probblem is there that I can`t open a pasword protected documen and change the name (give rtf type, I can only rename by clicking right mouse), if I could open the password protected document, i dont understand why I need samsing to change in order to open this document agan...
Thank You!

I did my best to crack the password in MS office, But in vein...

anyone can help me...

THERE IS A H U G E DIFFERENCE BETWEN OPENING PASSWORD PROTECTED WORD DOC, AND REMOVING PASSWORD WHICH WAS PLACED O N L Y FOR PREVENT EDITING FILE (sorry for my english I'm polish but I couldn't read it any more)and I'm a GIRL(woman, FEMALE)!!! ;P

Worked like a charm my man - except for one litle adjustment in my case. From RTF I had to save it as a MS Works Word processor Document. And then back to RTF and again to word document. Awesome tip.

Convert read-only .doc files to .pdf and then save as .doc again is another way to get rid of read-only password protect.

I like the way that Zach, PC shared to romove password because it can keep original format of documents.

I had word 2003 files that were p/w protected and would not open and found a handy little free program
http://www.shareup.com/Ms_Word_Excel_Cracker-download-49181.html

Worked like a charm for me. Good luck!!!

pls tell me,

i forgot my word file password, then what to do

This is working very fine. Just need to do one more step. After you save as rtf file to MS-Word file. Open the Word File and click on Tools - Unprotect, now it will not ask you the password and you can edit.

Enjoy !!!

Open file with notepad/wordpad then save as *.rtf.
Open rtf file and save as *.docx

This removed all password protection.

All i did was save as rtf, rename to file.txt (from rtf) then open it in notepad etc.
Search for password... and replaced the adjacent the hash (eg 9d734ndf74 or somethign like that) with: (nothing). The rename to rtf, resave as as word doc and click unprotect. The password is blank, so just hit enter.
done!

Hi,
i can not open my word doc. I tried all the options,but still in vain. its kinda imp.
have to open this doc file,
please suggest
Thanks
Narry

I had open password protected my resume and now i cannot remember it. it is about more than eight character long. can you guide me on how i can open this word document without downloading any software or is there any free software to download that can help. please this is urgent.

thanks

Andy's trick works well with MS word to unprotect an MS Word 2003 document.

Thanks Andy

The simple solutions... saving to .rtf and back again, and simply choosing Tools --> Unprotect Document... did not work for me.

Opening the HTML code and deleting the two lines that referenced the ReadOnly status DID work, though those lines looked a little differen, but they were easy to find with "Find"! (That's the tip posted by Andy on Aug 9 2006) YES! Thanks!

Does anybody know how to unlock VISTA files for editing?

Does anyone know how to crack the password for a word document on Vista, I can not remember what I set it as and I really need to open the document and cant do anything.
Thank you

sir,

I am not able to word file after ilost my password. i have tried the option given to save the filein HTML formAT AND THAN TO SEARCH "password". i did all thatbut i am not getting any word related to "password" in that file. pls suggest what to do asit is an urgent documents.

Regards

Wow.......... can't tell u how surprised i am to find it so simply done. I was working on several programs to solve this problem and !!!!!! 2 my surprise i find ur site. Thanx frnd its been great help and I guess how many of u out there find it the best solution. Take care and i will be a fan and also post what i know on ur site.

Open a new, blank Word document and Hit Insert -> File, and insert your password-protected file. Done

You really found the cure, alright! ;)
Thnx

Well done!

It work with my word 2003 file.

Thanks Dave and regards!

Awesome. It worked with the bit about changing the file extension to rtf, and then opening it with wordpad. Thank you.

I've just spent 4 hrs on google trying to find out how to overcome the MSWord Forms password under and found lots of so called solutions that will cost me money for a program. I just tried your solution of saving the .doc as a .rtf and then saving that .rtf back to a .doc. IT WORKED, the password under TOOLS/PASSWORD was reset to unprotected and I now have full access to the document. Tks very much for such a simple and elegant solution, Chris.

i have tried saving the file to .rtf and then .doc.but i couldnt recover the document to read.vil u help me with some other tricks to break password.am using xp.

Absolutely brilliant - thank you!

One of our employees password protected a file to make it read-only and has since moved on, and we needed to edit said document - your advice worked perfectly. Here's to lateral thinking!

Once I opened the newly saved document I had to (like others here) select "Unprotect Document" but once that was done, it worked like a charm!

thank uvery much

I have password to open and password to modify. I can`t opet document at all. How to do anything while i can not open document. At start shows to write mesage and that is all.
I using Microsoft Office 2003
Help please!!!

Send me any office file which had read only security on. I will try to help you lot.

Dont forgot its illegal to do such a job. So i would need some sort of explanation why you need to do this so.

Good Luck

If you can save the doc as .rtf, you can then edit it with notepad and remove the '\readonlyrecommended {\*\writereservation }' and '{\*\password something}' elements... worked for me.

For the technically inclined, looky here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922681

How do i crack, unprotect or remove protection of password from excel file. can you help me in this.

regards,
harish

hello sir,

i have forgot password for my very very important word file. please help me, how to open that word file.

please it is very urgent for me. it is based on my life. so please help urgently.

Sup dude,

i have a microsoft excel file with all ma password son it. The only problem is i secured it with a pass and now iv forgotten it! Can u plz help me to recover it? its really urgent.

i forget my password . how can i break my password.the id is (neha_arya86@rediffmail.com

The making the file into the .rtf, changing it, and then saving it back works, but, I lose the graphics that were in the original file so the file looks different.

First of all we are talking about password protected documents which cannot be opened because a password needed in order to open them!!! Do i have to say that again?! The file cannot open unless u enter a password, so dont mention any instructions saying: go under this menu, check this, tick that, and bs! It doesnt let you in!
Secondly, do not use passwords if you are about to forget them!at least use a password like 1234 or your name! I am bored to listen to people saying: i forgot my password how can i crack it!

hi! i forget my word document pass word how can i open it?Help me please....

Voila!! That Word to RTF to Word does the trick! Good advice.

Hi I forgot mij password. I have an file on word.
File encrijption option for this document.
I have put an password on this file and I forgot it, please help me.

This is too good. You r really genius guy .

Thanks

Hey ...the best way, without any password breaking and anything... is to just open the file in word pad...copy paste the entire thing in a new word document...thats it ...no password required or anything....it worked for me..hope it works for others also...
thanks...amit

Thank you so much! you saved me tons of work!!!

Thanks for the advices.

i having very big problem i want to open a microsoft word file and it is password protected modify and readonly please help me i want to open that file please please help me

I saw this somewhere else and it worked for me in 2003.

Simply open a new document, in menu choose insert, file and walla unprotected.. Don't forget to save ;)

hey thanks man! great its working very nice.

Hey Dave,

Thank you for the tip, it works great I was able to unprotect the word doc and fill the form.

Thanks man!!

hi, i foregtten my word file password so please tall me how to open my .doc file/

It works 100 % Thanks Dave very much
Alex from VietNam.

The way to remove the password of a word file.
Its really simple posted by Dave Taylor:
Here's how you crack the password protected Microsoft Word file: Re copy by Alex Le VietNam
freeboyvnn@yahoo.com

First, open the document and do a "Save As..." specifying Rich Text Format (RTF). It'll end up being called something.rtf.

Now open the RTF file by double-clicking on it. It should look identical to the original Word file.

Final step: save the RTF file with a new name as a Microsoft Word format document.

That's all there is to it. You've sidestepped the read-only lock on the file your boss sent you and are good to go.

In terms of actually breaking the password on a file that has it set as the "open file" password, that's beyond the scope of what I'll write about here. But I will say that there are some Google searches that can probably help you track down plenty of tips on doing just that.

Hi Dave, I seem to have lost my microsoft works word processor. it says that i've lost wkwdll,so if i remove the word processor, i can put it back on, how do i put it back on???

Please help! Sylvia.

Hi Dave,I have powerpoint document and I forgot the password.I can't use the tehnic you used for Word.I can't use save as.What should i do?
thk

I notice that a majority of people are interested to have something to break the password which they have forgotten or lost, not to open a read-only file...
So please anyone who has the knowledge about this thing would oblige everybody by doing that.. I am also facing the same problem.. Forgot the password and now unable to open the word file.

i have no idea how to hack password of word file.please help me.when i am opening the word file it is asking for password.please tell me what will i do to open that file?it is very important file.i have 7 files like this.it is very urgent . please tell me as soon as possible .
from nihar

I have password protected my notepad and now I forgot the password, can any one tell me how can I open these notepad ?

Thank you

Kristanto siswanto

I want to know that how can login password protected window without knowing password and how remove it.

hi, i've a word 2007 doc with all the permissions restricted except view. i want to take a print of this doc & due to the security permissions i'm unable to do so.
Can u pls help in cracking all the permissions and enabling all the options.

works like a charm

I tried this with Word 2003 SP3, and it did not work as described, but a slight change made it work.

Once saved as RTF, I opened it in a text editor, and searched for "password" - there was only one occurrence, contained in a pair of braces like this:

{\*\password 2adc74bd}

I deleted that section, making sure that I got the matching braces and everything between.

That worked like a charm, and the doc is no longer protected.

Hi to all,

Please help me on recovering my word2003 document. its protected document. i cant able to open it. i tried all techniques mentioned above. when alt+shift+f11 it shows nothing. i opened it in notepad it shows junk code. i also opened in wordpad it shows error.

i cant get it to work. every time i click on the file it asked for a password...i click cancel...i go to save as..and i have no idea what to do next..

I expected a good suggestion from Dave Taylor, but it was the worst..
I need to crack a Microsoft file, but this one is different.........

hi dave, i have try to solve my problem.. kuh2.. kan u help me? hint me.. i really2 need your help to remove a password.. kekkai_nojitsu@yahoo.com.my..

I have Vista and word 2007. I have a password protected document I cannot open as I have forgotten the password. How can I open the doc and save to RTF if it prompts me for a password. when i hit cancel there is no option for save as in the doc. Please help me.

tedbosse@comcast.net

Thank you

This does not work with Office 2003, however simply opening the file in Wordpad ensures the formatting remains and this can then be cut and paste into Word.

Brilliant!! A nice and fast way to unprotec document on Word 2003.
1.- Save as "rtf"
2.- Open "rtf" and save as "doc"
3.- Tools -> Unprotec

Fantastic, many thanks!!

pls tell me the steps how to crack the msword password

People I'm seriously in needy of anyone whom could help me to crack password for microsoft word 2007 document and I strived to do the attempts by taking heed to Mr.Dave advice but I do not get any results with regard. My problem people is exactly as Ted as he explained that " I have a password protected document I cannot open as I have forgotten the password. How can I open the doc and save to RTF if it prompts me for a password. when i hit cancel there is no option for save as in the doc. Please help me". Same applies unto me, so people could you help! Anyone please

Hi Dave, I saved the document with the '.rtf' extension. When I tried to open it again, it still asks for the password. Now i am unable to 'unprotect the document' after renaming with the .rtf extension. I use Office 2003. Am that too good at word. So if u can guide me, it'l be a lot more helpful...Please

It is very easy to do that.

1. Open the document and do a "Save As..." specifying RICH TEXT FORMAT (RTF)
2. Close the file and try to opening it with Word pad or Notepad
3. Save as another file name in .rtf
4. Open it in MS word and you can now edit

What is Word file cracking type

Hi,

is it possible to access a personal website when it is blocked in office, for example i need to check my yahoo mails, it shows as access denied. please help

great information..........
this saves lots of time to recreate the existing files........
thank you..............

hi...
i would like 2 ask 4 the same help that most ppl here hav been requesting for. And that is how 2 open the word document if it has a password-to-open protection. Bruteforce attack softwares arent that reliable and are taking 2 long. Im sure there is an easier but technical way to do it that soon sm1 here would find out...
thnx
Jawad

Many many thanks! Going from doc to rtf and back has stripped the protection off my Word forms.
Now I can type, instead of having to fill it by hand :-)

i can not delete passwordin winrar file

DEAR SIR,

i have lost passord , to using file .doc ( word document file,)

its very imp doc , so how to get password , do have help me,

or give us , modified solution on that one,

waiting reply,ls revert back on return ,

as on abovr address,

SUNIL

sir , i forget my password of microsoft office word 2003. how can i broke the password .plese sujjest me soon.

For anyone having problems with PROTECTED Word 2007 documents, try this

1. Open the protected document in Word 2007
2. Save the document as a "Word XML Document"
3. Open the XML document using Notepad
4. Search for and remove the documentProtection XML tag including the "<" and ">" - see below
5. Save the XML document
6. Open the XML document in Word 2007
7. Protection gone :-)

<w:documentProtection w:edit="forms" w:enforcement="1" w:cryptProviderType="rsaFull" w:cryptAlgorithmClass="hash" w:cryptAlgorithmType="typeAny" w:cryptAlgorithmSid="4" w:cryptSpinCount="100000" w:hash="rlylpUVRYgTZNzvcP4CFYTcISV0=" w:salt="4Akmxfm0igQhWYeAZ4BpcS=="/>

I cannot get a word 2003 document to save in .rtf format! I only get two options when I try to "Save as" and they are both Microsoft Word documents. Has anyone come across this before?

Great tip! This was exactly what I needed to help me out. You rock.

Sir

I have forgot the passowrd of my imp word file. Now the problem is while i open my file it asking for the password. so i cant change the extension of that file too. also i have rename the extension of that file from doc to rtf & then vice versa but still its not working.

Plz help me me to solve this issue

Regards
Amit Kumar

Hi Dave,

This worked a treat...you saved me a lot of perspiration on what I considered as the alternative.

Many thanks,

Fred

i am not able to open word document i tried out all suggestions , rtf format, xml , txt didnt work .
can you suggest any other trick, I am working on xp word 2003 format.

Hi Dave, Please help me out i lost my word paasword. I tried a lot and i couldn't able to retrive it please help me out. my mail id : balaji.gp3@gmail.com

Hi. I have been searching every where for my technical solutions and at long last am sure you are the solution. pliz help me in this two issues that i have been struggling with;

I was browsing when i came across a site that claimed they could speed up my pc. iaccepted and what happened next worries me alot. the computer went blank and when it restarted it had an admin password. so am requesting if you can help me in

1. how to crack the admin password

2. how to crack word document password.

thanks in advance for your help

Thanks very much for that - stripping out the HTML password section was soooo (Alt Shift F11 easy once I knew what to do. Thanks again,

Neil
was using Word 2003

Awesome, Dave. Thanks for this.

hi,
i forget my word doc password how to get back that in xp

What about read only Excel files?

i just opened a pw protected docx (could not edit nor cut-n-paste from it), saved it as a word 2003 doc, opened it, went to review>protect document>un-ticked editing restrictions and voila!!!
>>--contrary to popular myth, MICROSOFT does NOT rule the earth, CHRIST does!--<<

see the thing is for me it doesnt let me go to save as let alone reach the rtf thing.If i close the password box and then try to go to save as the option is blacked out.I tried doing it in word pad like one comment suggested,i got the file open but it was in some weird format which which all boxes nd smbols and gibberish

I currently use Word Password Recovery 5.0, which can recover lost or forgotten passwords of

Microsoft Word. Passwords to modify are recovered in just seconds!
http://www.recoverlostpassword.com/products/wordpasswordrecovery.html

Hello Sir

i cant able to open a word document file which it was protected by a password i cant open the document the method was given above i tried it

Thanks Andy. Your post was exactly what I needed to unlock a document so that I could work on it.
Cheers,
H.

I have a laptop but i formated the laptop and password of ASUS Data Security Manager it change after format when i download ASUS Data Security Manager when i want to open the files not allow please help me how i can open and recovery the password

This works for Word XP (2002) if, at the end, you open the new doc you created and do the following: click on Tools, then Unprotect Document. Viola! Everything will be unlocked. Thanks, Dave, next I'll click on the link to buy you a cup of coffee!!!

hello friends, i am unable to open my Word Document File , its protected with a password. i try many more but i cant to crack the file. plz help how to open or crack my word Document file.

please send me the craker tools for microsoft word.

thanks

Please send me by a software i want to open my all ms-office protect file.
it is urgent please send a link file with crack no.

Thanking You

Manish Bhargava

Hi,
i have protected my word file with a password but i lost the password which i had written in a diary.Please mail me and help me its a very important file.

((((((((((((((((!!!!!!!!!!!!))))))))))))))))))

You forgot one crucial step.

ONCE YOU OPEN THE NEW DOCUMENT YOU HAVE JUST RENAMED, CLICK [STOP PROTECTING]. AND YOU WILL NOTICE YOU DON'T HAVE TO ENTER A PASSWORD.

Hi, many thanks but NONE of the options above worked, very frustrating - i am working with Word 2007 through windows 7, i couldnt break the document from the password protected status. It als insisted on running an "information management rights services" check, talking about court orders and things...so so frustrating, all we wanted to do wsa fill in a form!

These site is expansive...

did you try the word unlocker? isn't free... :(

Hi guys,
I saved a .docx file with password, after one year, i forgot the password and now I need the information inside it. If you have ways and means, please, send me email how to unlock the .docx file.
Do help me, please.
Thanking you in anticipation.
mungsan

my email id is :
majimungsan@gmail.com

lol.... just open it in wordpad... works like a charm

thks Mr.Dave

hello dave,
i have a problem in remembering the password which i set on one of my word document........such that i so much encryte it that i cant view the content and change anything on it and cant even resave it........kindly pls help.
thank.

i have a MS Word 2007 file named "all my passwords.docx" now i forgot my password. how to open. if anybody have an idea please suggest.

Thanks a Bunch in advance.
Rama

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! You have just saved me a million hours of headache!!

1) Please how can I break the password to open my undergraduate Ms Document which I have forgotten.

2) How can I disabled my DVD ROM & USB and later enable them in Linux for the purpose of security of my documents

3) Is it possible to break into my passworded system which is using Vistal

Thank you

Dear Friends,

Am having the ms word 2007 with the password protection. I forgot my password but i need this file for my future referance, can you please any one help me to open the file.

This did not work. I did everything and this is not possible in Word 2007!!

I cannot open my password protect word file. I try all the suggestion above, it keeps asking me Enter password to open file. I have no way to save or do anything. Please help! Thanks!

Hye, i'm using microsoft office 2007 and using window 7, anyone can help me to remove password from microsoft word. i really need that doc. plss~

I am using microsoft word 2007 and I protected one of my word doc as password for open . Now I had forgot the password . The word doc asks password even to view the contents.I can't able to save the docs in .rtf format. Please help me to open my file which is a very important file.

I cannot get any of this to work. I have a word document in excel format that appears to be password protected or something. I just want to edit information in the footer and cannot do it. What other options are there?

I typed a document and protected it with apass word, but i forgot it.what can i do////

This didn't work for me in Word 2007. But when I saved the file in 'Open Document Text' format it worked exactly as described. Cheers.

hi
i have a problem with a file that has been password protected and the computer the hard drive came out of has died i cant open the file it says it cant be opened or overwritten i am desperate it has alot of uni work in this file please help if you can is there a way i can put the hard drive in another computer and make it work or can i open the file
i realy hope you can help
thankyou very much for your time
regards bill

HOW TO OPEN MS-WORD2007 PROTECTED FILE. I AM FORGET PASSWORD. SO PLZ SOFTWARE UNPROTECTED THE FILE.

How can I crack password of my MS word file ?
because i forget my passward ?

Dave,

A friend of 2 years ago (who is now deceased) created a .pdf file for my business. They made a flyer for me. My business has now changed i.e. phone number, address, etc. I have tried to change the .pdf to a Word doc which turned it into a .rtf. I still can't make any changes to the document because it wont let me. Every time I put my cursor on the screen it just sits there no letting me do anything. I just want to change the phone number and address. Please help. emellmehere@Yahoo.com

Hi there,

i have word 2007 which is asking password. i tried my best to crack it but could not.
My system requirement is below.
Windows service pack 2
MS Office 2003

Could you please help me out.

Awesome! Just got BIG brownie points with my boss :p Thanks!!!

opening the script info and removing the password protect <> worked fab!!(office 2003) I can now merge the social service forms with patient info. saves lots of time. thanks

~~~ Thank you very much ! ! ! ~~~

hi,
i m using microsoft office word 2007,and i lost a password for my file. now when ever i open my word doc.it ask me the password.i did all the above but i can't open it ....somebody please help me to open my file which has a password please.

hi,
i m using microsoft office word 2007,and i lost a password for my file. now when ever i open my word doc.it ask me the password.i did all the above but i can't open it ....somebody please help me to open my file which has a password please.

hi i have a windows 7 with 64 bit but some program doesn't support it how can i change it to 32 bit.
or can i run those program in 64bit which support 32bit
plz provide me your answer.

With newer versions of Word, the method in your article won't work. However, saving as an .rtf then opening with AbiWord or Open Office Writer, then re-saving as .doc will work.

I recently created a template for my employer & sent it out to the field. I had inserted form fields and then pw protected it so that our field personnel could add in their comments but not edit my block text or template or page setup. I got some edits from the project manager and when I went in to unprotect and make edits, my password didn't work. I tried everything I could think of to get it off and nothing worked. It would have taken me literally hours to recreate the document from scratch just to fix two words on the 18th page. I tried ms word help and help online but nothing. To my surprise when I did a google search you were the first result and after trying your instructions, it didn't work. However, after scrolling down & reading the comments the user ANDY had a bit about opening the HTML code version of the .doc and just removing the line about pw protection. THIS WAS A LIFE SAVER! Thanks for being here :)

The blond changed her pass word protected (didn't
need it, but the son said I did] now mummy dearest can't get in to her computer?? She forgot her pass word. The program is Microsoft Windows XP Professional. Please help me?????

I do agree to your terms please just help me open it... the e-mail addres is my husbands because I can't get into mine.

Kind South Africa regards,

Franchael (PS. I will phone if need be!)

I have XP and word 2007. I have a password protected document I cannot open as I have forgotten the password. How can I open the doc and save to RTF if it prompts me for a password. help me.

deshappriya.lk@gmail.com

Thank you

Posted by: Ted at April 24, 2009 2:05 P

Finally figured it out.
The advice wasn't quite working so...i modified it.
1. Open Document
2. Save As .rtf (new name not sure if that matters but it can't hurt)
3. Close word & open file in WordPad
4. Either edit in WordPad (formatting is exactly the same) or Save As .rtf under new name.
5. Open latest file in word (but formating is a tiny bit different).

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

To get rid of the password block in MS Word 2007

1. Save as an ODF file (you'll need to have OpenOffice, freeware)
2. Open the file in OpenOffice, then save as an MS Word document (it will have the .doc extension)
3. Open the document in MS Word.
4. Voila! No more password AND formatting is unchanged.

hi.
I have a msword file password locked. Unforutnately i have forgotten my password. So plz show me the way how can i open my document its very important. So please please its urgent.

Hay it worked.. you saved me tons of time... I really like u.... keep up the good work and help us in the future too..

(Cambodia) Hi, first time i can't unlock the password protected Word documents that my students have asked me, but now i can do it easily. Thanks so much.

Thanks! Got my file opened in an editable state. I was going to have to retype the entire document and only change one or two lines. Terrible thought, but not anymore!

SuperDave!

I have a msword docx file password locked. Unforutnately i have forgotten my password. So plz show me the way how can i open my document its very important. So please please its urgent.

hey, i have a word 2007 file and i put a password on it, but I have no idea what it was :( I tried what u say, but there is no way i can save it, or change format cause right when i open it, they ask me for password and if i dont put in the password, they dont let me do anything, wont' let me click on anything other than the password box, which i dont remember :(( I tried downloding password recovary program, it says the document is open to edit, so i guess they dont even recognize that i have password, whaat should i do? plz, it's really important for me!!!

Thanks for the advice. After saving it as .rtf, I had to open it with WordPad and save it again from there, so it could forget the password.

Thanks for the truc

thank you thank you thank you!

check this link, it should be helpful

http://hubpages.com/hub/Crack-password-of-documents-word-excel-pdf-security-concerns

i cant able to open a word document file which it was protected by a password. and i forgot the password.
pls helpful.
regards, utkal

I can vouch for the word 2007 password hack Bruce posted involving XML. I just used it on word 2010 so it should work for 07 as well.

As far as word 2003 goes, you can bypass the password by deleting the protection coding in the script editor. You find the editor via toolbars ---> visual basic. When the visual basic toolbar pops up choose the script editor (last option).

Look for the document protection line in the script editor. As some have noted it might read "password etc . . . . .".
In my documents it reads w:DocumentProtectionForms/w:DocumentProtection

After you remove this line and save under the script editor, the password will be gone.

This is basically the same concept for removing the password from 2007 documents.

Thanks a lot.. this saved my time a lot..

How am I supposed to open a password protected document and then save it, If I could open it I wouldn't be here.

send

Cool - Works Thanks. :)

Hello Dave,

Thank you man.. I really need to thank you. Your Formula worked very well.

I got all my profile docs unlocked through that way.
My boss shouted on me, thinking that i may not get those documents work back, and issued a memo.

But now with your help, its bingo man, I thank you alot.

God Bless you.

I am missing something here. Most of (if not) all the solutions ask the user to OPEN the file and save it in a different format. The thing is, i cannot open the file.

I tried renaming it but that does not change the file format at all.

I am running both Office 2007 and Open Office 3.3.0

Can someone please help.

I can't figure this out... it won't let me save in rich text format, it gives a bunch of options except that one. And my version of microsoft word doesn't let me 'save as' because the document won't open at all... there's also no 'tools' option for choosing to unprotect the document either. I've been reading down this page but nothing people are suggesting seems to work, maybe I'm just doing something wrong? Does anyone know a slow step-by-step way of doing this? I'm using Microsoft 2010....Sorry, just really can't lose these documents!

ps. how do you get to the script editor?

Thanks for the help!!!!!
One note if useing MS 2007 or newer you will need to first save as a 2003 doc first then follow the steps above

Worked a treat. A million thank yous.

Dear Dave,
I have a password proteced MS word document of which i forgot the password. I have tried using the above tips but couldn't open it. Please help. I am using MS word 2007 (.docs) version.

Save it under HTML
Then Copy and paste it back to words.

how do i do that on a .txt file

I have .doc file, when i try to open it , it ask for a password .. i have forgetton the password .. could you explain me how i can open the file . just view the data inside the file ..

Thanking you

if u have word 2007, save it as an ODT file format & u will have full access

You can do the same thing with Acrobat professional. Print in high quality and then convert to word. and poof.. it is done.

Thanks for the extra tip Nordberg! (5th comment down)- I couldn't open my doc even after saving it as rtf->word but was able to remove the protection once it was saved.

In case you missed this post by Bruce, above, it works perfectly:

For anyone having problems with PROTECTED Word 2007 documents, try this

1. Open the protected document in Word 2007
2. Save the document as a "Word XML Document"
3. Open the XML document using Notepad
4. Search for and remove the documentProtection XML tag including the "" - see below
5. Save the XML document
6. Open the XML document in Word 2007
7. Protection gone :-)

Posted by: Bruce at August 27, 2009 11:49 PM
---
Notepad truly is the most powerful application on the planet. :)

Woops, just find Bruce's post from August 2009, my paste of it left out the most important part!

I love you, Dave! Life is sweet, again! This so worked. Thank you.

So...that so did not work at all!!!

Would appreciate if you will also post for the file that CANNOT BE OPENED due to forgotten password.

Thnak you!

Hi!
i have problom how i can Deleate passwrod from word document if i had created already if who can help me please help me
thinks

Hello salam
my name is noorulhaq!
we have one command in ms word 2007 i office button by the name of inspect document
how to use inspect document in ms word
and how i can use internet fax and send email

Hi,

I can't open a word file that I have long forgotten the password for. It goes straight to asking for a password when I click on the file so I can't get to the point where I save it as RTF. Also, I have a mac.

Could you please let me know if there is a way to recover the file? I am happy to pay for a program if necessary

Thanks

i have a .docx file i cant remember the password. any help would be nice

gud mrning sir, i want too open my microsoft word 2010 , i frgetten my passwrd ,,,,,, so kindly help me.....

how to open a password protected ms word file of 2011..
pls help me..

If you take it one step further and eliminate document protection also. Open the new file that has had the read only password cleared and save as again. Under Tools, General options click the Unprotect Document... and save it. Close the file and when you open it again the document protection will be gone also.

Hi, I have some important Ms. Word files and now while I am opening them, they it says select coding and they open like codes, pleas try to solve my prob they are so important

very goos solution . it is now done , thanx for the advice

Great tip. Still working fine for me.

Here is my story:

1. Doc prepared in word 2007.
2. Encrypted the doc = put a password.
3. Forgot the password.
4. Since i cannot open the file now so i renamed the file to rtf.
5. Open this rtf file in word pad but the whole doc is encrypted so cannot read.
6. I copied the data and pasted in a new doc but the result is still same.
7. can someone help, no solution above is working

Here is my story:

1. Doc prepared in word 2007.
2. Encrypted the doc = put a password.
3. Forgot the password.
4. Since i cannot open the file now so i renamed the file to rtf.
5. Open this rtf file in word pad but the whole doc is encrypted so cannot read.
6. I copied the data and pasted in a new doc but the result is still same.
7. can someone help, no solution above is working

Please do help me to solve this problem. My file was very important.

My MS Word File is converted into Coded form what can I do.

Following worked for me (office 2010)
1. Save as html
2. Open html file in notes ++ (or any other html editor i suppose)
3. remove the 19E8E61E line
4. Open html file in word
5. Remove the protection (this time without being prompted for pwd)
6. Save back as word file.

Thanks!

hi, if file is not openable. which means password is on the open file. and hence cant open the file in word. now how to crack the password.

please guide. lost password.

ok heres the dea. you have a word document that you can open, but it is locked for editing....

open document.

click anywhere on the document

press ctrl+A
press Ctrl+C
create a new word document
click inside
press Ctrl+V

save new document

ok you are ready to edit the new document....
easy!!!!!!

Your solution does not seem to work for removing a password that restricts editing/formatting for a MS Word document. FYI, I am using MS Word 2007.

How idiots can some people be there at Microsoft?

Attempting to protect a .doc file with a password just to make it read-only is like bolting your front door down while leaving all windows and back doors open. I can understand password protecting a .doc completely so that only the people you want can open it. But protecting is and making it read only is so stupid. This article is great in the sense that it (indirectly) proves that sometimes Microsoft is indeed the giant with clay feet.

If you have a control freak boss, your first step should be to find another job.

You da man!

Fantastic. Worked. I love this site!

dear Dave, i hv .docx file, ms word 2007, password of this protected file, i hv forgotten... can u help to retrieve that documents...
in this regard what i hv done...
1 change file name to .rtf / .html / .xml
2. but i hv not find the line like 19E8E61E etc.
pls guide me.. i am in grt trouble

Gin

ANSWER: Save the file as a PDF. Then open the PDF version and save it as a MS word version again! Ding! ding! there you go

Step 1 - Open the protected file

ERROR - require password to open password protected file. Duh!

What next, instructions on how to break into Fort Knox:

1) Enter Fort Knox
2) Change all the locks and have the new keys
3) Use the new keys to break in.

That's what this boils down to.

Yes password protected word file is simple to crack. Just have to change some security settings ;)

Very helpful post and tips from commenters regarding final step of unclicking Restrict Editing button was also very helpful. Thank you!

Glad to see this very helpful post has not been removed!
I used it ages ago (like 2007 or so!), and have just needed a reminder again today!
The post has grown to 3 pages long from 2005, obviously helped a lot of people along the way, good on you!
Cheerio.

Thank u dave.... U saved my life thanx a lot X333

I prepared a document in case of divorce with my husband.

I changed regularly the password to open and modify it (it is the same password). But now I can not open anymore because I lost the last one.

If I give you that file, could you open it for me ?

I tried to change the extension .rtf and no use.
Every crackers I found on the web give only a demo version. I bought one very expensive and limited times to use (all the credit is already used and I do not want to pay 30 euros more).

This document is important for me !

Please help me ! Thanks so much

Man, You have really saved me, thanks a lot

Worked just fine!
Thumbs up for you!
;-)

This link just wasted 5 minutes of my time that I will never get back. YOU CAN'T OPEN A MS WORD DOC THAT IS PASSWORD PROTECTED!!!!!!

Hi dave, i read all of pages. but i cannot do it successfully because my protteced ms file is msword 2007. op sys is windows 7.at first i rename the file *.rft then open with word pad.save as *.docx. but dont understand the text. some thing like this(:(U£;Î9ïµ,X87ÐÈd?&Ù,™½§™îx%&–¯‹)what can i do? pls help me. its very inprotent to me.

Hi dave, i read all of pages. but i cannot do it successfully because my protteced ms file is msword 2007. op sys is windows 7.at first i rename the file *.rft then open with word pad.save as *.docx. but dont understand the text. some thing like this(:(U£;Î9ïµ,X87ÐÈd?&Ù,™½§™îx%&–¯‹)what can i do? pls help me. its very inprotent to me.please please help me what can i do?

Try saving the Word document as a WordPad file. It should work.

GUYS PLS DO HELP ME

ALL THE TIPS WONT WORK TO MS WORD 2007

i cant edit or "save as .html or .rtf" the document since in the first place its asking for a PASSWORD.

the first step that is alwways mentioned here is "OPEN the FILE and save as" but once again it cant be open since there is a PASSWORD

"Step 1 - Open the protected file

ERROR - require password to open password protected file" <-this error is the problem cant proceed to step 2 because of the password

Oh yes,, apparently there's no solution to OPEN a password protected document. All my info is gone forever! So sad. One of those lessons one's got to learn the hard way

Converting it to XML and opening it in Notepad worked for me in Word.
What about excel 2010
OS Windows 7

For anyone who has been plagued by Word or Excel passwords, if the format is .docx (I don't believe this will work for .doc formats) simply rename the file extension .zip, open the 'word' or 'excel' folder within the zip, delete "Settings.XML" and it will instantly remove the password from the document. Rename your document .docx or .xlsx and you should be able to open it without a problem.

Here is what happened to me,
I was using two administrator accounts with two different passwords and once a friend of mine pluged in his flash and released a virus to my computer then after the computer was restarted it couldn't display the desktop, then I tried to fix it by coping the system32 from the OS cd. then it worked but unbelivabely the password of the first account opened the second account but the first account couldn't be opened by either of the passwords, unfortunately the account I couldn't open was the one I have lots of documents I have been working on for the past six (6) years, then I installed windows again leaving the files undeleted then i found them all but I couldn't open them even in read only. Please Any Idea What I should do to access my documents would be a lot apperciated.

Thanks! Greatest things are just simple !

Have a nice day!

I have one Word and one excel file which have been password protected thus i cannot open the file anymore. Can you please assist me in unlocking and viewing these files again?

Much appreciated!
T

NOTE: While the title of the link is a bit misleading, this post is about interfering with passwords that prevent you from MODIFYING a document. Password Restriction.

Obviously, people who want to be able to open a totally password PROTECTED document are going to be disappointed, but they should also recognize that their issue is different from the one being discussed, and not pretend that everyone is simply being obtuse or unhelpful.

Big EZE, your instructions for Word 2010, renaming the file to .zip, deleting settings.xml, and renaming back to .docx, worked like a charm. Bravo!

Again - this is only for a document that CAN be opened and is restricted from editing.

Great stuff :)